Mission Zero: Sitting Ducks
Shattered Skies.
Chapter Zero
Sitting Ducks.
"Spitfire, anything?"
"Nothing on radar, Soarin." the orange pegasus answered. "These patrols are pointless."
"Yeah, well..." Fleetfoot responded. "I guess the Base Commander wanted any excuse to show off these new fighters to the Griffons."
"Yeah. We buy new air superiority fighters for wars which aren't going to happen." Spitfire said.
"Seriously, when was our last foreign combat deployment?"
"Fifteen years ago." Spitfire said. "Bombing campaign in Zebrica."
"Fifteen years ago? Damn, I was like, seven then." Soarin replied.
The three Wonderbolts spun their jets around in formation: Spitfire leading, with Fleetfoot and Soarin flanking.
"When can we get out of these things and go home already?" Fleetfoot moaned. "My wings are chafing the flight suit."
"I don't know." Spitfire responded.
"Cut the chatter, Wonderbolts." the radio crackled. "Three unidentified aircraft are approaching at high speed."
"Really?!" Fleetfoot complained again.
"Turn to combat formation." Spitfire ordered. She tuned her radio. "Unidentified aircraft, please state your country of origin and intent."
The radio remained silent.
"Unidentified aircraft!" Spitfire repeated, louder. "State your country of origin and intent!"
"Captain!" Soarin said. "They're fighters!"
"State your intent and country of origin!"
The radio buzzed.
"There they are!" the enemy radio crackled. It was a Griffon accent. "Istok Squadron, engage!"
The three Griffon fighters broke formation and began to chase the Wonderbolts.
"Hoofley AFB!" Spitfire shouted, barrel rolling to avoid an enemy missile. "We're under attack! Requesting immediate assistance! Three enemy fighters!"
"Fox Two!" Soarin shouted, firing a pair of missiles at the enemy fighter. The fighter soared into the sky and manoeuvred behind Soarin. "Bandit on my six!"
The enemy fighter fired its machine gun, and Soarin watched in horror as his left wing was cut clean off by the stream of bullets. "Mayday mayday mayday!" Soarin shouted as his fighter plummeted to earth. "Ejecting!"
Soarin's canopy flew open as his seat fired from the aircraft. He watched his fighter slam into the ground and explode. He looked up as his parachute deployed.
He looked down, to a group of five vehicles.
He gulped as he prepared for his capture.
"I need help! Help!" Fleetfoot yelled. She felt her fighter buckle. "She's falling apar-"
Fleetfoot's radio was cut off. Spitfire watched her wingmare's jet fall apart. She knew pegasi wings would never deploy at terminal velocity, and that she was as good as dead.
"Alright, you griffon bastards..." Spitfire grunted. "You've pissed me off."
"One left." the Istok leader said. "These are Equestria's best pilots!?"
The Istok fighter pilots laughed as they watched Fleetfoot's jet parts fall down.
"Hoofley AFB!" Spitfire yelled desperately. "I need more ponies! He-"
Spitfire watched as her engines exploded.
"Ejecting!" Spitfire said, her seat rocketing from the burning fighter.
The three Istok Squad fighters flew past and returned over the border.
"The boys on the ground will pick them up." the leader said.
"Good." his wingman responded. "Seriously, these guys were easy!"
"You got my expectations up for this!?"
The Istok planes flew back to Griffon territory, while Spitfire and Soarin found themselves surrounded...
Twilight Sparkle held her head in her hooves. The incident at the border had left one Wonderbolt dead and two missing. The Griffons insisted there was no 'Istok Squadron', and that all their air force squadrons are numbered, not named. They said they had no fighters out that day, but Twilight had the feeling they were lying. Her friends noticed her growing cynicism ever since she became a Princess.
"What do they know..?" Twilight grunted. "I know the griffons did it. Any excuse to get one over on us."
"Twilight." Rainbow Dash said. "The griffons are our allies. Why would they shoot down Wonderbolts?"
"Because they're up to no good." Twilight said. "I know it. But the Air Force won't believe me..."
"Well, make them believe you!" Dash said.
Twilight froze.
"You're right..." Twilight said, warming up her horn. There was a flash.
"Twilight, what did you do-" Dash said, before seeing what Twilight just did.
Reimu Hakurei stood outside her shrine, gently sweeping away the last of the autumn leaves. She looked into the sky, watching a flight of a pair of fairies. They were flying in formation - One was leading, and the other appeared to be covering for her friend. Another fairy fired danmaku at the leader from the side, before they broke formation and quickly shot down the offender, her destroyed body plummeting to the ground as the other two high-fived before regaining formation and flying on.
"They get smarter every day..." Reimu said, to nobody in particular.
"Heh. They do." Marisa Kirisame said. Reimu jumped back in surprise.
"Don't surprise me like that!"
"Aww." Marisa mocked.
"What do you want?"
"Nothing much. Don't see why I couldn't hang out."
"Well, okay..." Reimu said, putting her broom aside.
"Anything happen with you recently?"
"Not much."
