> Ace Combat: The Conversion Bureau
>  by Eagle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

		"Nothing Else Comes Close"
- Project Aces
Prologue
Canterlot, Equestria
It had been fifteen years. Fifteen years since the last resistance ended. Fifteen years since the last enemies had been ponified. Fifteen years of peace. 

That was what confused Twilight. There were no more Dragons, Griffons, Changelings, or any other violent races left to cause trouble. All other major nations and their populations had been converted and absorbed into Equestria. The only reports of violence that came were from an occasional manticore or timberwolf, but these were considered to just be nature and not worth the time of conversion. So why did her teacher and the ruler of the land call to speak with her on the matter of another possible threat? 

She continued to ponder these thoughts as she navigated her way through the vast castle. It was a perfect day out; the sun shining and cool breeze was in the air. Birds sang their songs in the castle garden whilst flying through a cloudless sky. But this had become the normal day in Equestria; except for the days when rain was needed. 

Continuing her way towards the meeting room where the princess waited for her, she was joined by her five friends, the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony; though she was too deep in her thoughts to notice until Rainbow spoke up and brought her back to reality.
“Hey Twilight, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” came the blunt response from the unicorn.

“Ok, well what’s this meeting about anyway?” Rainbow asked.

“I’m uh, not sure,” Twilight replied, trying to stop the curious Pegasus.

“Ah know you’re lyin,” said Applejack, with a disapproving look on her face. “Why is the Princess callin’ us?”

“Yea, it’s interrupting my napping time,” Rainbow joked.

“Alright,” Twilight sighed. “She told me it had something to do with a possible threat to Equestria, but that’s all I she told me.”
Her friends faces all went to a display of worry; save for Rainbow Dash. Finally reaching the meeting room, Dash spoke up again.

“Don’t worry Twi! Whatever it is, I can handle it!” she boasted as they trotted in.

“Are you sure about that, Rainbow Dash?” came a voice from the other end of the room. Turning their heads they saw their leader, Celestia, and her sister, Luna, both with serious looks on their faces. 

“Positive Princess! Whatever it is, I won’t let it hurt my friends!” Rainbow said.

“We hope that thou are right, for this is challenge unlike any other,” Luna replied. 

“Lulu, we aren’t addressing a crowd. You may speak normally,” Celestia responded in a slightly irritated tone. She was still trying to break her sister’s habit.

“Oh, yes. My bad Tia,” the princess of the night responded, blushing slightly from the embarrassment. 

“What does she mean?” asked Twilight.

“Do you remember the trans-dimensional spell you discovered a few weeks back?” the sun goddess asked.

“Yea, it allowed you to see other worlds and even go to them,” she replied.

“Well, while I was studying some of these worlds, I came across one that was horrific. Its population consists of tall, bipedal creatures called humans. They do not have magic and cannot fly naturally, but seem to be far ahead of us in technological terms. They also seem to all think differently; having various forms of government, economies, and religion. But what is bad is that they are constantly going to war with each other, with their wars lasting for years and leaving thousands or millions dead!” 

Everypony in the room had a look of pure shock on their faces. The only war that they had seen, if you could call it a war, lasted a couple of hours and ended with a few seriously injured griffons. In fact, Dash had been the only one of the six to actually take part in it; shooting down five enemies.

The war had started when the Griffon Kingdom, the first nation that was destined to be converted, refused to comply and attempted to fight back. The Equestrians; however, had created a new technology before the fight, missiles and machine guns. 

The missiles themselves where really just small, powerful fireworks that were held underneath a Pegasus by a sort of belt; the belt itself being a buckled onto the flyer and the missiles where harnessed to the bottom of the belt.  When the missile was released, magic would guide it to its target.

Though they had yet to discover bullets, the Equestrians had found ways to propel multiple small daggers at very fast speed. Held inside a small, metal “gun” that was really nothing more than one short tube feeding a belt of daggers into another, longer tube that served as the barrel. The gun was also placed on the belt, being in the middle in between the missiles.  The daggers also used magic; using it for propellant rather that gunpowder or machinery.

When these, the griffons were defeated and the rest of the world demoralized. Most surrendered peacefully, with a few having to be taken by force. With the entire world united into one species, a lasting peace was found. 

Still, the act of one member of a civilized species taking the life of another was scary. Though it was the thought that it took place on a daily basis and on such a massive scale was what really scared them.

“W-why are you telling us this princess?” asked Twilight, fear present in her voice.

“After much thought, I have decided to teleport this world to theirs. Once there we will convert their species into our and stop their bickering. I am sure that most will willingly agree to it; but if not, we must take it by force to secure the safety of the land.”

The familiar look of shock returned now, greater than ever. Luna pulled her sister aside quickly to speak in private.

“Sister, are you sure about this? It may just be in their nature, such as the manticores. Should we really do this?” she asked.

“Yes sister I am sure. No civilized species should be allowed to kill itself off. I will not allow it. They must become like us to truly see,” Celestia stated.

“But-“

“No Luna! My decision is final!” Celestia nearly shouted authority in her voice. Luna retreated to a corner in the room, hurt and silently crying. She had been left out of the decision again. Though it happened often, she could never get over it.

“My little ponies, prepare yourselves. I know you have faced challenges in the past, but this will be unlike any other,” Celestia encouraged. Everypony left out of the room except for Rainbow whom Celestia had asked for a word with.

“Princess, you said the humans couldn’t fly?” asked Rainbow.

“Correct, but I must warn you. One of their technological developments is some kind of large metal bird called an airplane. The humans fly these birds and the birds seem to be quite deadly. I must warn you Rainbow, this will be an especially difficult challenge for you,” The princess warned.

“Ok princess, I’ll be careful,” replied Rainbow before taking flying out of the room, through the castle, and into the sky.

“I wonder how hard it would be to shoot one of those birds down,” Rainbow thought. “Probably not too hard; I mean, those humans can’t even fly naturally!"
She landed on a cloud and continued thinking. . “Besides, I’m the fastest flier in Equestria! Not to mention I’ll have the Wonderbolts and Shadowbolts backing me up, and all the other pegasi. We’ll rule the skies in ten seconds flat!”

She relaxed, laid back on the cloud, and dozed off. But it wouldn’t be that easy, not with this world. For this world contained the best fliers of any world. She would soon find out what an ace was.

> 15 years ago
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Announcement: Note that all links in this story, unless told otherwise, will be to music from the Ace Combat soundtrack. They are not critical to the reading and you may skip them if you like. Also, I will post a map of the stragereal at the bottom for those who need it. 




“Everyone is a hero, and a villain, and no one knows who is the victim, and who is the aggressor. And what is Peace?”
-Brett Thompson

The Belkan War; one of the most devastating wars in the history of the world. It began with the Belkan Federal law Review of 1988. Belka, suffering from economic strife, permitted its eastern territory to secede, and the Republic of Ustio was born. However, Belka’s econonmic troubles did not subside. Meanwhile, taking advantage of the situation, the world’s superpower, Osea, continued to flourish. Amidst the economic panic, an extreme right wing party took power within Belka, aiming to restore strength and stability to the nation. And on March 25th, 1995, with the discovery of natural resources in Ustio, Belka began to invade its neighbors. As history would show, Belka lost this war and would fall into isolation and depression. But one event, a day before the war began, would alter that history.



March 24th, 1995
20:00 Hours
Dinsmark, Belka
Waldemar Rald, leader of Belka as well as the political party that bore his name, sat with his generals going over the final plans for his blitzkrieg attack the next day. This war, he hoped, would return Belka to the glory it saw during the old days of the knights. Just as he was about to end the meeting, a frantic messenger ran through the door.

“S-S-Sir,” the messenger stuttered before taking a minute to catch his breath.

“This had better be important,” Rald replied, annoyance present in his voice.

“Yes sir,” the messenger replied, “You uh, may want to um…postpone your invasion, sir.”

“What!?” Rald yelled, “what could be more important than the restoration of Belka to its former glory!?” 

The messenger handed him a piece of paper that explained what they knew so far of the situation. Rald thought it was a joke at first, but realized that was unlikely when the radio went crazy with reports coming in. Finally, the radio went silent for a minute before a calm, regal, almost motherly voice sounded.

“We are here to save you from yourselves.”



Strangereal
March 24th, 1995
The country of Wellow was gone, along with much of the northern part of Osea. In its place was an entirely new land mass. People quickly noticed two things. One was how it was populated by sapient equines, and the second was the presence of a sort of shield around the island that vaporized any human attempting to go through. 

The land mass itself was quite long. It stretched from where the Cascade Ocean and Ceres Sea met over to the North of the mid-USEA. It was entirely an island, with some ocean separating it from Osea, Belka, and the rest of the world. 
In the one message that was sent out over the radio, it told the leaders of certain nations to meet with the new land’s leader in the capital of Osea, Oured, at 10:00 a.m. sharp the next day.



March 25th, 1995
10:00 a.m.
Oured, Osea
Vincent Harling, the future president of the Osean Federation, was just a member of the current president’s cabinet. More specifically, he helped deal with foreign affairs, which is why the president chose Harling to accompany him to the meeting. 

Harling was a bit nervous, but he didn’t show it. He knew that if he was going to make a good first-impresion on these aliens that he would have to be confident. Most of the other leaders were not as thoughtful as him; both Rald and the Osean president looked extreamly worried.

The meeting came to attention with the arrival of Princess Celestia. 

“Greetings, humans,” she addressed to the room. “I have watched you and seen that much of your species’ life is consumed in war and other horrid acts. I wish to give you the peaceful alternative of conversion.”

The humans in the room looked at her with confusion. There was a long silence before the young, recently elected Prime Minister Nikanor form Yuktobania asked the question on everyone’s mind.

“What is conversion, princess?”

“That is when you become one of us,” stated the princess in a matter-of-fact tone. “You see, our land has been free from war and other crimes such as murder and arson. It is much more peaceful. I would like to help those who wish to escape this world and live in one of harmony. We wish to set up Bureaus for this in all of your major cities so that the conversions may take place.”

This gained mostly looks of suspicion from the group. The men spoke amongst themselves for a bit, but had trouble on reaching a solution. Something about this didn’t feel quite right.

“Allow me to show an example,” she said as another pony entered the room. “Wind Fire here use to be Griffon, but now he has converted and become a newfoal; a newly converted pony.”

“It really is quite nice,” stated the Pegasus, “I don’t have to worry anymore about conflict. It just makes you…feel better in general. Everything just gets better after conversion.”

“I suppose we could allow it,” one of the leaders said and, little by little, each agreed to this. 

The Osean president then shifted to something that had been on his mind from the start.

“Princess, what happened to the people of Wellow and the Osean citizens that are no longer accounted for?” 

Celestia looked at him with a confused look. The president returned this look with one of equal confusion until Harling explained.

“The land that disappeared when you arrived, princess,” he said wording the question better. “What happened to the people that lived there?”

“Oh,” Celestia realized, “those ponies.”

Now it was Harling’s turn to be confused. She knew they were people, and he knew he said people.

“I think you mean people, princess,” Harling said.

“Not anymore, they’re not,” she replied, “they were converted.”

“What!?” the Osean president yelled. “You converted them against their will? I demand that you turn them back and give them a choice in the matter!”

“I have already asked them, and they have all stated that they are happier as they are now,” Celestia replied. 

“In one day? You’re lying!” the president scowled. “This meeting is over.”



March 25th, 1995
12:00 Hours
Oured, Osea
Rainbow Dash had been savoring the spotlight. The humans apparently had had this thing called “television” which was basically like moving pictures. The press was all there asking her and the other five questions, taking pictures, and recording videos. Dash pulled off a few stunts for their cameras, but when that got boring she charged off into the sky. 

She wanted to pass the time by napping on a cloud, but got a rude surprise when she fell right through it. 

“What the hay?” she said to herself before it dawned on her. “We must not be able to control the weather here. It’s the same with the princess’. They said they couldn’t control the sun or moon.”

Before Dash could finish the conversation with herself, she heard a noise like thunder. She turned and saw something racing through the sky. It was one of those planes she had been told about. This one had a long body with its wings pulled back. 

She couldn’t resist getting a look at this. She went after it and flew up to the side of the plane. She could see two pilots inside. Flying up to the side she waved. The pilot of the F-14 blinked to confirm he wasn’t crazy and hit the air brakes, causing the wings to shoot back to their normal, straight position and diving away.

Rainbow laughed to herself. They didn’t seem that tough! She returned to the streets where her friends and the princess where waiting. Celestia was already talking with Twilight as they left.

“I just don’t understand Twilight,” she told her student. “After I revealed they were safe with us, he denied us permission to set up centers in his country. In fact, most seemed unwilling to change.”

