The Demon Lord

Chapters

A Documentary
The Search
Déjà vu
The Reputation Returns

A Documentary

September 22nd, 2005
Canterlot, Equestria

“I’m sorry, Princess,” the ambassador said.

“Please, there must be something you can do,” Princess Celestia begged. “You don’t understand how dire our situation is.”

For one who claimed to be able to control the sun, Princess Celestia wasn’t making a very big impression on the human ambassador. The meeting hadn’t been politics of any nature; it had been Celestia pleading with him for any kind of help for her nation. It didn’t really look good, but it was pretty much all she could do, and it was actually rather of sad. He could probably drop a coin on the floor from his pocket and she would take it.

“I do understand war, ma’am; we just finished one,” the human in the suit said from his seat in the room. “That war is the reason the Independent State of Allied Forces cannot help you.”

“I know this, but there has to be something! I fail to see why you wish to see my nation and its ponies conquered by our enemy!” she shot back.

“I don’t, no one does. But we truly have almost nothing left between garrisoning Erusia and conducting normal military duties. The Usean Continent has been shattered by natural and manmade disasters.”

It wasn’t entirely true, be honest; they could probably spare a couple planes or troops to go over, but what good would they do? It would just be a pointless waste in a vain war. Between the Ulysses asteroid blanketing the planet with meteorites and the Usean Continental War ending just last week after two years, they had wasted enough already.

“I’m sorry, but we have to take care of ourselves first.”

“I understand,” Celestia responded, calling for her guards. “Guards, please escort the ambassador out of the castle and back to his aircraft.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the guards in golden armor replied, leading the human out.

Before he exited the room, the human looked back through the door again.

“For what it’s worth, I do wish you the best of luck.”

“Thank you,” Celestia replied, watching the human step out again. “Unfortunately, wishes will be of no use, right now. Luck, hopefully; but that does not seem to be with us, either.”

Sulkily getting up herself, she trotted to another door that led to the castle’s main hallway. The castle seemed quite depressing lately. In fact, Celestia looked rather depressing, having lost a look of brightness that she had always carried.

Though with the recent situation, it was hard not to be depressed. The capitol was the only major city still in their hands, no nation had come to their aid, and it was more than likely the whole of Equestria would now fall under the banner of this new empire.

“It was a stupid idea,” Celestia told herself. “Teleporting to some random world to ask for help; who would want to help a bunch of aliens who fell out of the sky, anyways?”

The ISAF negotiations were the second-to-last that they had, and Luna was conducting the final one now. Their continent had fallen into the Ceres Ocean as an island when they first arrived. The two closest powers, Osea and Yuktobania, already had sour relations with each other, and weren’t in the mood for a new arrival.

She continued to berate herself as she strolled slowly down the dark hall. Though, it was a bit unfair; there wasn’t much else one could do at this point, or at any point looking back. Equestria did have to fight wars before, and usually it was against their old enemies like Griffons or Changelings; they knew how to fight them.

But these foes fought differently; their fighting, tactics, ferocity, mastery-at least in their world-of conventional, non-magic weapons. All these were different from what any had seen before. They had been nothing more than another uncoordinated race, but now they had come together under one king, and were claiming Equestria as part of their new country.

The Sphinx, with its natural flight and lion’s body, was a deadly foe. Its head was shaped oddly, looking reminiscent to the humans of this world, but the coat that covered its body covered the head as well, not leaving its skin showing and guaranteeing a full-body color of bright gold-yellow, save for the wings. Though they seemed similar to Griffons at first, they were far smarter than most of those; perhaps it had something to do with the head.

“Sister!”

Celestia’s thoughts were interrupted as her younger sister, Princess Luna, met her in the hall.

“Luna, how was your end of the negotiations?”

“Bad, I’m afraid,” she said.

If nothing else, Celestia could at least be happy that her sister had limited the royal speech for the formal situations.

“Emmeria will not assist us, either?” she asked.

“They say that they do not wish to waste their soldier’s lives in a futile war,” Luna explained.

“This was a foolish idea, Luna,” Celestia admitted. “We should have known that none here would be willing to help a nation that is already overrun. The Sphinx have even begun importing weapons and equipment from them to use against us! If anything it made our situation worse!”

“It is alright, Tia,” her sister comforted her. “Nopony holds you to blame for this, there is nothing more to do.”

It truly hurt Celestia that she was totally powerless now. All she could do was watch her cities get flattened by those human-made bombers, the fields run over by those massive tanks, and her ponies, who she loved dearly, get shot and killed by those powerful guns. That was truly it; and before she knew it, Canterlot would fall to the same fate.

“I suppose we should go tell Twilight and her friends, now,” Celestia sighed. “Could you fetch the rest of them and meet me at her room, Luna?”

“Of course.”

Luna went one direction while Celestia went the other. Counting the doors as she went, she finally arrived at her pupil’s room. Before entering, she stood there and thought of how she would be able to tell Twilight. Luckily, Twilight spoke first, opening the door.

“Oh Princess, I’m so glad you’re here!” she said happily, which more or less to Celestia aback.

“Yes, Twilight; we need to talk.”

“Yes, we do; find a seat, quick!” she said, levitating several books and papers back into neat piles in the room. “Are the others coming?”

“Yes,” she replied in a confused tone. “Twilight, what are you-”

“Sorry, Princess, but I’ll explain when the others arrive.”

At that same time, Luna and the other five Elements entered the room.

“Um, Twi, are you alright?” Applejack asked.

“Yes, yes; just find a seat,” she urged, and began talk about what she had seen. “You remember the TV I got, right?”

“The human television, yes,” Celestia replied.

It amazed her how they had barely been here a week and her student had already acquired one, and learned how to use it.

“Well, I was watching this documentary about a war that took place a decade ago,” she explained. “Some of the main people that were being interviewed were mercenaries.”

“What’s a mercenary?” Dash asked.

“I’m glad you asked,” Twilight said. “A mercenary is basically a soldier that you can hire to fight for you.”

“A soldier who fights only for payment?” Luna asked.

“Yes, princess.”

“That sounds quite dishonorable…and dangerous.”

“Maybe,” Twilight replied, “but they may be the only ones who we could possibly find to help us.”

“So, you believe that we can simply buy some humans to fight for us?” Celestia asked.

“Basically, yes. The problem is that there aren’t many of them, at least not enough to make a significant difference,” she explained. “But, I’m thinking that we could find a few that are skilled enough to do so.”

“Are you sure about this, Twilight?”

“That’s where the film comes in,” she explained. “I recorded it for you guys to see as proof. Just watch.”

She clicked on the power button and the medium-sized television screen lit up. The first thing to show was the broadcasting network; Osean Broadcasting Corporation. Following that was the documentary’s title; Warriors and the Belkan War. Last was a small line of words on the screen.

25 Nov., 2005. Near a disputed border.

The shot then presented a single human, with brown hair and white skin, dressed in rather raggedy clothes. He was sitting along on a chair, in a large room of a shattered building, cradling an AK-47. The only light provided was the sunlight, shining down from holes in the ceiling.

“Oh him?” he said. “Yea, I know him. It’s going to take a while…it happened years ago.”

He paused slightly for a moment.

“Who is this guy?” Rainbow asked, receiving a ‘shhh!’ from Twilight as the human spoke again.