"I'm so bored. We haven't had an incident in a few months." Marisa moaned, adjusting her large hat. "And I know I shouldn't say that because now there's gonna be an incident."
"You love tempting fate, don't you?" Reimu said, before she started feeling fuzzy.
"Hey, are you okay?" Marisa said, shocked. "You ain't looking too good."
"I'll be fine-" Reimu said, before she disappeared in a violet flash.
Marisa stood shocked at Reimu's former location. She looked around for any sign of anything.
"Reimu?" she said. "Dammit, me and my big mouth..."
A strange bipedal creature stood before the two ponies.
"Korehanandesuka?" the being said. Judging from its voice, she was female. She wore unusual red and white clothes, and had a bow in her brown hair.
"Oh, the translation spell...Spike! Fetch the translation booklet!"
In a few minutes, the dragon did what was asked. The being stared wide-eyed at the dragon, too shocked to question.
"Anata dare?" she said, angry now. "Koko wa doko? Watashi ni kotae o!"
"Give me a second..." Twilight said, before she read over the booklet. "Alright..."
Twilight's horn glowed, before a small beam hit the alien creature.
"Why won't you answer me!?" the being responded.
"There we go!" Twilight said. "Hello, alien!"
"Alien?"
"Well, yes." Twilight said. "Welcome to Equestria!"
"Okay..." the being said. "Who are you?"
"My name is Twilight Sparkle, and this-" Twilight replied, pointing to the shocked Rainbow Dash. "Is my friend, Rainbow Dash."
"My name is Reimu. Reimu Hakurei." she said. "So, I've been abducted by horses. It's sad to say that this isn't the weirdest thing that's ever happened to me."
"Well, A, we're ponies, and B, what species are you?" Dash said, still unsure of what was going on.
"I'm a human." Reimu replied. "And I'd rather go home!"
"Sadly, we need you." Twilight said. "I'm trying to summon the universe's best pilots."
"Pilots?"
"Yeah." Twilight said. She warmed up her horn again. "Stand back, Miss. I don't know what unicorn magic will do to a human."
The room was bustling with activity. Soldiers, pilots and civilian staff mingled together. The topic of Erusea's defeat was the topic of the year - How a rookie pilot seemed to single-handedly turn the tide of the war. People laughed, some joked, and some mourned who they lost.
In the corner of the room, a man in a flight suit looked at the room, his eyes covered by a visor, his head clad in a helmet. Despite the scene, he remained completely silent.
He felt fuzzy, before disappearing. The bar patrons looked at where he once was, shocked.
Mobius One, the hero of the Usean Continental War, had disappeared before their very eyes.
Their entire air force was crippled.
There was another flash, before a second bipedal creature appeared. Unlike Reimu, it was clad in a full suit, and its head was wrapped in armor. Where eyes would be, there was a visor, and where the mouth would be, there was a mask, connected to a small pack.
It didn't say anything; it only stared at the shrine maiden and the two ponies.
"Hello?"
He did not respond.
"That mask is stopping him speaking..." Reimu said. "I think. I've never seen anything like this."
Reimu looked around the new human. His right arm showed an emblem - A rounded triangle with another triangle inside, with the lettering 'ISAF.' sewn below it. Reimu continued to check the man, who was still silent and unresponsive. She looked him in the eyes, but couldn't see past the visor. She looked at his torso, and saw the name 'Mobius One.'
"Hello? Can you hear us?" Dash asked. Mobius nodded in response.
"Can you talk?" Reimu asked. He shook his head and pointed at a piece of paper.
Twilight levitated the paper over, and then gave the strange human a pencil. He placed the paper against the wall and began writing.
Where am I? Who are you?
"I'm Twilight Sparkle."
"Rainbow Dash."
"My name is Reimu Hakurei." Reimu said, extending her hand for the pilot. He looked down, before firmly gripping the girl's hand and shaking it. He released and returned to the paper.
Why am I here?
"Because the purple one there said she needed pilots." Reimu said. Mobius One looked over to Twilight, waving the piece of paper.
Where's the plane?
Twilight looked around. "Dash?"
Rainbow Dash grinned smugly. "I had Pinkie, AJ and that Lyra mare build us fighters. They're on standby to re-paint and arm them as needed."
"Wait, fighters?" Reimu said. "What are those?"
"Wait, I thought you were a pilot?" Twilight said. "Wait...I specified beings who could fly..."
"I can fly, yes." Reimu said, levitating herself above the ponies. "I fly quite well, if I may boast a bit."
"Ah." Twilight said, realising her error.
"Well, you can show me this 'fighter' but I'm sure I'm not going to like it." Reimu said.
Reimu's eyes widened as she saw the fighter, its sleek, silver body calling to her.
"I...love the design." Reimu said.
"Wow, Pinkie, Applejack and Lyra did all this by themselves?" Twilight said, amazed.
"They had some engineers from Appleloosa, but it's mostly their own work."
Mobius One nodded in approval as he looked over the design of the jets. He scribbled on a chalkboard, then held it up for the others.
Let's get airborne already. These babies look awesome.
"Now, let's get Rarity to spray them over..." Dash said.