“That is odd, princess,” her student said. “Why wouldn’t they want to live in somewhere where everypony didn’t try to kill one-another?”

Celestia sighed, “from what I saw I gathered that most of them tried to do what is most logical or what is generally right-.”

Before she could finish her student asked another question, “but wouldn’t the logical thing be just to convert?”

“Yes, but they are also very independent,” Celestia replied. “Their humanity is something they hold dear. They are quite confusing.”

They boarded a chariot and began to return home.

“But as I said before,” Celestia told her, “for the safety of this world, its inhabitants, and it’s future inhabitants, they must all convert; even if it means force.”   

Strangereal Map: 
 Remember that the Belkan War hasn't taken place and North Osea is still South Belka.
> Timeline
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                              “This is the inevitable fate that Ulysses heralded in.”
-Illya Pasternak

1994-The asteroid 1994XFO4, later to be named Ulysses, is discovered to be approaching Earth. Several governments begin constructing defensive super weapons to counter this threat.

1994-Terrorists launch a coup d’état in the Republic of Kaluga.

March 23rd, 1995- Arrival of Equestria and beginning of diplomatic relations with them.

May 28th, 1995-A Belkan pilot is shot down over Osean territory by the 229th Tactical Fighter Squadron, who claimed he was defecting. Rumors circulate that he went AWOL after refusing to carry out a nuclear strike against Equestria, but the Belkan government refuses to comment any further on the action. Rumors also arise that an Osean F-14 was also shot down while attempting to intervene; Waldemar Rald denies this as well.

June 7-10th, 1995-With the economic depression continuing in Belka, the Rald party is overthrown and a democratic government is installed. It is believed that Rald, the remnants of his party, and his supporters in the Belkan military go underground and form a militaristic group bent on regaining power, but their current whereabouts are unknown.

December, 1995-With most of the country overrun, the Republic of Kaluga hires the mercenary 92nd Special Tactical Fighter Squadron “Scarface” and begins to retake the country. Equestrian demands for peace talks are ignored by both sides. Equestrian relations with the rest of the Verusan continent suffer greatly. 

1996-As a sign of good will, the new Belkan government gives Osea and Yuktobania each a squadron consisting entirely of elite Belkan fighters.

1998-The Usean Rebellion- With their leaders away from the country, a coup d’état breaks out in the military corps’ general area code NA-P2700. After they succeed in capturing vital installations over most of the continent, Special Tactical Fighter Squadron “Scarface” is again hired to fight back. Despite Equestrian bids for peace, they agree to assist the Usean government in reclaiming the continent so as to bring about peace quicker. This also marks the first time Pegasi enter combat against fighter jets, with the results being mixed. Following the conflict, another situation arises involving a number of missing POWs.

July 3rd, 1999-Despite no longer being able to control the sun, moon, or stars, Princess Celestia claims that the six bearers of the Elements of Harmony can be used to stop the asteroid Ulysses. After tense negotiations, the governments of the world agree. As the asteroid nears Earth, the magic of the elements is used to ‘hold’ the rock in place and stop it from entering the atmosphere…barely. They also do not have enough power to push it back into space or teleport it away. Ulysses remains in the atmosphere, held by the magic, and becomes a sort of ‘second moon’, visible during the daytime. In agreement with the conditions of the treaty, weapons that were made to counteract it, such as the Stonehenge Turret Network and the Chandelier rail gun, are dismantled. 

2000-Usean POW dispute- It is revealed that all prisoners of war that were captured by Equestria during the Usean Rebellion were converted. Demands by the governments of USEA to return them are refused. Relations between USEA and Equestria plummet.

2000-Despite an initial surge of conversions during the first year, the number of converts dropped drastically. With few, if any, remaining willing converts, the governments of the world begin asking the Bureaus to close, which is denied. The country of Emmeria closes its bureaus by force, and relations with the Anean continent sour.

2002-Following Emmeria’s example, most other Bureaus have been closed, leading to a sort of ‘Cold War’ between Equestria and the rest of the world.

2003-16 nations on the Usean continent form the Independent State of Allied Forces, or ISAF, in order to counter a possible Equestrian threat. Erusia does not join, wishing to maintain their independence, but agrees to aid ISAF should they come under attack.

2004-Vincent Harling is elected president of the Osean Federation and attempts to better relations with other nations, specifically Equestria.

2008-Despite it being built as a symbol of peace between Yuktobania and Osea, Celestia demands that the Arkbird be dismantled. President Harling attempts to show that it is built as a sign of goodwill between the nations; this lead to the demand that if it was to continue, the two nations must give up a large sum of their citizens to convert. This is denied and the project continues. Relations with the rest of the Osean continent also fall drastically. 

2009-All contact between Equestria and the rest of the world stops.

> Our little undeclared war
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Announcement: Please remember that all links, unless said otherwise, are only to soundtracks of Ace Combat and are not critical to the story. You are free to skip them if you wish. Enjoy!                                          



                               
 “You think you can stop bloodshed by shedding more blood?”
 -Larry ‘Solo Wing Pixy’ Foulke

P.O.V- Osean Journalist Albert Genette
Cape Landers, Osea
September 23rd, 2010
11:09 Hours
Red Alert!
I was in the sky, trying to get the training team in my view-finder from the rear seat of the lead plane. My pilot in the front seat was howling at the Earth below.

“Gimme’ a break! I’m babysttin’ nuggets up here!”

“Command room to Wardog Squadron, we have leakers, confirmed Pegasi. Crossing the border at Cape Landers bearing 278 to 302. Captain Bartlett your flight is the only group close enough to make the intercept.”

“Baker, Svenson, go trail and stay close. The three of us will go high and engage the bandits. All other aircraft stay low and outta’ the fight.”

I felt the plane do a roll and drop its altitude. It then started doing some high speed maneuvering. Something was wrong, but I couldn’t tell right away. The world turned upside down and my stomach turned inside out.



Sand Island, Osean Federation
“Sorry ‘bout this”

The captain’s apology to me seemed misplaced. One instructor had survived the flight, but crashed on landing. The other was killed in action high up in the clouds. It wasn’t his fault that the unidentified unit had fired on him without warning, nor was it his fault that the low altitude area where he sent his trainees was directly in front of the enemy. Eight people died because the command room had misplaced some zeros. 

“That pilot in the number seven was amazing!” I said to him. “Did you see her fight back?”

“I couldn’t bear to watch,” he replied as he turned around.

“Nagase, you keep flyin’ like that and you’ll die real soon!” he yelled to said pilot as she got out of her plane.

“I won’t die sir,” she replied, standing next to her jet. The only surviving trainee’s voice was almost a whisper.

“Are you sure? You look like you couldn’t hurt a fly,” Captain Bartlett said as he walked away.

I took out my camera, wanting to get a photo of the only other surviving pilot of the encounter. Her face was pale, but she still managed to smile a bit for the camera. The photo, and my camera, was confiscated by base security. It was as if our little undeclared war never happened.

I came to cover this remote island because I heard that a very unique squadron leader was stationed here. I didn’t realize he was this unique, though. This badmouthed, good-natured old firebrand could take the greenest of rookies and forge them into fearsome fighter pilots. But, that possibility vanished after today’s encounter. 

The only crew he had left now was Second Lieutenant Nagase and the few pilots he had left on the ground that day. Those other two pilots, Alvin H. Davenport and the one that preferred to be called by his callsign, ‘Blaze’, were also rookies.

At the end of the day he called these pilots into the briefing room. Everyone was already there when I arrived. Nagase sitting up straight and attention, Bartlett slouched in his chair with his head hung back and his eyes closed in deep thought, and Davenport chatting lightly with Blaze.

“Seriously, have you heard any of the music coming out of there?” Davenport asked Blaze quietly. “All I’ve heard is some orchestral stuff and a ton of dubstep. I bet if I introduced ‘em to some of my rock n’ roll collection, we’d get along just fine.”

Before Blaze could give a response, the Captain sighed and spoke up. 

“I know you don’t like this, but we’re short on people. Starting tomorrow all you nuggets are gonna be sittin’ alert. If we launch, stay glued to me up there,” he told them in a rather melancholy tone.

“Nagase!” he looked over to the rookie.

“Sir.”

“You’re flying number two on my wing,” he told her. “Gotta keep an eye on you or who knows what you’ll get yourself into.”




P.O.V third person
Sand Island
Briefing room
Operation: Lagoon
“At ease people,” ordered the base commander, Orson Perrault, “but don’t get too comfortable. It’s a grave situation for all of us now, so let’s get this briefing started.”

A large screen with a map came up as another; deeper voice began to explain the situation.

“While the Equestrian government has denied that their Pegasi fired on our planes, another one has entered Osean Federation airspace. We confirmed that it was doing a reconnaissance run at very high altitude. Despite repeated warnings, it continued to penetrate our ADEZ and was fired on by Osean Costal Defense Force SAMs. We believe one of these SAMs wounded the Pegasi, but did not kill it. Our radar shows it is currently losing altitude and is attempting to egress feet wet towards the ocean. Intercept and force it to land for further interrogation. Do not fire on the target until further orders are transmitted.”




Cape Landers
September 24th, 2010
11:01 Hours

Wardog
Osean Air Defense Force
108th Tactical Fighter Squadron

“This is Heartbreak One of Wardog Squadron, we are approaching the target,” Bartlett reported.

The Captain flew an F-4G Phantom 2 Wild Weasel painted in a jungle camo of dark shades of green. Nagase, callsign Edge, Davenport, and Blaze flew F-5E Tiger 2’s painted in shades of grey and white.

“This is AWACS callsign Thunderhead, roger. Bring the target to the ground. Do not fire at the target. Repeat, do not fire at the target.”

“You got that, nuggets?” he asked.

“Wardog two, roger,” replied Edge.

“Wardog three, roger,” replied Davenport.

No Wardog four.

“Wardog four, helooo? You’d better be marking our tail, son,” Bartlett asked.

Blaze’s respone was a simple “yes”.

“Good boy,” Bartlett said.

“Man, I’m glad you drew the short straw instead of me!” Davenport said.

“Second Lieutenant Alvin H. Davenport, zip it!” the captain yelled. “You need a nickname, too?”

“I respectfully ask to be called ‘Chopper’ sir. I may not be able to respond to any other moniker.”

“Hmm, that does fit you well. I’ve got a better nickname for you but I’ll keep it to myself.”

“Aw, cut me some slack, man!” Chopper whined.

Bartlett looked to the right. Over the ocean he saw a moving dot slowly losing altitude. The weather was clear over land, but there were storms out at sea. He may be trying to lose them.

“Tally ho, we’ve got company,” he said. “Let’s go.”

The squadron banked to the left and flew over the ocean towards the target.

“You’re forbidden to fire unless I give permission, understand?” asked Bartlett

Again, Blaze’s answer was a simple “yes”.

“Good Boy.”

Flying close to the Pegasus, Bartlett could see that its underside was bleeding heavily. That SAM must have exploded pretty close. It seemed to be in a lot of pain and losing consciousness.

“Alright where’s Motormouth Chopper?” he asked.

“Huh, that’s your name for me?”

“You got knack for comic dialogue. You mind sending the surrender request for me?” 

“Oh no, please, age before beauty,” Chopper joked.

“I’m real shy around strangers, y’know,” Bartlett shot back.

“Sheesh,” chopper sighed. “Testing, testing, attention enemy recon, set your course for our beacon immediately,” Chopper called over the radio. 

“Good,” said Bartlett.

“Uh…we will direct you to the nearest airfield. Give us some sort of sign if you understand,” Chopper continued.

The Pegasus made no sign. Bartlett flew closer and attempted to get its attention, motioning his hand for it to land or follow them. But again, the Pegasus paid no mind.

“Warning, we have multiple high speed bogeys inbound!” Thunderhead voice called out over the radio. “Approaching unknowns bearing 280, altitude, 6000! Hold your fire until further orders!”

“Crossing the pond to fly cover for their spy, huh?” Bartlett said. “Now there’s a fighter worth his wings.” 

The squadron formed back up into a finger-four formation and turned to meet the new threat. As they flew farther out to sea, the weather worsened; rain began to hit them. They soon spotted four Pegasi coming at them.

“Enemy inbound bearing 280, head on!” Bartlett warned. 

“You’re forbidden to fire until I say it’s okay, got me?”

Blaze got bit anxious from the recent development, answering with a simple “no” this time. He sensed something was off.

“Don’t worry, trust me,” Bartlett said.

The range decreased between the squadrons, little by little, until the Pegasus squadron suddenly opened fire. Wardog immediately broke to evade the attacks.

“Heads up, they’re firing on us!” Chopper warned.

“Wardog Squadron, weapons safe. You are ordered to hold your fire until further orders,” Thunderhead ordered in strict tone.