“Did you know there are three kinds of aces?” he asked, counting on his thumb and to fingers. “Those who seek strength, those who live for pride, and those who could read the tide of battle; those are the three. And him, he was a true ace.”

“He was a fighter pilot they called ‘Solo Wing Pixy’,” the narrator stated. “He was a colleague of the man I seek.”

The screen went back to black as the narrator continued.

“Ten years ago, there was a war the engulfed the world; the Belkan War. And in that war, there was a pilot who trailed across the sky, then disappeared from history. He was a lone mercenary who inspired both fear and admiration.”

The scree showed a black and white photograph of two F-15C Eagle fighters banking right in tandem.

“He is the man I seek. And so, with the words of ‘Solo Wing’, the curtain rises.”

The picture returned to the soldier.

“It was a cold and snowy day…”

The documentary went on for some time, telling of how the war began and panned out. How Belka had overrun much of the country of Ustio, whose military had to be rebuilt partially with mercenaries. Eventually, it told of how Pixy and his wingman had succeeded in throwing them back.

‘Solo Wing Pixy’ was part of a squadron that consisted of only two aircraft. It was him, and his flight lead; known only by the name of ‘Cipher’. The enemy aces that were interviewed had a different name for him; ‘The Demon Lord’.

“I could tell he was good, and that it was going to be bad for us.”

“Every now and then guys like that appear on a battlefield, y’know?”

“Why did I lose to him?”

The film continued to chronicle the events of the war. Belka was pushed out of the land she had conquered, and was soon invaded herself. Even the use of the most hi-tech experimental weapons could not stop him; nor could the aces of their air force, who continued to speak of their encounters.

“And when I saw him, I could tell my time was done.”

“I figured the least I can do was take them down in return. Of course…that was where my luck ran out.”

“I’d love to fly with him again someday.”

“Wow, he must’ve been good,” Rainbow commented as the screen returned to the soldier, who seemed to answer her question.

“Every time I flew with him, his skill stood out.”

The final piece of the show documented the war’s worst parts. It showed how Belka had used nuclear weapons to halt the allied forces, and how a humiliating peace was forced upon them. It also showed what ‘Solo Wing’ thought of that; betraying his former wingman to pursue his own set of ideals. And finally, it spoke of how the safety of the world was threatened by a terrorist organization angry at the use of borders. But, even these firm believers in their cause were fearful of the ‘Demon’.

“’Demon Lord’ was right; everything he touched fell apart.”

“He was not the reason we were unable to change the world.”

“The gate to the new world has been opened.”

“And here the curtain falls on our story,” the narrator said. “However, the does not mean their own stories came to an end.”

The final scene went back to that of Pixy, still sitting there with his rifle; his name finally revealed as Larry Foulke. Over the course of the interview, his mood had changed for each action he remembered. Now, recounting his final battle with his former friend, he seemed rather depressed.

“I should have died that day, but I didn’t,” he explained. “I dragged my wounded body and reached ground zero of the nuclear detonations; a barren empty land. There were still people living there, they were the ones that saved me.”

He continued explaining what he had learned, seeming to finally realize reality.

“I’m still on the battlefield, right now I’m near a border. I want to see for myself what borders really mean, and what their volition really is,” he said hopefully. “I may not find what I’m looking for, but I still want to try.”

He paused for a moment, in deep thought.

“Anyways, that’s what I’ve come to believe and I think that’s enough,” he said, looking up. “Will he see this video? If you do meet him, give him a message for me.”

He stared into the camera, with a smile on his face.

“Yo buddy, still alive?” he asked, the questions recipient being obvious. “And thanks, friend; see you again.”

The final shots were that of an F-15 flying in to land on an airstrip as the narrator ended the film.

“The Demon Lord of the Round Table; a warrior who soared through the Belkan War, inspiring both fear, and admiration. His presence filled the skies for but a few short months before he disappeared. Apart from that, nothing is known about him. I was never able to find out what kind of a person he really was; but whenever they talked about him, they always had a slight smile on their faces. That, perhaps, may be my answer.”

Twilight stopped the documentary, pausing the television. Every face in the room had a look of great interest and curiosity. Mixed in there somewhere was a sense of hope, of real, true hope.

“So, you believe that we should try to find these mercenaries?” Luna asked.

“It’s the only thing we can do. It will take a lot of convincing, and money, but I think we can do it.”

“How do you propose we do so? The interviewer stated that he could not find one of them.”

“I was doing some more research on these pilots,” Twilight explained. “The one by the name of Larry Foulke should still be where he is, as the war he was fighting in ended just a short time ago. If someone goes now, we may be able to catch him.”

“And this ‘Demon’?”

“I did have trouble finding real data on him, but I was able to contact the government of the country he was hired by, Ustio, and also found records on another squad in the same unit that fought with him.”

“Do you think we should enlist that squadron, as well?” Celestia asked.

“Well, it couldn’t hurt, Princess. All of its members are still alive and their locations are known, but back to the point at hand,” she said. “The only other thing they could confirm about this ‘Cipher’ pilot was that his nationality was Erusian.”

“Ain’t that the same country that just lost the war last week?” Applejack asked.

“Precisely, and as with the Belkan War, the ISAF was pushed to the brink of destruction, and had to hire mercenaries to fill their ranks, like Pixy.”

“I am sorry, Twilight. I don’t understand where you are taking this,” Celestia said.

“I went through a list of mercenaries that were hired by ISAF during the war, and there was an ace pilot in the list that was of Erusian nationality, one who’s kill score rivaled that of even their top ace, Mobius.” she explained. “He was the only Erusian mercenary in ISAF.”

“Do you think it could be him?”

“I hope so; it does seem like more than just a coincidence,” Twilight responded. “The records show he is still stationed at a place called Allenfort Air Base in the ISAF country of North Point. But, his contract is due to expire soon.”

“Then we must hurry if we have a chance at this,” Celestia said, with a new sense of urgency.

“I already have maps with their locations marked on them.”

“Excellent, Twilight,” Celestia said, turning to Rainbow. “Rainbow Dash, you must go and find Pixy; I will have Soarin track down the Demon, and I will arrange for Spitfire to go to Ustio and find the members of the other squadron.”

“Ok, what should I tell him?” Dash asked.

"Whatever it takes to get him here; we must convince them to fight for us, otherwise are doomed to destruction.”

Author's Note

A tribute to all of Ace Combat and it's fans.

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think.

The Search

September 23rd, 2005
Somewhere in Delarus

Most of the buildings had been damaged to one degree or another; some were barely standing. The square held a statue of a woman, also damaged from the fighting, holding what looked like a spear with the other arm rising into the air, its hand missing. The only other feature was an ISAF flag flying overhead, its blue background providing the only real color.

For Rainbow, it was scary. Damage to the biggest cities in Equestria had been bad, but not this bad. This had been a war between two modern, competent nations. Would this be what their war turned the land into?

Shaking away the thoughts, she landed in the square, looking around. All of the buildings seemed to be deserted, and the area was peacefully quiet save for the birds flying overhead. She was worried that her target had already departed; until she heard something from a nearby building. Running inside to check, she noticed it was the same building the interview with the mercenary had taken place.

“The hell?” she heard.

Looking over to her right, she saw the human she was looking for. Larry ‘Solo Wing Pixy’ Foulke; he looked the same he did during the interview. This time, he was standing over to the side, a backpack slung around one shoulder, and his Kalashnikov rifle slung over the other. He looked like he was about to leave.