“Oh come on! Those aren’t blanks they’re firing out there!” Chopper yelled.

“Shut your mouth and fire back!” Bartlett told them as he dropped behind one of the hostiles.

“Captain Bartlett, this is Thunderhead. You are violating direct orders!”

“Shove it! I’m not gonna watch anymore of my pilots die!” he yelled opening fire on his enemy.

“Edge engaging!”

“Chopper engaging!”

“We’re gonna shot ‘em all down, kid!” Bartlett said, referring to Blaze.

Bartlett shot down his enemy while Edge dropped behind her victim. The Pegasus never noticed until he was struck by a Sidewinder and sent crashing to the ocean. Blaze got a lock on another and fired a missile, hitting his target in the side and killing it. The final one seemed a stunned as to what was happening, as he didn’t notice Chopper closing the distance fast.

“You mind if I grab this kill?” he asked. “I will y’know.”

“Go ahead,” Bartlett replied before Chopper bagged his first kill.

With those down, the squadron noticed another flight of four coming their way.

“Turning to engage bandits,” Nagase said, earning a low whistle from Chopper.

“Whoa! Those guys are really mad, now!” Chopper said as he noticed the incoming enemy.

These were more prepared than their counterparts. They were also angry, wanting revenge for the first four lost. One quickly dropped behind Chopper and attempted to shoot him down with his guns, hitting his plane a couple times.

“Gahhh!” he yelled.

“Chopper, split-s, now!” his Captain ordered.

Chopper turned his aircraft invert and dove down, doing half of a circle. He checked his six as the plane righted itself. The bandit was still there, but what the bandit didn’t see was that he followed Chopper into Heartbreak One’s crosshairs. Aiming carefully, Bartlett fired his gun and killed the enemy.

“Good, good, nicely done Chopper,” Bartlett told him. “We’re still in this. You might get another serving soon.”

“My only regret is not being able to fly with a Captain with a sunnier disposition,” Chopper joked, trying to calm himself.

A short ways away, Edge had dropped behind another and quickly shot him down. The final two dropped behind her. Blaze came to the rescue and shot one down with his missile. The final enemy tried to gain altitude and run; Blaze gave chase. The Pegasus’ heat signature was just enough for Blaze’s sidewinder as he fired it. The missile’s white trail of smoke marked its path in the sky as it ended its journey by connecting with the target.

“Damn, dogfighting sucks, man,” Chopper said as the squadron regrouped. 

Out of the corner of his eye Blaze noticed the enemy recon finally lose consciousness and plummet into the sea.

“Enemy recon is down,” Thunderhead reported.

“Aw, what a shame,” Barlett said. “Too tired to party?” 

“All other hostiles destroyed, as well,” Thunderhead continued.

Bartlett took count of his planes. All four were there. 

“This is your Captain, can you hear my voice?” he asked Blaze.

Blaze must have been feeling pretty good because he answered with a joking “no”.

“Hey, that means you can hear me!” Bartlett chuckled.

“Well, to commemorate the fact that we all made it out of that battle alive, I’m gonna let you keep your nickname. From now on, I’m gonna call you ‘kid’ no matter what. Got it? Good.” Bartlett said before Blaze could answer. 

“Man, I swear…” Chopper said.




P.O.V-Albert Genette
Sand Island

The whole affair with the unidentified aircraft was covered up. There was even a rumor going around that it was actually a UFO. Officially, the world was still at peace; but, having witnessed the battle myself, I wasn’t allowed to leave the island.

“Why do they even bother reprimanding me anymore? I know I’m gonna be stuck at Captain forever,” Bartlett told me as we watched Chopper play fetch with his pet Black Labrador, and the squadron’s mascot, Kirk.

“Who do you think’s covering up the battle?” I asked him.

“Listen…the only thing across that ocean is Baltimare Air Force Base. That’s Equestrian territory.”

I thought about it. There was no doubt that we had engaged ponies, but the idea their government was telling us, the first broadcast we had heard from them in over a year, is that it was a rouge group. Everyone knew it was false. The idea that some group over there militarized and went rouge went against the ‘Prefect Society’ we had always been told about. 

“But, didn’t the president always say he wanted to make us allies with the ponies ever since they arrived fifteen years ago?” I asked him.

“Yea, that’s why we’ve got people working their asses off trying to confirm just what the hell’s goin’ on over there. I’ll bet they’ve got hotlines ringing off the hook somewhere upstairs.”

He sounded rather depressed while he was telling me this. There was something else bothering him.

“The government doesn’t wanna get the public all riled up about this, y’know?” he continued. “But it doesn’t matter, soldiers like us are too stupid to think for ourselves; so, we just gotta keep our mouths shut when they tell us to.” 

There was a hint of anger in that last sentence.

“I feel kinda bad for you, actually,” he said in a more light-hearted tone.

“It’s alright, I get to be with you guys,” I replied.

“The Captain probably hates this more than anybody,” came an old voice from the back the hanger.

We both turned and saw the squadron mechanic Peter Beagle, or ‘Pops’ as he’s called, walk up to us.

“He used to have a mare friend over in Equestria.”

That was confusing. Everyone had heard stories of relationships forming in the fifteen years since the arrival; but, it wasn’t common as the Equestrian government had strictly forbidden it. No human was ever even allowed inside that country, how could he have even met one.

“Ah, that’s just an old war wound now,” Bartlett said.




P.O.V-Third Person
Sand Island 
Briefing Room
Operation: Gyre

“A ship of Equestrian origins has been detected approaching the Sand Island coastline. We have confirmed that the ship has launched several Pegasi for reconnaissance duties. They will most likely return to the launch ship for retrieval after completing their spy operations. You are to halt this operation by intercepting and destroying these recon units before they can be recovered by the ship. However, do not attack the ship itself until further orders are transmitted.”




Sand Island
September 27th, 2010
11:33 Hours

“Wardog, this is Thunderhead. Enemy recon is attempting to return to spy vessel. Shoot them down before they get back to the ship.”

“Sure thing. You got that gang?” Bartlett asked his squadron.

Blaze replied with a “yes”.

“Good, remember are orders are not to fire on the ship,” Bartlett said.

They came across the first group, which attempted to run. In order to compensate for the weight of Equstria’s large, less-than-modern, photography equipment, the recon units had to be unarmed; still, they moved quite slowly.

“Show me what you’ve got, kid!” 

Blaze surged ahead and shot down the first two with his missiles. He want forward some more and, finding another group of two, dispatched them in the same manner.

“How you doin’, kid?” Bartlett asked. “Pretty easy, huh?”

“Yes”

“Okay let’s hurry up and finish this.” 

“Guess this is a good chance to have a little competition of kill scores!” Chopper said as they came across the final group of four.

Chopper went forward, trying to get closer; he misjudged his speed and overshot the group by some way.

“You better not get sloppy just because they’re slow!” Bartlett yelled at him.

As Chopper got separated from the rest of the squadron, Blaze moved within range and finished off the last of the recon Pegasi. As soon as the last one fell, Thunderheads voice came over the radio.

“Warning multiple bogeys inbound and closing fast.”

“Same attack axis as before?” Bartlett asked.

“280. Same vector as last time!”

“Geez, how many planes they got lined up at the border? We’ve only got four on our side… We’d better abort. This Way.”

Bartlett led the squadron in turning around and heading back towards the island. The enemy formation appeared on radar; ten bogeys, all in one formation.

“Think you can stick to my tail?” Bartlett asked.

Whether Blaze genuinely thought he couldn’t, or was in a joking mood, he answered “no”.

“I think your sense of humor needs a little extra training,” Bartlett replied.

As the squadron turned away, they noticed Chopper was not with them. Due to his long overshot of the recon, he had been much closer to the enemy formation. His voice came in over the radio.

“I can’t make it! They’re running me down!”

Bartlett looked back and saw the enemy closing with Chopper. 

“Oh, you’re takin’ the trail position today, Rock n’ Roller? Hang on, I’ll clear your six o’clock for you.” 

“Dammit, why’d I have to draw the short straw today!?” Chopper said as he continued towards his squad mates, who had now turned around to help him.

“Everyone else quite gawkin’ and start shooting!” Bartlett ordered.

“Enemy fire confirmed,” Edge said, “turning to engage.”

“Wardog, you are not clear to engage at this time!” Thunderhead called.

Chopper broke right as the squadron approached and was followed by four of the enemies. Bartlett and Edge both took two, shooting them down. 

“You splashed an enemy without permission to engage!? What are you thinking, Wardog!?” Thunderhed yelled.

They soon heard an unfamiliar voice over the radio.

“Enemy squadron has commenced counter-attack,” the voice said. It didn’t take much to realize it was the enemy’s voice. “Flight of four fighters. They are believed to be the same squadron from two days ago.”

Blaze attacked a group of three, shooting down one as it was coming head on. He dropped onto the six of another as the Pegasi’s partner dropped onto Blaze’s six. Blaze was faster, killing the first one in his sights and dumping his speed, causing the other one to overshoot Blaze’s plane. He then finished the Pegasus off with his machine gun. 

One of the final three latched onto Bartlett’s tail, trying to get a lock-on.

“Back again, huh? Hope you’re ready to fight this time.” Bartlett taunted, now knowing the enemy could hear him.

“Break right, bandit on the Captain’s tail. I’m on it,” Edge said as she hit Bartlett’s attacker with a missile.

“All right, not bad!” he complemented.

The last two tried to retreat, but were both caught by Bartlett and Chopper.

“Picture Clear. All enemies destroyed,” Thunderhead reported. “Warning is still in effect, keep your heads on a swivel.”

The squadron regrouped and flew over the spy ship. It was mostly wood, but part metal. It didn’t have a sail or paddles on the side, so it must have been driven by propellers like the humans. Though they certainly didn’t have the propulsion technology, whatever did propel it made it go almost as fast as a human ship. The ship then fired a missile, and it locked and to Edge’s plane.

“Watch out Nagase, they’re down below us, too!” Bartlett warned.

Edge tried to dodge, but couldn’t lose it. Bartlett then drove his plane in-between the two, picking up the lock himself. He also tried to dodge, breaking right, left and doing an aileron roll before the missile impacted his wing.

“Captain!” Edge cried.

“Hey! Save the waterworks,” he ordered. “I’m just gonna bail out here. We can replace these things. It’s getting the crew back alive that counts. Make a call to scramble the search and rescue copter and my reserve plane, okay?”

And with that, Heartbreak One ejected; parachute deploying and landing in the sea, and dangerously close to the enemy vessel.

“Warning! Warning! Wardog Squadron, return to base immediately!” Thunderhead ordered.

“But the rescue helicopter isn’t here yet!” Edge protested.

“Leave that to the rescue team! Refuel and rearm at the base, and get back in the air immediately! The enemy has declared war on us!”

> An abstract idea
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


 “War was an abstract idea, nothing more than a show of TV. As a child, I only saw it as something that happened in some faraway land.”
-Storyteller Boy




Aircraft carrier Fort Grace (CV-04)
Northwest of North Point
Briefing Room 
September 27th, 2010

“Here is the current sitrep and your orders for deployment; effective immediately. As of 05:00 hours, ISAF confirms the invasion of USEA by Equestrian forces; more specifically, through naval landings from the Cascade Ocean. Though they have already seized much of the northern peninsula up to Ice Creek, they were unable to take our radar facilities at Mount Schezna. These later reported the presence of a small fleet heading towards North Point. It seems the enemy is attempting a stealth invasion of North Point. We have very few troops stationed there at this time; hence the island is a sitting duck. You are to launch a pre-emptive strike to stop the fleet before it reaches North Point. Since the enemy was expecting this to be a stealth incursion, we should have surprise on our side now. It is mission critical that you destroy the enemy’s troop transports. Remember, you are the first line of defense for North Point, and the fate of ISAF rests in your hands.”



CV Fort Grace
Northwest of North Point
September 27th, 2010
14:05 Hours

Mobius
Independent State of Allied Forces
118th Tactical Fighter Wing

Mobius One, the only member of the squadron, sat in his plane as it was brought up to the deck.

“Mobius One you are clear for takeoff,” the control sounded.

Mobius One’s plane, an F-4G Phantom, was painted a dark, navy blue. It was armed with unguided bombs for use against the fleet, alongside the standard missiles and gun. It was set into position on the flight deck.

“Mobius One, takeoff immediately to clear the flight line,” ordered the control.

The large barriers were raised up. The Phantom’s engines went into afterburner; producing shock diamonds of white, purple, and orange. After a few seconds, the catapult launched it from the ship and into the sky.

Mobius flew on to join the rest of the strike formation, which consisted of two other Phantoms and two F-5E’s from North Point. They flew in low over the water so as not to be spotted as they approached the fleet.

“AWACS here, callsign Sky Eye, do you read?” the AWACS asked. “Your callsign is Mobius One. We’ll refer to you by this name at all times. You are now under my command. Enemy fleet confirmed coming in from the North, you are clear to engage.”

They moved in closer and began their individual runs. The fleet had spotted them by this time, but it wasn’t enough time to prepare.

“Mobius One, engage,” Sky Eye said.

“Keep an eye on those bandits!”one of the pilots warned, spotting the fleets’ top cover of two Pegasi.

The two F-5Es engaged them to keep them busy while the Phantoms began to attack the fleet. There were three troop transports protected by six frigates. 

As they closed in, they were fired on by the ships with missiles. They also came under attack from what looked like lasers. These were fired by some of the more powerful unicorns stationed on the ships. These were powerful enough to kill a plane with one hit; luckily, since there magic was weaker here, they could only manage two or three shots.

“How did the enemy know we were coming!?” yelled the fleet commander. “Call for reinforcements immediately!”

They would have to work fast. Additional enemy air escorts would be coming soon. Each Phantom carried four bombs, two under each wing. The first two Phantoms went in at the same time. Both singled out the same ship, both dropped all their bombs at the same time, and all eight impacted along the ship. 

The top of the ship was wrecked and engulfed in smoke. The survivors jumped over the rails and trying to swim to the other ships; the unicorns with enough power tried to teleport to the other ships. 

As the two planes pulled away, Mobius noticed their mistake. He spotted the last two transports churning through the sea; one was following in the wake of the other. He made some recalculations and adjusted his run.

Diving in, he skillfully dropped his bombs, trying to use precision. One bomb was placed on the bridge of the first while a second bomb was dropped and exploded right at the ship’s waterline, causing it to list heavily. He repeated this procedure with the second landing ship and strafed them with his guns until both capsized.

“Good job, Mobius One!” Sky Eye congratulated.

As Mobius pulled away he spotted one of the F-5Es shooting down one of the pegasi. The second was nowhere to be seen.

“Radio failure!” the other F-5E shouted. Apparently the Pegasus had turned the tables and hit him. 

“Rapier 7 is incommunicado,” the first one said.

Mobius One looked up and spotted the damaged and smoking Tiger trying to escape it’s would be prey. He quickly sped up and, getting a lock tone, fired a missile into the belly of the Pegasus. He then flew up next to the damaged plane. Despite some serious damage and his radio being out, the pilot gave Mobius a thumbs up, indicating that he would make it back.

“That’s a round up!” one of the Phantom pilots said. “Let’s go on home!”

> Three
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


“Did you know there are three kinds of aces? Those who seek strength, those who live for pride, and those who can read the tide of battle. Those are the three.”
-Larry “Solo Wing Pixy” Foulke





Twinkle Islands, west of Farbanti, Erusia
September 27th, 2010
07:00 Hours

It was a very simple mission; fly over the capitol a couple of times in order to show who had the real power. Get in, be noticed, and get out; an easy propaganda victory. That was the problem; it was too easy for Rainbow Dash.

She wanted to do something more; go after one of those fighter jets. She was the best and wanted to prove it. She was looking for a challenge, but they were ordered to retreat if they made contact before reaching the capital. 

“Not gonna happen!” she thought. “If anything gets in the way, I’ll just brush them aside and continue on.”

It was just her and one other Pegasus; a mare called Flitter. Flying over the island chain as the rising sun reflected beautifully off the ocean. There were a few clouds, but not enough to obscure vision.

The old quote “be careful what you wish for” would be most appropriate as Dash spotted three planes patrolling nearby.

“Hey, Flitter! Look over there!” she yelled in excitement over her radio. “Let’s go nail ‘em!” 

“You sure Dash? We were ordered to avoid contact,” Flitter said.

Dash had already broken away and was speeding towards the jets.

"Don’t worry,” Dash said. “How good can they be?”




Aquila “Yellow” Squadron
Federal Erusian Air Force
156th Tactical Fighter Wing

Yellow 13, the leader of the squadron, and Yellow 4 watched from a high altitude as two Pegasi fell into their trap. Their enemies dropped onto the tails of two of the three circling SU-37 Terminators. Those aircraft then turned so that 13 and 4 would be in a perfect position to attack the attackers.

"Yellow 4, engage the enemy immediately,” 13 ordered. “Take down that Rainbow one, I’ll get the other.”

13 and 4 dove into the attack.



These pilots were good. Dash had landed a couple gun hits on her target, but the jet’s maneuvering prevented her from getting a solid hit. This was getting irritating. Both human jets and Pegasi had advantages over the other. Pegasi were more nimble, for example, while the planes could take more damage.

Just as she was about to get a solid lock, missile warnings sounded. She turned and saw another jet on her six. She broke off her attack and attempted to evade. The radio again buzzed to life with Flitter’s voice.

“Dash! One of them is on me! Get it off-,” the voice went to static as Dash saw her get hit and fall into the ocean.

A feeling of shock and disbelief had come about her, unable to believe what was happening. That feeling was replaced by a new one as she realized she was now alone against five enemy planes; it was fear. She had felt it before, but never like this. 

She focused on dodging the many attacks that came her way; twisting and turning to avoid getting hit. Eventually her base commander’s voice ringed in her head.

“Dash, what’s going on!?”

She couldn’t respond any more than heavy breathing. 

“Get out! Get back here!” the commander’s voice came again.

Dash turned north and tried to get away. The planes were still behind her. She focused on her speed; going faster and faster.



Yellow 13 was getting closer to the running cyan target when something struck his plane. A strange, Rainbow colored shockwave hit the squad and tossed the planes like toys. When he regained control of his plane, the target was gone; leaving a rainbow colored trail behind. The squad reformed.

“All ships, report,” 13 ordered. 

All 5 craft responded. 13 took pride in not losing a wingman. He looked at the trail left by his would-be victim and determined that, even if they could catch it, they’d run out of fuel doing so.

“Yellow squadron, RTB,” he ordered.

“The Rainbow one is quite skilled,” he thought. “Quite skilled, very deadly.”



Rainbow finally got back home. Her legs were shaking badly; she could barely stand. Her sense of fear was replaced by depression.

She hung her head low. Flitter had died because of a decision she had made. She couldn’t let that happen again. To be responsible for a friend’s death was too much. She did remember one thing, though.

Depression turned to anger as she remembered how the planes were painted. They were mostly spotted with different shades of grey with the tips of their wings and tails painted yellow. She remembered specifically one part of Flitter’s attacker; a large number emblazoned in yellow, 013.

She couldn’t stand the feeling of defeat. She would find Flitter’s killer and shoot him down. She was the best, and she was going to prove it for her dead teammate.




Tiger Naval Base
Union of Yuktobanian Republics
September 27th 2010
03:00 Hours

It was a quiet, dark, cloudy night. It was perfect for the kind of operation the Shadowbolts, at least in this case Nightingale and Descent, were about to perform.

Ever since they were drafted to fly combat mission for their skill, the Shadows had always been passed up for the more important mission by the Wonderbolts. This always got to Nightingale that they were thought to be second rate. With this new war, the Shadows hoped to gain the top spot, the power to influence, the recognition, the fame that the Wonders had.

At least tonight she had the comfort of knowing that their mission was important. That mission was the destruction of two superweapons before they could be used against them.

The Tiger Naval Base was home to Yuktobania’s two massive submarine superweapons. These submarines, the Scinfaxi and her sister, the Hrimfaxi, had the ability to launch long range ballistic missiles that, when they struck, annihilated everything below 5,000 feet in a 2,500 ft. radius. 

The infiltration wasn’t difficult; especially since the Yukes weren’t expecting anything. Both Pegasi were carrying small armor-piercing bombs containing a powerful potion that would eat at the metal of the subs. Once the bombs penetrated their way into the ships, the liquid would corrode the metal and dissolve it until there was nothing left of them.

The two came in quickly, observing radio silence, skimming the tops of the waves. They came in closer to their target, and still the base suspected nothing. Eventually they came close enough to release the bombs. They did so and sped away without a sound. The bombs fell quietly through the air and went into the hulls of the ships. 

Their containments went to work quickly, corroding the two massive subs. The guards on watch couldn’t believe what they were seeing. They thought the ships were disappearing before their eyes. By the time they realized what happened, their boats were gone.

Come morning there was truly nothing left. Some arriving troops questioned if the two ships had been hijacked. It wouldn’t be until later in the day that the realization of what was unfolding across the world.

Upon further inspection of the base, they discovered something much more frightening. The subs’ entire supply of the powerful burst missiles were missing without a trace.




Gracemeria, Emmeria
September 27th, 2010
10:00 Hours

It was a truly beautiful day in the sprawling metropolis. Built around a bay, the largest of the city was built to the east and the old castle and the air force base in the east. The two sides were connected by a long bridge, the King’s Bridge, running along the entrance to the bay.

It was mostly quiet, save for the birds that were singing. That silence was all of a sudden broken by a loud sound like thunder, followed by a shaking and a blast of wind from an explosion; a missile had struck the middle of the bridge and collapsed a section. This was soon steadily followed by the sounds of chaos, people screaming, more explosions, and the roar of jet fighters taking off.

At Gracemeria Air Force Base, an F-15E Strike Eagle rolled onto the runway to take off; it was flanked by an F-16C, the commander of Windhover Squadron, and an F/A-18F, the commander of Avalanche Squadron. 

“They took out king’s bridge!” one of the pilots yelled. “Who’s attacking? What the hell’s going on!? Control, get those planes up fast!”

“Give me a damage assessment now!” one demanded.

“We’ve taken extensive damage from those bombers, including a number of civilian casualties!” replied another.

"Alright, we're going after the bombers, but we can't hold out much longer."

The three planes lined up on the runway.

“Garuda One, you are clear for takeoff,” the tower said. “Don’t get over-eager; just do what you always do!”

The engines of the three planes pushed them down the runway. They pulled their noses up and took off into the sky.

“Garuda One, liftoff,” the tower reported. “Cerberus team, runway clearance granted. Takeoff when ready.”

The planes gained altitude and formed up with a large body of aircraft preparing to defend the city.

“All aircraft under airborne command’s jurisdiction following takeoff. This is not a drill! I repeat, this is not a drill!”


Garuda Squadron 
Republic of Emmeria Air Force
8th Air Wing, 28th Fighter Squadron

“Airborne Warning and Control System Ghost Eye to all scrambling defense craft. The situation has not yet been ascertained. We must implement an emergency reformation. Follow your individual instructions,” the AWACS ordered. “Garuda one you do not have a wingman. Let’s see…Shamrock.”

Garuda One, callsign Talisman, looked back and saw another F-15E.

“Shamrock are you alone, too?” Ghost Eye asked. “Very well, as of now you’re Garuda Two.”

“Okay,” he replied, forming up next two Garuda One. “So I’m Garuda Two. Garuda One, I’ve got your back. No time for introductions now though. Go ahead and I’ll follow your lead. Never was good with directions anyhow.” 

“Garuda Team, you re authorized to engage any hostiles above Gracemeria,” Ghost Eye said.

“Roger that!” Shamrock replied. “May the Golden King smile upon us!”

The two planes dived down and began to engage the enemies. Ordering Shamrock to cover him, Talisman dove on a fighter and quickly understood who was attacking. 

“We’ve got an idea on the invaders; we’re engaged with the Equestrian military,” Ghost Eye reported.

“The Equestrians?” Avalanche said. “They country’s hated us for years; looks like they finally snapped.”

“All ships to terminate the enemy forces over the bay. Get those anti-air guns ready for battle!” an admiral said.

The DJ at the local radio station sent out a warning. 

“We interrupt this broadcast for an emergency new report. Gracemeria is currently under attack by Equestrian forces. The damage apparently extends throughout the entire capitol.”

The land based anti-air units also began to fire.

“Focus all anti-air fire on those bombers. Don’t let ‘em get any closer.”

Talisman got behind a group of three bombers. These Pegasi, like the recon, had no defensive weapons, sacrificing them for carrying bigger ordinance. The bombers today carried a mix of conventional explosives and bombs containing liquid that converted citizens on the spot. 

Talisman shot down two while Shamrock got the other one. Two fighters came at them head on and were also shot down. They gained altitude and dived on another group of three bombers, gunning down all three.

“I’ve been strafed! Who the hay did that?” one of them cried before he hit the ground.

“This is commander Windhover of the 15th Squadron; the enemy is expanding his field of attack. Stay alert.”

Avalanche and his Squadron of Hornets shot down their own target of four enemy fighters.

“Looks like the ponies are runnin’ outa steam,” he said. “Had enough boys?”