“Oh, you’re one of those new aliens that just popped up; the horse ones, right?” he asked. “I’ve heard about you guys, but I haven’t seen one till now.”

“Well, it’s actually ponies, not horses,” Rainbow corrected him. “And, are you Larry Foulke?”

The human’s eyebrows moved up in surprise.

“Yea, and you are?”

“Rainbow Dash,” she said.

She probably would’ve added ‘fastest flier in Equestria’, but she understood that there was no time for boasting. Not to mention it would probably drive Pixy away from her offer. And if she failed at that, there probably wouldn’t be an Equeastria left, making her title meaningless.

“Well, it’s good to meet you,” he said. “I’d ask why you’re here, but I’m assuming you’re looking for me.”

“Yes,” she said. “You’re a mercenary, right?”

“Ah, I know where this is going,” he said. “You’re in need of my services, right? I read the papers; seen this situation a dozen times.”

Rainbow was surprised at first, but realized it was also his job; it was like somepony asking her to perform her regular weather duties.

“Would you? I mean, could we hire you?” she asked.

“I’m not too sure, your situation is set and done. I’ve seen bad times but…well, you’ve got no one.”

“You’re losing him, Rainbow!” she thought. “Uh, what could I offer to convince him? Wait, does he know about our currency?”

“Sorry, but-”

“The pay will be very good,” she cut in. “Our currency is pure gold, and we’ve got plenty of it. Trust me; you’ll be set for life.”

Pixy thought it over for a second.

“Well, I’ve heard the ‘set for life’ bait before, but as long as it’s good, I suppose I’ll accept.”

“Yes!” Rainbow mentally shouted.

“But don’t expect too much; there isn’t much a lone grunt can do on the frontline,” he warned.

“We don’t want you for soldiering,” she said. “We want to hire you to fly for us.”

“Fly!?” he said, jumping a bit in an even greater surprise. “Uh…sorry, but I’m not really into flying-”

“I know you were an Ace in a war a decade ago!” she shot back.

“How…how the hell do you know about that?”

“The documentary the Osean reporter did, we saw it.”

“Guess I’m the big movies star now, huh?” he said. “Look, kid; I just don’t fly anymore. I’m not going into details; and if you did see that doc., then I shouldn’t have to.”

“Why not!?” she yelled. “I mean, you’re still good, aren’t you?”

“It’s been a while, so I wouldn’t know,” he replied. “My wings got cut and that was that; decided to just continue by being a grunt-for-hire. End of story, and the bad guys like me don’t get a happy ending to ours.”

“Well…what about…uh!” Rainbow grunted in frustration. “What if…what if we found your old wingman?”

Pixy’s eyes widened at this.

“You sure that wasn’t supposed to be a threat?” he asked ironically. “Firstly, you can’t find him; no one’s really seen him since the Belkan War ended. Second, if you do find him, he’d probably accept just to finish me off.”

“But you apologized in the documentary, didn’t you?”

“How do I know if he even saw that?” Pixy asked accusingly. “How do I know if he’s even alive anymore? Do you have any idea what the two of us went through!?”

“I know you went through enough together to form a tight friendship,” Rainbow said. “I don’t know how things work in this world, but Equestrians always believe that a friendship can never be broken, no matter what happens.”

Rainbow really hoped she was right about this; but, she didn’t see why not. Discord had turned her and the others against Twilight once, and they were still the best of friends. Even though Pixy and Cipher’s fight had been more…brutal, he was still sorry. She just hoped his wingman was the forgiving type.

“We went through a lot together,” Pixy admitted.

“Look dude, whether he forgives you or not, we still want you. You’ll get paid good and everything! At least agree to fly over to Canterlot to consider it. I mean what have you got to lose?”

Foulke continued to stand there, first staring at her, then at the ground. There were so many ways this could turn out. Would he be able to fly and fight well enough to save these aliens? Would his pay be substantial either way? Was he the only human they had?

And what about Cipher? What would he do if his old squadron mate did appear? What would he say; ‘sorry for nearly killing you and nuking the world clean’? Would he just kill him and not even listen?

All these ideas were stirring, but the last thought that ran through is head shook him the most. What if Cipher did come, did agree, and he somehow did forgive him? What would life be like then? He had to admit that the pony was right; Cipher was more than just a business partner, he was a friend.

“Yea, he was my friend, wasn’t he?” he said silently. “Buddy...”

“Alright,” he said. “I’ll see about catching a flight there tomorrow.”

That same time
Directus, Ustio

Spitfire had flown over the city a few times, and then actually landed in it, drawing a large number of eyes while she did so. It wasn’t until she asked a police officer that she learned that the address was an elaborate estate outside of town. It seemed quite beautiful, with a large iron fence surrounding the large, green property. Flying down to the doorstep and ringing the bell, she wondered how a mercenary could live this kind of luxury.

“Hello?”

A young man, probably in his early thirties, answered the door.

“Uh, who are you?”

“Patrick James Beckett?” she asked.

“That’s me,” he replied. “Is there…something I can help you with miss…”

“Spitfire,” she finished.

“Ok, and how can I help you?” he asked.

“Patrick, who is it, dear?” a female’s voice called from the house.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing. I’ll be back in in a minute, just got to talk to someone.”

“Your wife?” Spitfire asked.

“Yep,” he replied happily. “C’mon, let’s take a little walk around the pond.”

As the human walked out and led the way, Spitfire began to think more and more. She wasn’t at all happy about having to hire some humans to fight for them, but she also understood how important it was. She also didn’t think that this was what a mercenary would be like; living in a nice place with his wife.

“So, what made a pony come all this way to see me?”

She was surprised that he got the name right the first time.

“It’s about your military service,” she explained. “Specifically, during the Belkan War.”

“What?”

“You served in the Ustio Air Force under contract as a mercenary, right?” she questioned, “the 6th Air Division.”

“Yea, I did,” he said. “Why, you wanna interview me? I’m not too big about telling strangers about what happened; nearly got killed, y’know.”

“I’m not asking for an interview, I’m asking if I could hire you.”

“Hire me?”

It struck her how oblivious he was.

“As a mercenary,” she explained. “The Equestrian government would like you to fly for us.”

“Sorry, but I’m not a mercenary anymore,” he explained, stopping on the pond’s edge. “After my little brush with death, I moved out here. My family is already pretty rich, and I’m making a little on the side teaching polo.”

“That’s not good,” Spitfire thought. “Pay wasn’t going to be a factor here.”

“Well…what could I offer you to change your mind?” she asked quickly.

“Nothing,” he replied. “I’ve got my own life, a pretty good one. There’s no reason for me to risk it.”

“Not one thing?” she asked.

“Nope, sorry.”

Spitfire was a little angry at first; not at him or herself, but at fate. It just didn’t seem fair that she had come after a mercenary that didn’t want to be paid. She needed to accomplish this, but how? She was smarter than to start threatening him, and she couldn’t bribe him.

There was only one option now; beg. Spitfire had to admit that the entire war had driven her to the brink of collapse, and it hurt. Maybe if she turned off the official feeling and let him see that, maybe the human would change his mind.

“Please,” she asked. “We’re going to lose everything. I’ve seen friends dying, homes being destroyed, and our ponies all falling under the Sphinx.”