Windhover and his Falcons shot down another squadron of four.

“So those bastards think they can just barge in without even calling first,” Windhover said.

“Unbelievable, I say we teach them some manners before we kick them out!” Shamrock responded.

The Emmerians then focused an attack over the large amount of targets over the bay. The guns and missiles of the fleet shot down most low fliers, while the jets got most of the others.

“That’s what I like to hear, our air force is holding down the enemy. Keep it up!” the DJ announced.

“The Equestrian threat level is low now. Drive them out of Emmeria.” Ghost Eye said. “Wait, I’ve got a new formation on radar! They’re coming in fast!”



Spitfire was leading the Wonderbolts, all fifteen of them, towards the target. The entire squadron usually didn’t come out at once, but this was too important; they needed everyone.

She was focused on the objective, they all were. Her strict, no-nonsense attitude she usually used at the academy was present here, due to the seriousness of the situation. The city soon came into view.

“Ok, we’re going to take control of the air over the city,” she said. “Everyone just remember your training, watch each other’s backs, and we’ll be fine.”

“Don’t worry, this shouldn’t be too tough,” Soarin said in a calm, confident manner. “We’re just gonna sweep Emmeria under the rug!”

Spitfire was always amazed by Soarin. If not by his insatiable appetite for pie, then it was his ability to have a laid-back attitude in the most stressful situations.



"Whoa! Who are these guys?” Avalanche said upon seeing the new formation. “And what’s with the blue suits?”

“Wait…Those are Wonderbolts!” Windhover realized in horror.

“Wonder..what?”

“Wonderbolts, they’re Equestria’s aerial acrobatics squadron. They’re supposed to be the country’s best fliers,” Windhover said as they engaged the enemy. “Be careful.”

“Ugh…I can’t get a bead on him!” Avalanche said while trying to stay with his target.

“One of them hit me!” another pilot said.

Talisman tried to get a lock on one, but two of his partners attacked the jet and he had to break off. Shamrock was busy trying to lose another one. The Wonderbolts continued to tear into the human jets.

“This is Fleetfoot, I’ve got the target! Comencing attack!”

“All Wonderbolts, Gracemeria is ours for the taking! Take these guys out quick! Don’t let them regroup and recover!” Spitfire said

“Roger,” Soarin replied.

“Half our planes are off the radar!” Avalanche yelled.

“Evade like hell if you want out of this alive!” Windhover yelled.

“Dammit! What about our city? What about Gracemeria?” Shamrock replied.

“Warning! Additional enemy units have been spotted bringing up the rear; you don’t want to know how many!” Ghost Eye warned upon seeing a large number of dots appear on his radar that were heading towards the city.

The humans continued to try to hit the enemy, but they couldn’t touch them. 

“This is Ghost Eye to all planes. Air Defense Command has ordered an evacuation. You’ve been ordered to give up Gracemeria. Break away from this airspace and head west.”

“Are you out of your mind? We con’t comply with that order!” Windhover protested.

“We are militarily at a huge disadvantage. Comply with the order and head west,” Ghost Eye replied.

“This is Avalanche, we’re not going anywhere!”

“Listen! It’s only temporary!” Ghost Eye said. “The plan is to withdraw, meet up with all remaining force from each are, and then regroup for a counter-attack. We can’t afford to lose you, follow the order.”

“This is Garuda Two to Garuda One; we really should get out of here.”

With that the remaining planes retreated west to escape. The Equestrians didn’t pursue, being too worn out to follow

“I promise we’ll be back for you, just a little longer,” Shamrock said.



Spitfire and the rest of the Wonderbolts were relaxing after the battle; with Soarin eating on a pie he found in an abandoned human bakery. Though any citizens that were left in the city were supposed to be converted immediately, there were too many here to do all at once. It would take some time.

At least her squad had won the battle, and without a single casualty. Word was that their ground forces had already separated the country of Emmeria form their neighbor, Estovakia. Maybe Soarin was right. Maybe this would be a short war.

> Four wings as one
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


“Everybody wants to be a flight lead, but you gotta earn it.”
-Jack “Heartbreak One” Bartlett





P.O.V-Albert Genette
Sand Island 
September 27th, 2010

I set up a camera overlooking the crew quarters I shared with Davenport. This was the room…or the cell, I had been assigned to.  I sat on my bunk as I watched Captain Hamilton make a phone call.

Captain Hamilton…unlike his superior, the base commander Orson Perrault who locked me up in here, he’s been very reasonable with me. He even got my camera back. He told me that if his uncle wasn’t a soldier, he’d have liked to have a job like mine. He hung up and tapped the phone a few times with his finger.

“Well, we don’t have any reason to hold you here anymore,” he told me.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Equestria just declared war,” he answered. “They’ve launched an offensive simultaneously, too. Our naval base at St. Hewlett is being bombed right now.”

As he left, I pulled down the blinds over my window and watched the squadron’s Tigers take off again. There were only three of them now.



St. Hewlett Naval Base
Osean Federation
September 27th, 2010
14:33 Hours

“Due to pressing circumstances, I’ll be issuing an emergency in-flight briefing,” Thunderhead said.

“Our Naval Base at St. Hewlett reports that Equestrian Pegasi have launched a surprise attack on the port. The situation there is critical with widespread panic. Ships from the 3rd Osean Naval Fleet docked at the port are currently under attack and suffering heavy losses. Hurry to Port St. Hewlett and provide air cover for our naval vessels attempting to escape the bay. Among these ships is the aircraft carrier Kestrel. It is the flagship of the 3rd Naval Fleet and a critical combat asset. You must protect the Kestrel at all costs." 



“Thunderhead to Wardog; Edge, you lead the formation.”

“Negative,” she replied. “You take the lead, Blaze. I’ll fly on your wing.”

“Second Lieutenant Nagase, follow your orders,” said Thunderhead.

“No, Blaze is leading. I’ll protect his six o’clock. And I’m not going to lose another flight lead.”

“Uh, I’d better stick to the trail position, thanks,” Chopper said.

Before Thunderhead could respond, a new voice came in.

“Quite screwing around, this is war! The enemy’s all over; they’re gonna eat you alive!”

An F-14 belonging to the fleet shot over the Wardog formation and headed towards the port, the pilot's voice coming in again.

“This is Captain Snow, Callsign Swordsman. Engaging next enemy formation, give me a position.”

“This is the AA Cruiser Excalibur. The ship blocking us up ahead, you have to move away. We can’t use our SPY radar!”

“Clear to engage,” Thunderhead said. “Blaze engage.”

“Edge engaging.”

“Chopper engaging.”

“I’ll cover your six, alright Blaze?” Edge asked.

“Yes.”

“Blaze, you take the lead. I’ll go trail and follow.”

The day was clear, it was perfect for flying. As they approached the port, they were met by a scene of utter devastation. Fires raged on land and sea, smoke billowed up, ships were hit and sinking. 

“The tanker next to us just exploded! Where’s the fireboat? It’s spreading to our ship, help us!”

“Nobody saw them coming!?” a sailor asked.

“They ships are just sitting at anchor, this is like target practice,” one of the attackers said. “Enemy reinforcements inbound heads up and get ready!”

Blaze dived on two Pegasi that were strafing the ships and shot one down. The other tried to pull up but was too slow and went down as well. 

“Captain, do you know how to give your commands?” Chopper asked.

“Yes.”

“Cool, I’m ready for ‘em any time, so just say the word.”

“The fireboat got caught in the explosion! Two, no three ships are burning now!”

One of the captains had just gotten back to his ship from shore leave.

“This is not a drill,” he announced.

“Oh thanks for the heads up you idiot!” a sailor yelled at him.

More attackers came in from the direction of the sea. They were split up with some flying at high, through the clouds, medium, over the bay bridge, and low, under the bridge, altitude.

“Your target is the enemy aircraft carrier and large surface combatants surrounding it,” their commander said. “Don’t let them escape the port, sink them all.”

The Kestrel and the remaining ships were already moving towards the exit. The fighters overhead went to engage the next formation.

“Protect the Kestrel at all costs,” the Kestrel CIC said.

“Alright, it’s time for our Aegis ship to live up to its name,” a captain said.

“Our surface-to-air weapon system is operational, let’s do this!” said another.

“Thanks, everyone. We request your cover until we break out of the port!” Kestrel replied.

More attackers came in over the bay. Two tried to make a wave top attack on Kestrel, but were both hit by Gatling fire. One flew high over the Kestrel, looking to make a dive bombing run. It was hit by a RIM-66 SAM from a cruiser. 

“Blaze, this is Edge. Have you located the carrier Kestrel?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve picked it up, as well. Looks like it’s still alright.”

They attacked a group of three hovering over the docks, shooting them down. An anchored ship was hit by a bomb amidships; starting a large fire. Another was hit by a missile, causing it to list twenty degrees to starboard. 

“The entire gulf is in flames!” Nagase cried.

“Man, what happened here? This is worse than I imagined,” Chopper said. 

“This is the port captain. All vessels leave port immediately! Ships nearest to the exit first!”

One of the moving destroyers was getting strafed by a fighter.

“I don’t care if we take hull damage! We’re clearing out of here any way we can.”

“Escape the port and take evasive action,” another destroyer said. “No mistakes.”

“This is the aircraft carrier Kestrel, approaching port exit,” the ship reported.

“Roger Kestrel. The Kestrel takes top priority!” ordered the port captain.“That barge over there, move it! I know you want outta here, but open up a path. That carrier’s valuable.” 

“This is Swordsman, on my wing! That’s our ship!”

“Negative, this is AWACS Thunderhead. Swordsman, remain in the Eastern sector. Protect our territory and continue battle.”

“But that’s my carrier!” he protested.

“Wardog, provide cover for the Kestrel.”

“Dammit, you pigheaded…!” Swordsman didn’t bother finishing.   “Alright, I’m counting on you Wardog. Don’t lose our ship!”

“AWACS, bogey dope! Give me a target!”  another Osean pilot requested.

“Bogeys inbound form vector 280. It’s no use, there’s too many of them!” Thunderhead replied. 

 “Get a hold of yourself, your radar control is critical!”  the pilot replied.

Wardog moved to stop the approaching group. They spotted ten in the group, including three escort fighters. Blaze charged head on and shot down one of the escorts before zooming through their formation. While Edge and Chopper dealt with the other two, Blaze turned his plane around and shot down another two.

The remaining five aimed for a frigate that was attempting escape. They came within range and fired their missiles. The captain spotted them and, instead of giving orders, jumped over the rails.

 “I’m abandoning ship! We’re sitting ducks over here!”

“Come back here, you coward!”  a sailor yelled.  “Is he trying to kill us? What kind of captain is that?” 

The ship’s second-in-command took over and, as the ship’s defense systems went to work, they shot down all the missiles.

Another ship had started moving, but its crew noticed the strange sight of Pegasi dropping some of their bombs in the water. Soon after, it shuddered. A large column of water shot up its side. The Equestrians had apparently developed a torpedo capable of penetrating the ship’s bottom. 

 “Hurry up and drop the lifeboats!”  a sailor yelled.

Another cruiser came alongside and tried to assist, but the stricken ship’s captain waved them off.

 “What are you doing!? Hurry up and get out of here!”  he yelled as he felt the ship roll under his feet.  “This is it! It’s over!” 

The captain of the other cruiser ordered the ship to pass them. 

  “Man, this is the worst day of my life,” he said.

Yet another large group began to approach the bay.

  “A flight, engage the enemy ships. B flight, attack and destroy the gulf port facilities. C flight, fly top cover. Establish air superiority. You got that?” their commander asked.

  “Roger, commencing attack.”

A group of them began making a run on a cruiser.

  “Enemy attack! Return fire!” a sailor yelled.

“Calm down, just calm down,”   said another.

The group fired their missiles at the ship.

  “Enemy anti-ship missiles launched! Begin Phalanx fire!” the first sailor ordered.

The Close In Weapons System opened fire and destroyed the missiles, but also fired towards the city.

“No stop!”  the second yelled.  “You’re firing on the docks!”  

The massive Nimitz class carrier finally passed the bay bridge.

“This is the Kestrel, we are exiting the port.” 

“The Kestrel is in open waters. Bon Voyage guys!”

Edge saw a Pegasus get his wings blown off and fall into the water. He was trying to stay above water desperately. 



P.O.V.-Chopper
I shouldn’t have looked. When that injured Pegasus crashed into the water that was burning with oil, he was floating right there in the middle of it. I could see his face. It didn’t look insane or evil, it looked…scared, and in pain. Somebody stop this. I can’t take it anymore.



P.O.V.-Third Person

“Kid, did you see that?” Chopper asked.

“Yes” 

“So, you saw it to. That sea.”

Off all the ships in the fleet, five had made it out. The Kestrel, a Ticonderoga class cruiser, an Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate, and two Arleigh Burkes class destroyers. The four ships arranged themselves in a sort of arrowhead formation in front of the carrier.

“We’re out of the gulf, but stay alert,” one of the captains warned.

“The carrier’s entering the ocean. C’mon whoever’s out there, help us out. Get that big bucket of bolt out of here,” Chopper said.

The Captain of the Kestrel, Nicholas Andersen, had taken command of the ships.

“This is the captain of the aircraft carrier Kestrel, my congratulations to all ships that managed to escape. As captain, I will now form a provisional battle fleet. The enemy has formed a blockade with their fleet in front of us. We have to break through this and escape to safer waters. Good luck, everyone. All friendly aircraft, your support is requested.”

“Their formation is centered around that carrier,” one of the Equestrian captains noted.

“This is the perfect chance to improve our battle record,” another said. “Let’s go!”

A destroyer and two frigates went forward, intending to charge the fleet head on, but leaving a large gap in the blockade. The Tigers of Wardog each carried four unguided bombs under their wing. Each of the three planes had a target, and each of the three plane’s bombs hit their target and sent it to the bottom.

The Osean fleet began streaming through the line, battling the other ships that attempted to close in. Both sides fired missiles and shot them down with guns, but the humans had an extra weapon; the Mark 45 5-inch gun mounts and their shells. The Equestrians hadn’t developed naval rifles yet, and their ships began to take damage. 

Some of the more enterprising unicorns tried firing lasers at the ships, but most missed or weren’t powerful enough. One large laser did strike the escorting frigate, causing heavy damage. Luckily, it didn’t destroy anything important, so the ship continued on.

The ships moved into the gap, coming under heavy attack.

“Maintain fleet formation,” the cruiser captain said. “We’re going to break right through.”

“I’m not gonna let them sink us here!” the frigate responded.

“This is what we’ve trained for! We can do this!” one of the destroyer captains said

“Our fighters are providing great top cover! We can do this!” the other destroyer claimed.

“Captain Snow, we entrust the sky above us to you,” Andersen said.

“Roger Captain Andersen.”

The fleet continued to race through the opening, coming closer and closer to freedom. The battle continued to rage, with the ships striking each other time and again.

“Radar lock, let’s send this one right up their fantail!” a sailor said as he fired a Harpoon missile form his destroyer.

The missile flew into its target with a large explosion. Before he could celebrate, there was a rattling that threw him from his seat.

“Whoa, what was that shaking?” he asked.

“Behind us! The top deck’s been blown off!” Another answered as the ship shuddered, kept its position. 

“As long as we’re still afloat we have a fighting chance,” the first said back.

The ships finally exited the blockade and made it to the ocean. All four escorting ships had suffered heavy damage, but would still make it. Amazingly, the Kestrel didn’t seem to have a scratch on her.

“It broke through! That’s one tough boat man! Yea!” Chopper exclaimed in their victory. “So kid, does it feel good to be the flight lead?”

Blaze felt good. He had lead his wingmen in a serious fight and brought them out. 

“Yes”

“I see! Good I’m glad to hear it!”

“This is the captain of the Kestrel. Our fleet has successfully escaped to safe waters. My thanks to our brave warriors of the sea, and in the air.”

Wardog reformed to return to Sand Island.

“One…Two…Three,” Chopper counted. “One, two, three planes! Count ‘em up man, we’re all back safe! I can’t wait to tell the captain once they pull him out of the ocean!”

But the Captain, Captain Bartlett, never returned to Sand Island.



P.O.V-Albert Genette
Sand Island
September 27th, 2010

When the rescue chopper arrived, the captain was nowhere to be seen. The only thing they found was the retreating enemy intelligence vessel. This island was once a place of exile from the world. It now became an important asset to the war effort. 

I was sitting in my room when Davenport returned. He put his favorite song, Face of the Coin, on and turned the volume up as loud as it could. I could barely hear myself think, but Kirk didn’t seem to mind. I asked him what the battle was like, how Blaze was as the flight lead, and who would take his place.

“Who’ll be the flight led tomorrow? I wouldn’t waste energy worrying about that if I were you. We’re an auxiliary squadron y’know. So ‘his highness’ the Lieutenant colonel Ford will just come down from the mainland and take over.” he said as he fell into the couch. “Phew… I love this sound. Calms me down. I’m gonna sleep well tonight.”

“I heard that the one that broke Bartlett’s heart went against converting humans. She apparently was quite politically active in Equestria about it,” I yelled over the music.

“Yeah, I did my history homework. We we’re cool back then,” he said sitting up. “Man, the base commander sure wasn’t being subtle about making accusations. ‘Was there anything suspicious about the Captain’s behavior?’ he said. Hell, I’m more suspicious about the screw in his damn head!”

The base’s alarm suddenly sounded, breaking the string of music.

“Ah, you’re kiddin’ me! An air raid? Gimme’ a break man!” he said as he ran out the room.



Sand Island 
September 27th 2010
19:30 Hours

Dogfights were already raging in the night sky as the pilots ran to their planes. Bombers had been spotted coming in towards the island.

“Scramble the jets!” the base control tower ordered. “Get all flyable aircraft into the air, move it!”

“These turbines won’t start up!” Chopper said. “C’mon, C’mon, C’mon, C’mooon!”

The engines roared to life and the plane began to move forward, passing two other waiting fighters. A plane was hit and fell next to Choppers plane, destroying the two aircraft next to him. Wardog moved towards the runway to take off. 

“The Captain’s spare plane is still in the hangar,” said Edge.

“Forget it,” Pops told her over the radio. “Once you’re airborne get as much altitude as you can fast. Don’t let the enemy bounce you from above. Alright, now! First enemy wave’s passed by.”

Blaze was third in line to take off following his two wingmen.

“Blaze scramble! Emergency launch, hurry!” the control tower said.

Blaze quickly drove his plane forward, trying to get into the air before the enemy could hit him. Upon reaching the minimum requirements for takeoff, he pulled up and went to full power as he climbed up. 

“Blaze, your altitude restriction is canceled. Protect our base,” said the tower. “Control tower to Wardog, intercept the bombers. Don’t let them attack the runway.”

“I see you managed to make it up. Is your plane alright?” Pops asked.

Blaze did a quick check and, upon finding everything working properly, said “yes.”

“Glad to hear it. Looks like keeping it in good shape has paid off.”

The squadron engaged the enemies over the base. One fighter got behind Blaze, but he was able to perform a hammerhead maneuver, pulling his plane up into a tight loop, getting behind the enemy, and shooting him down. Edge snuck up on one that wasn’t paying attention and got him while Chopper killed a bomber. 

“This is Wardog leader Lieutenant Colonel Ford, approaching Sand Island. What’s your current status?”

“Heh, here comes his highness from the mainland now,” Chopper said.

“This is base control, we are under air attack. Repeat, we are under air attack.”

“I trust you can hold the runway until I arrive?” Ford asked.

Blaze wasn’t sure if they could do so with so few planes, answering “no.”

“That’s an order! We’ll be in danger if we don’t land! You will obey!” Ford yelled.

Bombs continued to strike the island, starting numerous fires.

“Fire team, stop the fire from spreading to the ammo dumps!” one leader ordered. “Get anything flammable out of here, the ammo too.”

“This is Chopper, Kid, have you picked up the targets?”

Blaze looked and saw two more bombers preparing to make a run. 

“Yes”

“They’ve even got bombers. They want to destroy the base itself. We gotta stop them here or it’s all over. Even I know that!”

“Attack successful, the enemy is confused and disoriented,” one of the bomber Pegasi reported.

Both bombers came in, but were shot down by Edge and Chopper while Blaze distracted the escorts. He shot down one fighter while the other got behind him. Pulling off another hammerhead, Blaze defeated this one as well. 

“I wonder how many squadrons we’ve lost,” Edge said as she looked at the burning wrecks of planes. “They’re all burning now.”

“Rescue team help out the wounded. All free hands help the fire control crew,” an officer directed. “Use the water in the supply tank to put out the fire.

With a short break in the attack, the remaining planes on the ground were free to take off. However, this seemed limited to Pops and his C-1A cargo plane.

“Pops is taking off,” Edge reported.

“Look at the hangar!” Chopper said. “Who the hell pulled that out!?”

Coming out of the hangar was Bartlett’s spare F-5E, probably the only fighter left on the ground.

“This is Grimm, I was in the hangar helping out the mechanics. I’m taking off!”

Hans Grimm, a young rookie who was easily worried and usually doubted himself, was trying to launch in the middle of a raid.

“The hell you are,” Chopper replied. “You’re not even out of replacement pilot training yet! Aren’t there any other spare pilots around?”

“I didn’t see any,” he replied.

“There’s no time. Be careful Grimm, I’ll cover you,” Edge said.

“I’ll try.”

As he moved toward the runway, another attack wave came in.

“Kid, Grimm’s coming up. I’m not sure he can handle this. Let’s give him a hand,” Chopper suggested.

“Control systems are…okay,” Grimm reported. “Oil pressure…no problem.”

“Do not allow them to get any more planes airborne,” one of the Pegasi ordered.

“Who’s that? That guys nuts!” one of the soldiers commented.

Blaze and the others continued to provide cover for Grimm as he moved toward the runway.

“Engine sounds great, thank you mechanics,” Grimm said. “Ejection system okay. Fuel check, this ought to be enough.”

As his plane moved continued forward, it had a few close calls. A fighter tried to strafe him, but was shot down by the island’s AA guns, and a few bombs landed too close for comfort.

“This is Grimm, I’m about to take off. Can you see me from up there?”

Blaze looked near the runway and saw the Tiger, replying “yes.”

“Roger, that’s a relief,” Grimm said. “I’m in takeoff position on the runway, engines full power!”

“Come back!” one of the soldiers yelled; another silenced him.

“Don’t stop him, let him go.”

“Get up! Get up! Climb!” Chopper yelled.

As he climbed up to the sky, Grimm’s plane was shot at from a Pegasus coming straight at him. To his luck, the missile flew under his plane and hit the ground.

“I’m airborne,” Grimm reported. 

“Grimm, get over hear and cover my six!” Chopper ordered.

“Roger,” he replied. “This is Airman First Class Grimm, Callsign Archer. Control tower and all aircraft, I will be joining the Wardog Squadron.”

“This is the control tower, roger that. Blaze, take care of them for us.”

Before Blaze could answer, Ford’s voice came in again.

“This is Wardog leader, Sand Island, I’m out of fuel. Request clearance to land.”

“Negative Lieutenant Colonel Ford, you can’t land! We’re under attack!”

“All friendly aircraft cover me while I land.”

“What are you, insane!?” Chopper protested.

“Second Lieutenant Davenport, is that you?”

“Yes sir.”

“I’ll make sure to write you up after I la-,” the voice was replace by static as his plane was hit.

“He’s trailing fire! The lieutenant Colonel’s gone down!” Chopper said. 

“Third wave closing fast,” Edge reported.

There were another two bombers and several escorts. Edge and Chopper went after the bombers while Blaze and Archer occupied the escorts.

“Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm,” Grimm told himself.

Fighters came up behind both of them. Before the enemy could even try to fire, Archer slowed down and allowed his attacker to slip into his gun’s reticle and fire on him. Another one tried to get behind him but before he could do so, Grimm sped up and lured him into Blaze’s line of sight. Looking back and up, he saw another trying to sneak up on him. Performing an Immelmann, he met the enemy head on and shot him down.

“Man, that’s some crazy flying,” one pilot said. “That kid’s got hands of gold.”

“I’m not about to be outshone by some rookie pilot!” another said angrily.

While this was happening, Blaze dropped onto a group of five on his own. He quickly fire missiles at two and shot down a third with his gun. The fourth tried to break away, but Blaze followed and bagged him as well. The final got behind Blaze, but he turned the tables on him by reducing his speed and barrel rolling behind his enemy, defeating him as well. Looking over, he saw the bombers were defeated, as well.

“Control tower to all aircraft, all bombers confirmed destroyed. Thanks for protecting our base everyone!”

“Was my flying alright?” Archer asked his new Captain.

“Yes”

“Thank you, it was because of your support.”

“Well, I guess we didn’t have to worry about Grimm after all,” one of the pilots said. “Come on, let’s get a welcoming party going!”

> On the hill
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


“Here they come. I’ve been waiting for this!”
-Osean G.I.





P.O.V.-Albert Genette
Sand Island
September 28th, 2010

From the sky, the morning after, Pops came back like nothing had happened. It was as if the open sky had always been his one true home.

Only seventeen hours had passed since the war began. Equestria’s war strategy seemed minutely timed to prevent giving Osea any chance to counterattack. 