This seemed to draw his attention, and he watched her with a concerned look.

“I know that you don’t need money, and you won’t lose anything by staying here. But, our whole reason for coming to this world was to find help; any help. Please, we need your help, or everything is going to be lost.”

Patrick bit his lip and looked at her. Her eyes had grown big; to an almost scary size. She looked like she was about to break down and cry, contrasting her official, tough nature that had been shown at first.

Still, he knew about that all too well. Even though he was Osean, he had seen Ustio conquered and occupied; and he had fought for its independence. In turn, he had a sense of home and happiness here. Maybe that’s why he chose to move here, to fully take in what he had fought for.

“What exactly do you think I can do?” he asked. “Do you have anyone else fighting for you?”

“We are trying to track down your former wingman,” she answered.

“I’m still in touch with the rest of Crow Squadron.”

“No, your second unit; the 66th Air Force Unit.”

“Galm?” he asked, surprised. “And by wingman…”

“Yes, we’re trying to get in contact with your former flight leader.”

“Cipher?” he asked. “You really found Cipher?”

“Yes, that’s him,” she said. “We do have a good lead on him. One of my teammates should be looking for him right now.”

“I’ll be damned. Ok, I’m up for it!”

“Really!?” Spitfire jumped, betraying her happiness.

“Yea, I’d love to go flying again, be honest. My girl isn’t going to be thrilled, but I think she’ll understand.”

“Thank you so much!” she squeed, a little surprised that she did.

“And let me ask the rest of Crow Team; they’re still in the business. I bet they’d be willing to help,” he said. “Where do you want us to be?”

“Our capital, Canterlot; there’s a small strip that should be able to hold planes. It’s not much, but it should do.”

“Alright, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Thank you so much, Mr. Patrick,” she said, preparing to take off.

She had to admit that this was far different than she had expected. She didn’t have to bribe some warmongering fool; she had to open up to a married, happy young man. At first, she thought all humans were selfish, but not anymore. She just hoped the others were like this.

“Hey,” he called to her, “just call me PJ.”

That same time
Allenfort Air Force Base

Soarin was rather tired from his long flight, but he didn’t stop to rest. He had no clue what this guy’s name was, what he looked like, or anything. The good news was that Celestia had gotten him a meeting with the base’s commander; that was what he was waiting for now, watching as the MP in front of the door checked his ID.

He passed the time nervously. He had no idea if this Erusian was really here, and he couldn’t waste time. At this point, every second counted. Still, he waited patiently, tapping his hoof on the floor.

“Alright,” he said, opening the door. “Sir, your appointment is here.”

Soarin was greeted by an elderly man in a blue uniform, sitting at a desk.

“Ah yes, you’re the um…” he tried to remember, snapping his fingers.

“A pony, sir.”

“Yes, yes, of course. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Actually, sir, the only reason I came was to ask about a mercenary stationed here,” Soarin explained, trying to sound formal. “My Princess already called ahead of me.”

“Oh yes, the Erusian,” the man said, sitting up.

“Yes, sir! You know where he is?”

“Well, the mercenary barracks is building J, across the runway; can’t miss it,” he explained. “But if you want to meet that ace, you’d better hurry; most of the mercenaries are getting ready to leave now.”

“Thank you, sir!” he said.

Not bothering to walk, he flew through the door and out of the building. Hovering over the runway, he saw a structure with large black ‘J’. He also saw some pilots beginning to walk out, which worried him.

“Hey dude, you seen an Erusian mercenary in here?” he asked one of the pilots at the door.

“No, sorry.”

He quickly flew inside, gaining some attention, but not enough to stop the men from continuing their packing.

“Hey, any of you guys know an Erusian mercenary?” he asked a group chatting in a circle, who replied by shaking their heads and shrugging their shoulders. “Ugh, what about you? Did you know this guy?”

“An Eursian?” the pilot replied. “I didn’t think we had any.”

The next pilot he asked was lying on his back in his bunk.

“Have you seen him, man?” Soarin asked.

“Seen who?” the pilot asked.

“An Erusian mercenary that’s based here.”

“I do remember one telling me he was Erusian,” the pilot said, opening his eyes. “He just walked out, flies an F-15. You might still catch him.”

“Thanks, dude!” he said, flying outside again.

It took some time to remember what they looked like, but he finally found the only F-15 parked on the runway. He also saw a single pilot walking towards it, already in his flight suit. It looked like the plane was ready to take off as soon as needed.

“Hey you!” he yelled, landing behind him. “You, stop!”

The pilot continued; and only then did Soarin realize that he couldn’t hear over the sound of the F-15’s engines.

“Hey!” he continued to yell.

As the pilot reached his plane and ran his hand along the nose of the Eagle affectionately; turning his head slightly from it, he saw the pony yelling at him.

“Heeeey!” Soarin yelled, waving his whooves in the air.

The pilot assumed the pony was calling to him, so he called for the crew to stop the plane’s engine while he walked up to the pony.

“H-hey,” Soarin panted, out of breath.

The pilot simply nodded in response.

“Y-you…you Cipher?” Soarin asked, getting straight to the point.

The pilot grinned a little; smiling like he hadn’t been called that name in a long time.

“Yes.”

Author's Note

We'll be getting into combat next chapter, so read back up on your Ace Combat logic:
-90 missiles and infinite guns
-Plane can take a ton of punishment
-Everyone uses the same radio frequency

Note that the links in this story will only be to music unless said otherwise; clicking on them isn't required.

Déjà vu

September 24th, 2005
Canterlot, Equestria

Pixy had been really stunned by the regality of the castle, even if the atmosphere was rather gloomy. Everything seemed to be very royal in appearance, and a bit over-the-top; right down to his well-furnished guest room. The golden armor of the Royal Guards in the large meeting room with him was where he drew the line as overly-ostentatious.

He doubted that gold could actually stop any modern weapon, and their spears weren’t really very threatening as compared to what he had seen before; if this was what they were fighting, then it was no wonder that they were losing. He was the only human in the room, but the Princesses and the Elements were also present, along with the guards. He slouched back is comfortable meeting chair and waited anxiously.

“How did you find them?” he kept asking nervously.

“I told you already,” Twilight responded in an irritated tone, “All we had to do was go through-”

“I know, I’m just talking to myself,” he replied. “Just a little anxious to see them all again, y’know?”

“I thought you would be happy to see such close friends again,” Celestia said.

“Ex-friends turned enemies, remember? You’re a lot more forgiving than us humans.”

“Well, if you feel like your life is in danger, my guards will defend you with theirs.”

Pixy actually wanted to laugh at this.

“I can handle myself, thanks; that’s why I brought this,” he said, holding up his AK. “But you’re missing the point.”

“And what would that be?”

“That I can’t do it on my own; if he walks out, so do I.”

“You cannot fly without him?”

“I don’t think so; at least, not as good as I used to.”

The sound of voices approaching the door halted the conversation.

“Oh, it would seem some of the others have arrived.”

Pixy’s eyes widened and he sat up straight in his chair, holding his rifle close to his chest. He was surprised, and a little relieved, to see PJ and Crow Team walk into the room. They were already in a deep conversation, and didn’t notice him a first.

“Mr. Beckett, I’m glad to see you and your friends agreed to our offer,” Celestia said.

“Hey, we’ve got to make money some way,” Crow One replied. “Now what’s this I heard about finding Cipher, or is that just PJ pulling our legs?”

“We did find Cipher,” she said, and then motioned over to Pixy. “We also found his former wingman.”

“Pixy!” PJ yelled.

“Hey, Patrick,” he replied. “It’s nice to see you’re good after our last fight.”

“You nearly killed me, you turncoat bastard!” PJ yelled back. “Damn it, you didn’t say he’d be here!”

“I thought you might not consider coming if we did,” Celestia admitted.

“You were right!” PJ replied, venom in his voice. “Do you have any idea what this guy did?”

“We do, Patrick; but we still need all of your help.”

“Forget it,” PJ said. “He’ll probably just end up shooting down your own fliers.”

“You haven’t changed, PJ,” Pixy chimed in. “You used to talk a lot about ideals; fighting for what you think is right and everything. I was just listening to you.”

“You know what, Pixy!?”

“Silence!” Luna yelled, effectively silencing the room. “Our final guest has arrived.”

At the door stood a male fighter pilot, still in his flight suit. He had been watching the argument between the two with interest. All eyes in the room now turned to him; and his eyes alone told a long story. Pixy was the first one he looked directly at, showing a slight grin.

“Hey, Cipher,” Pixy replied in a cool tone, trying to stay calm.

“Wow, look like time hasn’t aged you at all,” PJ added.

“So, you would be the famous ace that we have all heard of?” Celestia asked.

Cipher nodded is response.

“Rule one about Cipher; he doesn’t talk unless he needs to,” Pixy said.

“I am sure he has his reasons,” Celestia said. “But, let’s not waste any more time; if you follow me-”

“Hang on, you still didn’t tell me why you need this backstabbing prick,” PJ interrupted.

“We need all the help we can get, Mr. Patrick.”

“You’ll have to do without mine; I’m not taking my chances up there with him.”

“Please, we truly do need all of you,” Celestia said. “Would you really just leave us here to die?”

PJ stared at her for a moment, her sad eyes overpowering him with guilt.

“Only if Cipher goes.”

September 25th, 2005
West of Canterlot

Any ground attack is usually preceded by a preemptive bombardment, partially from the air. The bigger the campaign is, the heavier it will be. Prior to the final assault on the city, Canterlot was to be flattened by a wave of strategic bombers, flying in from the west through a snow storm.

It wasn’t a very big storm; just a few clouds that had been left there by weather ponies that were, understandably, caught up in more important matters. The storm might have caused some trouble for normal pegasi; restricting visibility and making flying harder.

This wasn’t the case for the jets that were flying through it now. Two of them pulled ahead from the rest of the group; both F-15Cs fighters. The wing of one was painted in red, while the other had both wings painted in blue.

“It’s startin’ to come down!,” Pixy said over the radio. “This scene look familiar to any of you?”

“I can’t believe he said yes,” PJ sighed from his F-16.

“Believe it, kid; you made a promise, and now you’re sticking to it.”

“Just remember that Cipher can shoot you down if you try anything funny.”

“Huh, keep saying things like that and I might start cryin’.”

“Uh, hello?” a voice came over the radio. “Can um, can you hear me?”

“And who are you?”

“I’m going to be helping you with your mission as the Airborne…Warning and, uh…Counting…”

“Airborne Warning and Control System,” Pixy corrected. “And you can just say AWACS.”

“Ah, ok.”

“I’m glad the Princess thought ahead and got one of those. Wait; do you know how to use that thing?”

“For the most part, yes,” the male voice responded. “I’m still learning some parts, but I know the important stuff.”

Pixy sighed to himself; a rookie AWACS could easily get them all killed.

“What do we call you?”

“My name is look-”

“Refer to all units by their personal callsigns,” Pixy interrupted.

“My what? Oh, uh…hang on.”

“You don’t know your callsign?”

“Wait…Redeye, it’s Redeye.”

“Ok then, Redeye; give us some directions to that bomber formation.”

“Uh, keep going the same way,” he said.

Pixy got a little irritated by this; but, a rookie AWACS was better than no AWACS.

“I do hope his inexperience will not interfere much,” Celestia said over the radio from the city. “It was difficult enough just to get the aircraft.”

“Doesn’t matter; we’ll take them down all the same,” PJ replied.

“Yep, just like we used to,” Pixy added. “Of course, that’s only if you’ve got that pay that you promised.”

“Well, I cannot pay you if we are dead, obviously.”

Pixy laughed a bit.

“Be ready to pay up; we’ll be back before you know it!”

The jets continued flying through the snow, and quickly spotted some large dots edging along the horizon slowly; heavy bombers, about ten of them. Smaller dots were soon spotted with them, probably a fighter escort. However, as they got closer, they noticed the escort was made of Sphinx with guns rather than fighters.

“They don’t have fighters?” PJ asked aloud.

“Why not; they’ve just been fighting unarmored pegasi, not fighters.”

“And the bombers can carry more heavy ordinance than any one of them,” PJ added. “What’s the plan?”

“Shock; go in quick and shoot ‘em down,” Crow One said.

“Ok, let’s see if we’ve got what it takes,” Pixy said. “Galm is engaging!”

Pixy shot forward, closely followed by Cipher. Both struck the side of the formation with a flurry of missiles. Pixy shot down two fighters and Cipher got another two, followed by a bomber with his guns. The two shot back above the clouds before the enemy knew what was happening.

“B-52s; still go down easy as I remember them to.”

“I counted fifteen escorts and ten bombers,” Redeye reported late.

“Make that eleven and nine,” Pixy reported. “Just let us know if anything else is headed our way.”

“Crow Team, follow me,” Crow One ordered. “Crows Three and Two get after the escorts; I’ll grab a bomber.”

As Crow Team maneuvered above the clouds into position, they could hear a confused enemy’s voice on the radio.

“What was that!? Some of ours went down!?”

“Is it the Equestrians?”

“I couldn’t tell, they were going too fast!?”

As if to answer them, Crow Team’s Fighter Falcons dived in to take down their individual targets.

“Jets! The Equestrians have jets!”

“What!? When did they-just keep them off the bombers.”

“I-I can’t; they’re going too fast for me to aim!”

A good number of the formation was down now, and the chances of the rest making it through were slim. The escorts fired their weapons wildly at the planes, doing no real damage. The last one took off after Cipher, and was able to get a glance at the cockpit.

“Humans!” he yelled. “It’s human pilots!”

“What!? Who!? None of the human nations were supposed to be aiding them!” one of the bomber pilots panicked. “Can you see any flags or markings?”

“I-I can see some kind of squad logo on the side with a dog; I think it says ‘Galm’ on it-”

His voice was cut off as Pixy brought down the final escort.

“Alright, that’s the last of the escort fighters; now for those bombers,” Pixy announced.

The fighters began to dive into the formation like birds swooping to the water to catch fish. There was no chance any of them could make it. Each one went down, little by little. The final one was able to get a quick glimpse of his targeted city before a missile from Cipher blew off his wing.

“That’s it,” Pixy reported over the radio, followed by a short whistle. “I forgot how much fun this was. Not too bad, PJ; but you’ve still got some stuff to learn.”

PJ decided to ignore the comment.

“Let’s get back home and grab a drink-”

“Warning, another formation is coming!” Redeye yelled over the radio. “They’re going a lot faster this time!”