I got a notice of assignment as a member of the press corps. I guess Captain Hamilton had pulled a few strings for me. I didn’t waste any time going to work.

Second Lieutenant Nagase was in the crew room. She was sitting by herself, writing something in her book. Nobody knew what she was writing. I realized these people may be the story I was looking for all this time. In fact, I was sure of it. 



September 28th, 2010
Briefing room
“In coordination with their surprise air attacks on our military facilities, Equestria has invaded Osea with ground troops, as well. They pushed some way through the northern regions before the army was able to check their advance at in the city of Barsfield. In response, the enemy has been attempting to take Hill 118, just outside of the city. This hill provides an excellent overview of the city and whoever controls this will win the battle. You are to fly to the area and provide air cover and CAS to the troops defending the hill.”



P.O.V.-Third Person
September 28th, 2010
Barsfield, Osea
12:22 Hours

The area around the city of Barsfield was hilly and covered with forests.  The largest hill laid about a mile outside of the city, overlooking the area. The Equestrian army had already tried to take the city itself, but only managed to breach the outer perimeter and establish a small foothold inside. With the frontal attack bogging down, they decided to try and take the hill to spot the positions of the Oseans.

Equestrian forces had three types of units. Pegasi were mostly used for air supprt, but could come down to the ground and fight or hover in place and take shots from that position like a helicopter. However, they were needed more in the air against the jets and were more vulnerable due to their bone structure being less durable than others and sticking out as a nice target. They were not usually seen taking part in ground combat.

The most numerous were the Earth Ponies. Having greater strength and density, they were the grunts and did most of the fighting.

The Equestrian forces still used arrows as their main weapon and, more often in close quarters, swords and spears. The biggest problem was that whatever metal the swords and spear/arrow tips were made of, which wasn’t natural to Earth, they could penetrate through most body armor. Though tanks and other armored units were still safe from them, they too were vulnerable to something.

That something was the final unit, the unicorn. Despite weaker powers, the lasers they fired were enough to destroy an APC or seriously damage a tank with one hit. They also had the ability to put up shields over a small area, protecting them and some of their comrades. These could only be broken by heavy concentrated fire. 

Fire support was the same, old but deadly. In addition to the air support, they did have artillery; a least a form of it. They used catapults to launch bombs, the same kind used by the air forces, at their targets. The bombs themselves were also old, being round and filled with gunpowder, having their explosive power enhanced through spells and detonating on impact.

All these things were going on in the head of Pvt. Johnson, who was trying to remember what info they had on the enemy before he met them battle for the first time. He sat in a trench that followed around the entire length hill to cover it completely, but most of the infantry was deployed facing the front. Tanks were also there, dug deep into hull-down positions. 

His unit, 2nd Armored Battalion of the 1st Armored Division, was given the honor of holding the hill while the rest of the division helped hold the city. Most of the trees surrounding or on the hill had already been blasted away. 

An explosion rocked the ground and broke him from his thoughts. He grabbed his M16 and ducked down in the trench. A prolonged artillery barrage, he had been taught, would usually be followed by an enemy attack. He saw an Abrams tank explode nearby. Though artillery wouldn’t damage tanks much, they could still be destroyed by direct hits.

After the barrage ceased the call went around to see who was left and, save for the unlucky tank, everyone answered. A Sergeant directed their attention toward the tree line near the bottom as ponies began to charge out. 

Some were armed with melee weapons, others with arrows, who stopped to fire when they got in range. Being so many of them, it was hard to miss the target; but when galloping at full speed, they were much faster than an average human soldier.

“Here they come!”

“Open fire! Don’t let ‘em close!”

Pvt. Johnson rested his rifle on the top of his trench and immediately opened fire, only looking down the sights after his first magazine was empty.



“Looks like the fighting has already started,” Edge observed.

“Yea. looks pretty bad,” Chopper commented.

“Maybe we should go help them,” Archer suggested.

“Well why do ya’ think we’re here?” Chopper replied. “C’mon lets go.”

The four planes dived on the line of charging ponies, firing their guns and cutting swathes in their groups. Pulling up from their first dive, they regained altitude as Thunderhead reported in.

“Thunderhead to Wardog, we have bogeys coming in low towards the hill, probable bombers. Move to intercept before they hit the hill.”



They were getting closer to the line. Those with swords or spears were usually the prime targets. The ones with arrows attempted to shoot, but with most of the soldiers in cover, they wouldn’t hit much.  Johnson had counted two fallen to his rounds and one probable. He saw one of the crew of the nearest tank was blazing away with the mounted machine gun on the turret. The tank exploded as a laser struck it. Looking closely, Johnson saw the unicorn making his way up hill. Before he could get a clean shot, a shield popped up around the pony and several of his companions. 

The group slowly made their way up hill, gaining much of the attention of the humans. They came closer and closer, with the archers behind the shields shooting and those with swords preparing to slash at their enemy. They came to within fifteen feet of the trench before a HEAT round from a tank collapsed the shield and its occupants were finished with small arms fire.

With the first rush defeated, the troops reloaded and kept an eye out. It wasn’t a minute before someone shouted a warning.

“Pegasi! They’re bombers! Take cover!”

Johnson ducked down again; but instead of hearing the explosions around him, he heard it in the sky. Looking up, he saw the Pegasus fall to the ground not five feet behind his position in the trench in a bloody heap. 

“Damn, too close,” he said to himself.

He thought he saw it twitch and, upon further inspection, saw it was still alive. Getting up and walking over to it, he saw its eyes were half open, but in clear pain. Johnson couldn’t help but feel bad for his enemy and made the decision to end his suffering then and there with his sidearm. 

Turning back to the trench, he heard a low rumbling. It was the clear sound of hoofs pounding across the ground, and it was coming closer. Jumping back into the trench, he saw another wave come out of the woods.



“Attention overhead supporting aircraft, thanks for destroying those bombers. We still have enemy charging our line. Could you give us a hand?”

“Alright, let’s get on it,” Chopper said.

“Damn, Wilson got hit by an arrow! Where’s the medic?” a soldier cried over the battle.

“He was caught in the blast from the laser that hit that tank!” another replied.

One of the machine guns stopped firing.

“I’m out!” the gunner yelled. “Boris, go back and get some more ammo!”

The tanks fired their machine guns, saving their main cannons for the more clustered groups.

“All tanks focus on any shields you see,” the command tank ordered.

“I don’t see any, but we’ll keep any eye out,” another replied.

The Wardog squadron had gained altitude and began their dives. This time, they released the bombs held under their wings. There were four high explosive bombs per aircraft, and the combined power of sixteen quickly shattered the charging formation, ending the second charge before it really began.

“Wardog, this is Thunderhead. We have a flight of five A-6 Intruders coming in to bomb the enemy concentrated along the tree line. Escort them to the target, over.”

“Wardog this is Tinder Flight, can we trust you to guide us in?”

“Yes”

“Ok, we’re going in. Time on target is two minutes.”

As the Intruders moved in, another flight of pegasi attempted to intervene; Wardog engaged them. The Pegasi attempted to ignore the escorts and attack the CAS planes. Two were shot down by Blaze, one by Edge, and one by Archer. The final one succeeded in dodging Chopper’s attacks until it got behind one of the A-6s and shot it down. Before it could bag another, Chopper hit him with a missile. The remaining four planes released a payload of napalm, incinerating the area.



Johnson could feel a heavy wave of heat from his position. He ducked down when the strike came in, trying to protect his face from the heat. Looking back up, the whole area where the charges had originated was in smoke and flames. Everyone at that point knew the battle was over.



“Geez, I’d hate to be there,” Chopper commented on seeing the fire.

“This is the commander of the 2nd Armored Battalion to all aircraft, thanks for the support. We can handle things from here. The ponies aren’t getting any further into Osea from here on.”

> The Guardian
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


“The gate to the new world has been opened.”
-Anton “Dr.” Kupchenko




September 29th, 2010
Crescente Islands, Belka
18:00 Hours

The Crescente Islands lie just north of the Principality of Belka. Despite being annexed by Osea prior to 1995, they were eventually returned to Belkan hands; though these were the only lands returned. It was planned that, in case of war, the islands would serve as the first defense against Equestrian forces as they lay directly in the path they would have to take to invade Belka. 

Now that the war had begun, both sides were quick to see the strategic significance of the islands. Equestrian ground forces had already invaded the Anean and Usean Continents. They had also pushed into the northern parts of Osea, but the Osean forces had manage to contain them. Looking for a new route into the continent, they would choose Belka to invade. However, they would need to take the islands.

A squadron of ten Pegasi was sent in to gain air superiority for a bombing run later in the day. Most Pegasi squadron’s nicknames, save for the Wonderbolts, Shadowbolts, and a few others, came from the names of their Captains. The competition to gain the leadership position was fierce, and whoever ‘won’ was allowed to choose the nickname. It was an old tradition that the nicknames were the same as the names of their leaders.

This particular squadron, Storm Squadron, was led by Stormfeather, a level-headed, quick thinker. He was rather skilled and, though he had yet to actually face a jet or any other enemy in real combat, he was confident his squadron could deal with any that were there.

The weather here was less than satisfactory, with rain clouds covering the area. Moving closer to the islands, Stormfeather spotted a line of dots coming towards them. He knew exactly what they meant, ordering his team to break and shoot down the humans.


Gault 
Belkan Air Force
18th Air Division, 5th Tactical Fighter Squadron

“Gault One to all units, begin the operation. Let the victor, be justice.”

The formation of eight SU-47s broke, three going left, three going right, and the last two continuing ahead. Their leader, Anton Kupchenko, had been given the task of defending the islands.

“So this is our enemy? I do wish we could have met under different circumstances,” Anton told his enemy. “Perhaps we could have flown together.”

“Perhaps we still can,” Stormfeather replied, implying surrender.

“Unlikely. We will not allow you to steal the humanity of our people, even at the cost of our lives.”

“Why do you want to die for the survival a world that will kill itself off?”

“You think your world is better than ours and want us to turn over when you haven’t even seen the good of ours. How is this just?”

The two squadrons met each other in a dogfight, the fighters diving in and out of the clouds. A Pegasus dropped behind a berkut and shot it down with a missile before it fell victim to another SU-47. 

“One of our planes is down,” reported one of the pilots. “I’ll cover.”

“Your princess labels our world as a threat and you blindly follow along,” Anton accused Stormfeather.

“She has led us to an endless peace! She can do the same for you!” he replied.

“But at what cost?”

Stormfeather saw two more of his pegasi fall. He dropped behind one of the planes that was after another. He was able to shoot it down, but not before it killed his teammate. Another Pegasus fell behind an SU-47 and shot it’s wing off; causing it to spin into the ocean. Anton shot this one down in turn before looking down solemnly at the sinking plane.

“Gault two…carry on,” he said before hailing his opponent again. “You see us as evil without even setting foot within our country. You’re willing to abandon justice in the name of peace; we will not allow it. That’s why we’re fighting,” 

Anton and Stormfeather met each other. Stormfeather got behind the Berkut, but Anton did an Immelmann and disappeared into the clouds. Stormfeather followed, trying to find him in a dangerous game of hide and seek. He flew through the clouds, but it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Unfortunately for the stallion, the needle found him first; Anton snuck up and him and fired several bullets into his body, ending the duel.

Anton reformed the remaining planes. They had destroyed the enemy squadron, but there were only four members of his team left. At the cost of half the squadron, Gault had defended the Crescente Islands.

> Buddy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


“The only rule of engagement was…to survive.”
-Larry ‘Solo Wing Pixy’ Foulke 





“Due to the extremely aggressive nature of Equestria in the past few days, the Republic of Ustio has agreed to send assistance to our allies at the front. This assistance will come in the form of a mercenary unit paid for by the Ustio government. This unit, the 6th Air Division, will be made up of three units; the 66th Air Force Unit, the 4th Air Force Unit, and the veteran 92nd STFS. The division is to deploy to Heierlark Air Base in Belka immediately to assist.”



Heierlark Air Base, Belka
Briefing room
Operation: Waylay
“Equestrian forces have been advancing on all fronts. One of the more troubling problems we’ve been having is the hit-and-run attacks their Pegasi have been staging. Knowing that we are unable to pass their barrier, they have launched attacks on our air and sea lanes that run between the Osean and Usean continent. They also launch overwhelming attacks on any allied unit that comes close to the barrier. Since they do not require fuel, they have extreme range and present a serious threat. We will launch an operation to draw some of these forces out and engage them on our own terms.”



North east of Belka
September 30th, 2010
13:00 Hours
There was good weather for an ambush in the area over the ocean. There were several clouds from a snow storm covering the area. Just over those clouds, five planes waited for their targets to arrive. Three were F-16Cs. The other two were F-15Cs; one had its wing tips, stabilizers, and rudders painted blue while the other had painted its right wing red.