“Why now? Do they think they stand a chance?”

“They’re too fast to be natural-flyers; they have to be fighters.”

Pixy breathed in deep.

“Ok, let’s do this; I can see five coming in fast. That’s one for each of us, guys.”

“Yes, that means we can each have our first jet kill,” the enemy flight’s lead replied. “You won’t escape us.”

“You have no idea what you’re up against; I’ve killed plenty of those Flankers that you’re driving.”

“What nation are you from?” the enemy demanded. “Or is this some sort of black operation?”

“We’re only here money, pal; and they’ll be paying extra today once you’re in the dirt.”

“Mercenaries?” the enemy commander said. “The mighty sun goddess and her beloved nation, reduced to mercenaries.”

The rest of squad laughed insultingly.

“Finish these selfish humans and avenge our comrades!”

Each plane went after another in five individual dogfights. Each member of Crow squadron got one of them on their tails, along with Pixy. Cipher was the only one to get on the tail of his opponent first.

“Whoa, these guys are a step up!” PJ said. “Someone shoot this guy off me!”

“I’m busy, Three,” Crow One responded, dodging a missile shot at him.

Cipher’s duel with the enemy commander was short. He banked to the right and Cipher followed. As he stopped and banked to the left, he passed by Cipher’s sights; in turn, the human sent a missile into the body of the aircraft.

“The captain’s down!” one of them cried.

“What!? No! That’s impossible!” another said. “They’re just some wardogs!”

In response, Cipher shot the Sphinx off of Pixy’s tale.

“Four’s down!”

“Not so big and bad now,” Pixy commented.

Both Cipher and Pixy flew over to assist Crows One and Two; shooting down their attackers with ease. PJ was able to turn the tables on his, drastically cutting his speed and causing the Flanker to overshoot his plane. Returning to normal speed, PJ fired a sidewinder into the rear of the last plane, ending the engagement.

“No more targets,” Redeye reported. “You can head back now.”

“Hey, Cipher; you still alive?” Pixy asked. “Looks like we’ve still got it; huh buddy?”

Author's Note

Thanks for reading; please comment so I can get some feedback.

The Reputation Returns

September 28th, 2005
Canterlot, Equestria

“So you sure about the jets, then?” Pixy asked. “You guys don’t need any more practice hours up there?”

“It is a little tough getting used to them, but we will,” Spitfire assured him.

The first real batch of fighter aircraft had arrived in Equestria for its own pegasi to fly in. The few jets available were being given to the best fliers, specifically the Wonderbolts, and a few other talented pegasi. Even though they had studied thoroughly on the planes ahead of time, and put in as much time flying them as they could afford, they were still rather green with the powerful vehicles.

Despite some of the proudest of the group not wanting to admit it, each of the pegasi had some kind of struggle with the jets. They had learned to fly at such an early age, something so natural and necessary, a simple task for any winged creature. Now, they had to resort to machines to win in the wars; needless to say, some of them were unhappy. But, despite the grumbling, it was better than getting blown out of the air by a missile from long range. Some even admitted that they enjoyed the experience, being in control of such a powerful machine.

“You guys just got these jets, and you already want to take them into a fight,” Pixy sighed, sitting with Spitfire and the others in the lounge area. “With all your trouble, more time’s going to be spent babysitting you guys through the sky than actually shooting the bad guys.”

“It’s an attack on the capital itself form the ground; we don’t have much of a choice,” she said. “We’re all going this time, don’t worry about us.”

“I have to worry about you; we need pilots to fight after the battle too, y’know,” he replied. “But, I guess we’ll find out about that soon enough, huh?”

“Is it time to go already?” she asked, looking at the clock.

“Yea, it is.”

With that the two got up and started out of the room. As the human exited, he was stopped by a rather unhappy Rainbow Dash, who seemed to be ready to fight him for some reason. Spitfire did not seem to notice, and just kept trotting down the hall; her mind was focused entirely on what was going to happen in a couple of hours.

“Something wrong?” Pixy asked. “Or is it just a bad day for you? If it’s the second, I’d suggest cheering up a bit; it could be your last.”
“I don’t trust you,” she said bluntly, ignoring the remark. “The way you switched sides and tried to kill everyone? No way I’d trust anyone, or pony, after that.”

“Yea, I messed up and fell in with a bad gang, it can happen,” he said simply, a bit bitter over the mentioning of the memory. “I’m trying to fix it, I said sorry, I’m doing what I can. All I want to do is my job.”

“Just don’t think I’ll trust my safety, or any of my friends, with you,” she kept going, acting like he had not said a word. “And don’t start thinking I’ll bail you out if you get yourself in trouble again.”

“Get myself in trouble? You’re the one who’s got to worry,” he replied simply. “You can fight for your freedom and country and whatnot, which is fine. But me? I’m just another mercenary to your lot.”

He brushed passed her and continued down the hall.

“I don’t care if you trust me or not,” he continued, still walking. “I’m just another war dog to you, huh? Hired fliers to do the suicide works, and I’ll do it just fine.”

“Alright, let’s see,” the AWACS looked over unsurely. “Is everyone flying ok?”

“You’re supposed to ask everyone to sound off,” PJ sighed, annoyed again by the rookie’s inexperience with his important job. “Forget it, let’s just start it off.”

“Crow Team, all planes check out,” Crow One reported.

“Galm Team checks out a-ok,” Pixy reported.

“Wonders, everything looks to be working,” Spitfire announced. “Does everything seem ok?”

“You’re fine,” Pixy assured her, glancing at the formation.

The Wonderbolts had been outfitted with the F/A-18E Super Hornet jet. It was the largest batch of planes Equestria had gotten, which had been just enough to outfit the entirety of the team. They seemed to be adapting to it relatively well, though that was not saying a lot in view of what the enemy was capable of.

“Alright, who’s next?” the AWACS asked.

“Rainbow looks ready, Redeye,” Dash said.

Rainbow’s Team was one of only three Equestrian squadrons that had jets, theirs being the F-16 Fighter Falcon. Despite Rainbow trying to sound confident over the radio, she was still a little worried herself, mainly because of the lack of experience, as the other ponies feared. Her five-plane unit was almost up to par with the Wonderbolts, but it still was not that advanced in the general setting.

“Ok, four out of five,” Pixy observed. “Who’s the last one?”

“Uh, Lighting Squadron. Our planes look ok,” another voice called out.

Lightning Dust had yet to actually meet the humans face-to-face yet, but she was anxious to. Though she was qualified to lead a unit, there were a few exceptions that came with it. Due to her previous track record, and that of her team, they were not officially part of the Equestrian military; they could fly, and would be given the basics, but actual benefits and recognition were out. They were, for all intents and purposes, mercenaries, just like their human counterparts. And to be honest, she liked the idea, which is why she wanted to meet the humans after this. A mercenary felt like a nice career field.

“Galm Two to Lighting, I see you,” Pixy observed. “Good plane choice, by the way.”

“Yea, they’re the same as yours,” Lighting said from her F-15C Eagle.

“It’ll get the job done, and then some.”

“Yea, that’s what I’ve heard,” she replied. “Of course the best pilots get the best planes.”

“Looks like it.”

Rainbow was listening to the conversation in a silent rage. She was already unhappy about the idea of Lightning getting a role in the first place; she knew just how dangerous that pony could be. And now her ego was going to steadily go up and up because of it. Rainbow wanted to just yell at Lightning to shut up, but figured it was best to control her own temper in light of the coming battle.

“Just watch; I’ll take care of things in no time,” Dust assured him.

“We’ll just wait and see what happens,” Pixy replied. “A good fight will always separate the rats from the tigers.”

Pixy had always figured battle was the best way of determining matters between people. More than that, it was the best kind of ‘shining light’, so to speak; it could reveal someone’s true being well. Everything about them, just who they really were, all laid on the table. If one got to his rank of experience where the battles would not bother him as much, he could look and listen for those new discoveries.

“Alright, AWACS, where are the targets?” he called next.

“The uh… the main concentration of enemy troops on the ground. Their base and the units that are already moving,” Redeye reported. “There might be some fighters to deal with.”

“Good, make sure to keep adding on details like that,” Pixy replied. “If I didn’t know about fighter probabilities, I could get jumped.”

“Right, got it,” the pony in the larger aircraft replied. “The main targets will be their tanks, and other armored units. We still can’t fight back at those well enough to stop a determined drive.”

“They have armored vehicles, too?” PJ asked.

“Yea, they put a heavy emphasis on a modern military when we got here,” Spitfire added in. “The Sphinx military is just as modern as pretty much any.”

“Are we sticking to the same attack plan as before?” Crow Two asked.

“Affirmative, not enough time to change it,” Crow One replied. “Galm and Lightning Teams will provide air defense while the Crow and Rainbow Teams bomb the base and advancing columns before they hit the front.”

“And we’ll stay back and pick off any stranglers,” Spitfire added, thinking of the Air-to-Ground missiles under her wings.

“That’s it,” Pixy said. “So let’s get started. Cipher, we’re nearly there; you take the lead and I’ll follow.”

Cipher’s plane increased speed and pulled away from the group, followed by Pixy, and shorty after that by the three F-15s of Lightning’s group. Covering the short distance quickly, he gained altitude and began looking for possible enemy fighters. Just as predicted, he saw them in the form of ten MiG-29 Fulcrums, orbiting in two separate groups of five, at a high altitude over their ground force’s base.

“Galm Two to Lighting, we’ll take one group, you guys take the other,” Pixy said to the trailing group of Eagles. “Just call if you need help.”

“Roger, we won’t,” Lightning replied, banking and leading her group off to the right.

Pixy hoped she was right, as the enemy’s voice over the radio showed that they had already spotted the intruders.

“Heads up, unknown aircraft inbound, probably hostile,” one of the Sphinx pilots reported.

“Are those the same ones from before?” another asked.

“It’s the same model,” the voice replied. “I can see the markings that were reported. Two of them; one with both blue wings, another with one red wing.”

“It’s the human mercenary, that’s for sure,” the leader said. “Let’s deal with them; they won’t surprise us this time.”

The five Fulcrums split from their formation, and the range began to close rapidly.

“Galm One, engage,” the AWACS ordered.

Cipher did this, quickly moving towards the closest Fulcrum aggressively. He dropped behind it and continued for a few seconds, getting the range down. The MiG tried some basic maneuvers at first to shake him off, banking left and right a few times, but it was hardly enough as Cipher quickly closed the last distance and fired a missile that struck its engines.

“Number Four is down, no chute, and he isn’t flying,” one of the pilots reported. “I’m getting closer to him, nearly there.”

“Got it three, I’m coming after him, too,” another said.

As one of them began to close, Pixy began to go after him, having waited for this moment.

“Galm Two engaging,” he said.

He was below the Fulcrum, and in a rather good firing position behind him.

“Fox two.”

The missile went upwards, shooting straight into the target’s belly and causing it to lurch and fall apart in the air. The second seemed surprised at this, as he did nothing while Pixy dropped on his tail. The sound of a lock-on warning brought the pilot back to his senses, and he dived in time to dodge one missile, barely. Pixy stayed with him, following him down until he straightened out, then in a turn to the left until the lock was solid again and the second missile flew out, finding its mark.

“Pixy here, two bandits down; you’re clear.”

“Three of our fighters are down already!” the Fulcrum leader yelled. “We need help, can anyone assist?”

“Negative, we’ve got our own problems,” the second group of Fulcrums replied, apparently busy with Lightning’s unit.

“We’re scrambaling more fighters from the airfield, you have to hold on,” their command replied from the far-off field.

“I don’t know if we can-”

His voice was cut off as Cipher’s missile crashed into the wing and sent it spinning. The final Fulcrum turned to escape, climbing into the clouds, with Cipher following closely. It made the mistake of trying to run away straight forward, and the F-15 slowly closed the range and fired another missile, which succeeded in catching the back of the Fulcrum.

“All enemy planes down,” the AWACS announced. “F-16s can begin bombing runs.”

“Copy that,” Pixy said. “Lightning, you guys alright?”

“Yea, we’re fine; no problem here,” Dust replied.

Pixy could see that her three plane formation had defeated the other group with no losses. It was admittedly impressive for such a green group of pilots. Maybe there was something behind all that boasting of hers, at least he hoped so.

“Crow Team approaching target; twenty seconds,” Crow One said. “Rainbow Team, are you still with us?”

“We’re still here. Our target is the camp, right?” Dash asked.

“Right, don’t forget which of those buttons releases the bombs.”

“Don’t worry, we won’t.”

“We’ll find out just how good your aim is for ground targets,” Crow Two added. “Crow Team, I’ve spotting a long convoy moving down the road in the direction of the city.”

“I see it, entering bombing run,” One ordered. “Good luck, Dash.”

“Thanks,” she replied, hoping everything would go reasonably well.

The three Falcons from Crow were armed with general purpose bombs, and they all began a slightly downward run towards the line of vehicles. Each would wait for the impact of the previous runner’s bombs, so the effect could clearly be seen and adjustments could be made. There was no room for wasting anything in this situation.

PJ was the first in line, coming in slowly and timing the column’s movement with his own bomb sight. As he got closer and closer to the release point, he felt his plane begin to shake, and saw black dots come close to it, followed closely by tracers from guns on the ground. Though he was surprised, he tried to focus and adjusted his Falcon to the proper position.

He released the weapons and immediately accelerated and pulled up, followed by the bullets form the rapid firing guns. Grunting and seething, he performed a few roles and turns to lose the gunner’s aim before he was out of range. As he leveled out, he could clearly see a few small holes in his left wing; nothing serious, but it got to him a bit.

“Why the hell didn’t you say they had AA guns?”

“I figured you would know that already,” the AWACS said. “I figured when I said ‘modern military’, you would take that into account.”

“You need to mention the specifics all the same,” PJ said, a little annoyed.

Looking back, he noticed that his bombs had found their mark, and the column had come to a stop. The other two Crow’s had little trouble hitting the stalled group, which quickly began to get off the road and take their chances. Even though the strike had taken out about half of the fifty or so vehicles, the rest needed to be dealt with.

“Crow Three to Redeye, the convoy is scattering. We need Wonder to take out the stranglers.”

“Copy that,” the AWACS said. “Spitfire, you hear that? Take out the running ones.”

“We’re on it,” she said, trying to stay determined. “Ok guys, break off and hunt them down, and watch for anything that could hit you.”