Galm
Ustio Air Force
6th Air Division, 66th Air Force Unit

“It’s starting to come down,” Galm Two said.

“This is AWACS Eagle Eye to Galm One Cipher and Galm Two Pixy, Scarface has already gone ahead to draw out the enemy. Maintain position with Crow team and await their arrival.”


Crow
Ustio Air Force
6th Air Division, 4th Air Force Unit

“This is Crow Team’s number 3, name’s PJ. I’ll support you any way I can Galm team,” he said. “And by the way, PJ stands for Patrick James.”

“Roger that Crow three,” Pixy replied. 

“What do you think going up against a Pegasus is going to be like?”

“I heard they’re frail little bastards, but can move like hell,” Pixy said. “If they’re as tough as they say, I’m gonna have to ask for pay raise.”

“You’re not that scared, are you?” Crow Two teased. “I can see your whole plane shaking.”

“All those too scared to fly should go back to base and wait patiently with their tale between their legs,” Pixy joined in.

“I’m just trying to get an idea of what we’re up against,” PJ replied. “I’d rather not die on my first day on the job. I wanna get home alive.”

“Yea, don’t you have a girl back at base?” Crow one asked, getting an annoyed moan from PJ.

The fighters continued to wait for their targets. They grew more and more anxious with each passing minute.

“Cipher, I’ve heard stories about you…” Pixy was unable to finish before being cut off by the AWACS.

“All planes, large formation incoming!”




Scarface
92nd Special Tactical Fighter Squadron, 6th Air Division

Scarface One, Callsign Phoenix, and his wingman, Callsign Slash, both in SU-35’s, flew towards the large, blue barrier. They as they came closer, they saw a large group moving from the barrier to meet them, a force of some twenty bandits coming to meet them. 

“Shoot them down immediately,” their commander said.

“Ready?” Slash asked. “Break now!”

Just as they approached the enemy, the jets broke left and right, turned around, and fled back south. 

“Run them down. Don’t let them escape,” the Pegasus commander ordered.

The two planes retreated to low altitude and sped away as fast as they could; all twenty followed, unaware of what awaited them.



“Galm Two to all craft, Enemy at eight o clock low. Looks like our pay has arrived, let’s go.”

The two teams dived through the clouds and pounced on the formation, achieving total surprise. Diving through them, Galm and Crow together bagged seven enemies on their first run. Scarface also turned and re-engaged. 

The rest of the attacking formation tried to escape, but had lost coordination as their commander was killed on the first run. Cipher got behind and shot down two, while Pixy bagged two of his own. 

Crow team, between the three of them, each got two. Slash attacked another with missiles, but missed on the first try. Repositioning his craft, he fired again and hit his enemy. One got behind him, but Phoenix was watching and shot him down before Slash knew he was there.

The final two turned and flew as fast as their wings could drive them. Cipher, weather it was because he knew they’d return to fight again someday, because he got paid more for each enemy he shot down, or both, he gave chase. 
They were fast, but Cipher was faster. Little by little he gained on them. Targeting the one closest to him, he fired a missile and shot him down. He wanted to pursue the second, but he was too far away.

“That wasn’t too bad,” PJ commented. 

“It won’t be as easy when they know you’re coming,” said Crow One. “At least this will help deter any more of those hit-and-run tricks they’ve been playing.”

“All enemy units are down or retreating, good work,” Sky Eye said. “All planes, return to base.”

“Cipher, I got a feeling you and me are gonna get along just fine,” Pixy said. “Buddy.”



Everyone at the base was stunned when only one Pegasus returned from a squadron of twenty. What’s more, she seemed to be in shock and had to be carried to the infirmary. When asked about who attacked them she only replied in broken mumbles.

“He was like a…a demon,” she whispered. “Demon.”

> Getting even
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


“Despite having a gentle demeanor, I could tell the wingman would never allow danger to near Yellow Thirteen.”
-Storyteller Boy





Near San Salvacion, USEA
November 5th, 2010

Yellow Squadron was given a simple mission. They were to escort the Grey Squadron, a flight of 6 TU-95 Bear bombers as they carpet bombed enemy positions on the ground to support the fierce battle being waged in the city.

Thirteen quickly defeated the three enemies that were in the air. As the squadron kept watch, the bombers went to drop their payloads. When this was done, the bombers turned and retreated from the airspace. Before Yellow Squadron could follow, they spotted a Pegasus coming towards them fast and turned to engage it.

“Sir, it looks like that’s the rainbow from last time,” Four reported.

“Engage as a formation. No single ship attacks,” Thirteen ordered.



It was by pure chance that Dash had been in the area. When she heard rumors that the yellow planes were flying nearby, she jumped at the chance to fight them again. She was focused, concerned only on shooting down the pilot from the last encounter.

When she spotted them and confirmed they were the squadron she was after, she felt anger come over her. Not necessarily a rage, but some sort of deep, irritating feeling. It was a mixture of pride, determination, and a want for revenge. 

She quickly spotted the same 013 in yellow and went after it. Getting on its tail, she tried her best to shoot it down. But, every time she thought she had him, another fighter would appear from behind and threaten her.

Dash guessed that that plane was the leader’s wingman. Breaking off of Thirteen’s tail, she decided to engage that one instead. Turning sharply and dropping on the tail of the new target, she followed closely. Despite intense maneuvering, the jet was unable to shake off the Pegasus. Finally, Dash was able to fire a missile at the jet and sent it spiraling to the ground.



“Eject, Yellow Four,” Thirteen ordered. “Thirteen here, did anyone see Four get out?”

There was no answer. He immediately ordered the squadron to retreat. Even after he brought his plane down and stepped out of the cockpit, he couldn’t believe what happened. 



Upon hearing that she had killed one of the ‘invincible’ Yellows, Dash was thrown a party. But despite Pinkie’s insistence that she celebrate, Dash didn’t want to, and left the party early. She wasn't satisfied. She was happy, but not satisfied.

It didn’t really make sense to her. Thirteen had shot down her friend, and she had now done the same. It was even, but now instead of some anger, she felt something missing. She thought about going back and finishing the job, but concluded that, even if she did shoot him down, the feeling would remain.

It took some thinking, but she came up with an idea for the cause of this. It was the lack of a real opponent. Being the best didn’t feel the same if there was no one to oppose you.



“Our Yellow Thirteen bagged three more today, bringing his new tally up to sixty-four kills,” The squadron’s adjutant announced as he counted up the kill scores. 

They were sitting in a bar, with the many air force pilots going over their kill scores and celebrating their victories. All the celebrating stopped as they turned to Yellow Thirteen, who had been sitting quietly in the back, strumming on his guitar to a melancholy tune.

He stopped and sat there; staring at a handkerchief Four had left behind. The pilots looked on at him, maybe expecting some kind of speech. Instead, he got up and went over to the wall where the kills were being counted with marks. He then pinned a photo over the marks; it was a photo of the Rainbow, the one that had killed his wingman. 

“Look, here’s something worthy of praise,” he said before returning to his spot in the back. “Even among the enemy, there are flyers like this.”

He continued to slowly strum away on his guitar. He didn’t openly show his sadness; in fact he seemed to revert to normal after a few minutes.

Continuing to play his instrument, he spotted a young boy with a harmonica and, smiling tentatively, asked the boy to accompany him in a new song. Playing out the song, he felt content, feeling a slight happiness return to him.

> The Revolutionary
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


“No matter what the desired outcome is, the world can still change as long as people expand their knowledge and desire change.” 
-Joshua ‘Lucan’ Bristow 





Near Barsfield, Osea
November 10th, 2010
11:00 Hours

“Listen, following our recent reversals on this front, the situation on the ground has become dire, and we are in danger of losing the battle for the Human’s city. If that happens, they will be able to start to drive us off the continent. Cloud Kicker, take your squadron to the city and help gain air superiority there to assist the troops. Cloud Chaser, your squadron is in reserve, understood?” Their commander asked.

“Yes sir,” they both replied over the radio.

Cloud Kicker peered through the darkness as she and her squadron of nine Pegasi towards the city. It was also raining, which didn’t help much. She loved boasting about how her squadron had yet to lose a battle or fail a mission. Tonight, she hoped to turn the tide back in their favor in the battle for the city; as it had been with the Humans ever since the failed attack on the hill.

In fact, both she and Chaser’s squadrons usually worked together. They had indeed pulled off some near-miracles on the battlefields in USEA; that was why they had been brought to this fight. They we’re expected to perform another miracle and take control of the sky in the area, which both Kicker and Chaser thought they should be able to do.

Coming towards the city, she spotted a flight of planes. They similar to the F-16s she had fought before, but these had wings that were shaped similar to the delta form she had seen on the Mirages. Regardless, there were only five, so she decided to attack.


Wizard 
Osean Air Defense Force
8th Air Division, 32nd Tactical Fighter Squadron

“This is Wizard One, the Kickers have entered the net,” their leader, Joshua ‘Lucan’ Bristow reported form his F-16XL.

“This is Wizard Five, roger,” another reported from his YF-23A. “Let’s begin.”

“You’ve built up quite a name; let’s see if you can live up to it,” Lucan said.

“Just watch, we’ve done the impossible before. We’ll do it again right now,” Kicker replied.

“We’ll, let’s see about that,” Lucan taunted. “We’re the stars here, and it’s time for you to exit the stage.”

The fighters met each other head on. In the initial fight, one plane and two Pegasi went down. Just then, the four YF-23 stealth fighters came into the battle. They dove down into the confused Pegasi. One dropped onto the tail of Kickers wingman before he knew the enemy was there.

“Go down in fear!” the pilot said as he shot down the Pegasi.

“An ambush? What kind of style is that!?” Kicker yelled.

“Style doesn’t matter while fighting; the last one flying is the winner,” Lucan replied after shooting down another enemy.

“It doesn’t exactly follow the rules.”

“There are no rules in a dogfight; you just have to take the enemy out.”

Kicker managed to find one of the stealth fighters and followed it. Despite trying its best, the plane couldn’t lose her before she shot it down. 

“Chaser, we need help! We’ve been ambushed!” She yelled, but no response came.

“I don’t think your friend will be interrupting our little skirmish,” Lucan said as he flew in behind her. “Besides, this is your type of battle, isn’t it; kill or be killed?”

"I’ll beat you! And then I’ll end this conflict that you started!”

“How arrogant; your princess is the cause of all this conflict,” Lucan said as he simultaneously got a lock on his enemy.

“She only wants this world to change!” she said, trying to shake him off.

“The world will change,” he replied as he fired a missile into his opponent and ended the battle.

> The Witness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


“I never felt fear towards an opponent. Same went for my ideals; I wasn’t afraid to take on even an entire country.”
-Anthony ‘Bedivere’ Palmer





Near Barsfield, Osea
November 10th, 2010
11:30 Hours

“Chaser, we need help! We’ve been ambushed!”

Chaser and her squadron of eight were already moving as fast as they could toward the battle zone. They had to go help their friends. When they were almost halfway there, they were met by another group of planes bent on stopping them.


Sorcerer
Osean Air Defense Force
8th Air Division, 32nd Tactical Fighter Squadron

“Target Confirmed,” flight lead Anthony ‘Bedivere’ Palmer reported. “Sorcerer One to all planes, apply full thrust! Don’t even think about heading back!”

With that, Sorcerer’s flight of eight F-15S/MTDs broke and sped into the Pegasi at full speed. 

“So this is the famous Chaser Squadron?” Palmer asked. “I’ve been waiting for this.”

“We won’t let you stop us from saving our friends!” Chaser said.

“Hm, you seem to want to fight to protect your ally. You’ll make a worthy opponent.”

Two Pegasi were shot down during the first run. As the fight devolved and became less organized, it became based more on individual skill. Another two Pegasi were shot down along with one of the jets.

“We’ll break through and save our friends! Then we’ll bring an end to the chaos that humans like you bring!” Chaser said.

“We are here to defend the choices of others, whether they be good or bad,” Palmer replied. “We are humanity’s ideal army.”

Alone now, Chaser was able to flank one of the planes and shoot it down from the side before Bedivere got on her.

“It won’t matter if you stop us, the princess will be the one who brings peace!” she said defiantly.

“You think that diabolical dictator is the hero of this little story?” Palmer asked before he fired.

“She is to me and all other things that seek peace!”

“Not for me, she isn’t. I will eliminate the false hero,” he said as he fired and shot her down, “and become the new hero.”

> *Notice*
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm going to put this story on hold so I can focus on another (Non-AC related) one that I wanted to start. I WILL be finishing this story at some point, but that will be some time later on.