Each of the large Hornet formation did so, breaking off to search for individual targets. It did not take long for Spitfire to find one, seeing a lone tank make its way across an open field. She nosed towards it, slowing down a bit, and keeping steady. All she had to do was hold the plane steady and wait for the lock on. Even though it felt like an eternity, the targeting box surrounding the tank turned red, signaling a clear shot. Almost immediately, she fired one of the air-to-ground missiles and watched it fly off and into the tank, after which she quickly pulled up and leveled out. It was not too terribly difficult.

Rainbow and her flight had a good view of the hunt from where they were. Their mission had also been accomplished with little real difficulty. Unlike the moving units Crow had to bomb, the ones at the base were unmoving and unready. Her five F-16s had easily demolished the small area into useless rubble after one run. It felt good to finally have the ability to hurt their enemy; one who had seemed unbeatable at first. Pretty soon, everything would be done and they could go home and celebrate.

“Warning! Flight of five bogeys detected! Altitude 20,000 feet, very fast!” Redeye warned the group. “Rainbow Flight, they’re coming close to you! Watch it!”

“Oh no,” she said, looking at the incoming dots on her radar.

There was not enough time to turn and run; even if the numbers where even, her flight had not seen air-to-air combat before.

“Guys? We could use a hand here,” she called out. “Anyone there?”

“I can’t get there in time to bail you out, Dash,” Lightning said.

Rainbow wanted to yell just at the sound of her voice. She was not sure if Dust was lying or not, but just the way she said it felt bad. Why would she abandon her, though? Was it to wipe out completion? No, Dust would not go that far. It was for some other reason. But true or not, it would not change a thing.

“Galm Team here, we’re with you guys,” Pixy said, following Cipher and moving to the three o’clock position off the F-16’s group. “We’ll watch your backs.”

Now Rainbow all of a sudden felt bad. She swore she would not come to help Pixy, and yet here he was, and Cipher too. Both had come to help them; while on the other hand, her ponies and friends had not been able to make it in time.

“Thanks Pixy,” she said.

“Just don’t fly in front on my bullets and get shot down,” Pixy replied. “That’s the sign that you’re a decent flier.”

From the sound of his voice, he was not as caring as Dash.

“They’re flying in a tight formation,” Redeye said. “These guys are professionals.”

“Hear that, buddy? They’re aces,” Pixy said, tightening the formation a bit. “Really is just like old times. Let’s get to work.”

The flight of five was a formation of SU-27 Flanker fighter jets, each with a black body and a red nose. It was a rather rainy day, making their jets a bit hard to see due to the paint. Their squadron had already seen plenty of action to feel confident in their victory.

“Neith Two to Neith One, they’re definitely fighter jets,” the sphinx pilot reported.

“Good, it will feel good to shoot those down, instead of a defenseless pegasus,” the leader reported.

“That’s right, you’ve flown before against them, right Captain?” another asked.

“That’s right,” the human squad leader replied. “I was part of the Belkan Air Force, we were some of the best in the world.”

He was rather proud of his service during the war, even if his country had lost; indeed he always spoke of it when he got the chance.

“Yes, this will be fun,” he continued.

“I heard a few of them are humans,” the number four position said. “They’re responsible for shooting down the bomber formation.”

“That just makes it more fun,” the Belkan chuckled. “No worries just follow my lead.”

As the group approached the hostile jets, the Belkan’s keen eyes made out two planes that immediately struck him with fear. Both were Eagles. One had a red wing, and the other’s wings were blue. He had seen the paint before, a long time ago.

“No, no way,” he said to himself, not realizing he was talking out loud. “They have to be imposters. Pretenders!”

“Neith One, something the matter?” his wingman asked. “What do you want us to do?”

“There’s just no way in hell he could be here. The same one that shot me down all those years ago? No… he’s coming back to haunt me again.”

“One, what’s wrong? Who are you talking about?”

“It’s him. It’s the Demon.”

The range closed between the two groups and both instinctively scattered their formations. A single Flanker in the back kept going forward, not noticing he was going head on with Cipher. The unlucky Spinx received a missile right in the front of his aircraft.

“Number Five’s hit!” one of the other reported. “Neith One, what are your orders? We’re in a fight!”

“I can’t… fly like this!” the Belkan grunted, dodging every which way.

Two more of the Flankers dropped behind two other F-16s. One of them was Dash, who quickly dived to get away. It was not the best dodge, and her pursuer kept up with her easily. She tried to bank hard to the left, which threw him off a bit, but not by much.

“Alright, this one’s mine,” the Flanker’s pilot said.

He failed to keep an eye on his own six, where Cipher appeared again and fired several rounds from his gun into the aircraft, setting it one fire. It flew a bit of a ways more before exploding in the air. The second Falcon was saved by Pixy, who shot down the third SU-27.

“Three of our planes are down!” the Number Two position reported. “One, what’s happening!? What are you doing!?”

“You think you’re as good as him?” the Belkan snarled to himself. “You’re a ghost, a pretender. I’ll expose you for the imposter you are!”

Both of the remaining Flankers targeted Cipher, who quickly drove his F-15 over the cloud layer and began to twist and turn in attempts to lose his pursuers. The leader was closer, followed a short ways off by his wingman. Dash noticed this, and decided to try and take him out.

She pulled her Falcon up and added speed, slowly gaining on the trailing Flanker. She saw Cipher high up in the clouds, doing a quick dive and leading the SU-27s to a lower level. Rainbow calculated this and evened her plane out, letting the target fly right in front of her vision without him even noticing. She pushed the plane as fast as it would go and caught up to the Flanker, which quickly turned red to indicate a lock-on. To her embarrassment, she missed the missile launching button the first time, but a quick look down showed that she was a bit off and the missile final went out, successfully hitting the designated target.

“You’re just playing dress-up in his legacy,” the Belkan snarled, unaware his entire elite squadron was gone because of his actions, or lack thereof. “I will end you, you ghost!”

Unable to get a lock with Cipher’s maneuvers, he got closer and tried to fire on him with his guns. Seeing this, Cipher slowed drastically and began an Immelmann turn, speeding up as he leveled out. As he did, he decided not to stop, pulling back up vertically and climbing up into the clouds again, with the Flanker unable to follow.

The Belkan had just barely finished the Immelmann when he realized that his target was not there. He looked left and right first, but saw nothing. As he realized that the F-15 had pulled up, Cipher dropped down again and got onto his six, getting his own lock and shooting a missile. The Flanker tried to dodge, but the missile kept with it through the left bank and hit its rear, setting it on fire.

“It really was him, it was no ghost,” the pilot of the crippled plane said through the static filled radio. “The Demon has resurrected.”

The Flanker exploded into nothing a few seconds later, signaling the end of the engagement.

“That’s it, the radar’s clear,” Redeye confirmed. “All aircraft are clear to return to base.”

“Dash, are all your planes still up?”

Rainbow quickly counted the number to confirm this.

“Yea, all five,” she said, a little amazed. “That was… nuts.”

“A fight with the elites and we saved all your hides,” Pixy said proudly. “That costs a little more, you know.”

Author's Note

Sorry it took so long. I really wish there was a way I could stop worrying about ratings, but I don't want to sound like I don't care about people either. It's hard trying to find a medium ground.

Anyways, thanks for reading and waiting. Please leave some kind of feedback, the encouragement helps keep things moving.