" This is Dagger 2-1 reporting, no hostiles in the vicinity of the city. Were coming back."
" Roger that Dagger 2-1, you are cleared for landing on Fairpony Airfield. Over." Baseplate responded.
" Copy that, coming in." Dagger 2-1 said.
Rainbow Dash watched out the window as she saw another flight patrol coming back home. As the newest member of her flight team, fresh out of training, she was anxious to get into the air herself. But she knew better than to fly out without permission, especially in Equestria's current situation.
The ponies have been at war with the griffins for over 5 years now. The griffins attacked Equestria because after many years of political instability in the griffins country finally came to an end. But their newest leader felt that the griffins didn't have enough territory to live in and that Equestria had supplied the resources the griffins needed to survive. The dictator said instead of buying from them, why don't we just take it from them and call it ours. Thus the Pony-Griffin War started when they invaded Fillydelphia and Manehatten in two blitzkrieg assaults. They swept across the country conquering everything in their path. They took the major industrial city of Staliongrad the next day and took over Appleloosa the following week. All that remained now under pony control today was Ponyville, Cloudsdale, and of course, the royal city of Canterlot. The ponies knew the situation wasn't looking good for them but kept defending every inch of ground that they owned and fought back valiantly. The ponies were caught completely unaware when the griffins attacked and now were paying the price for it.
In the past, every nation began a huge development in technology in seeing how more efficient it was over manual labor and simple technological assest's. The Equestrians, having some of the worlds greatest scientists, were the first country to develop effective tanks and attack aircraft, such as fighter planes and helicopters. The griffins developed the technology later than the ponies but produced almost the same quality of war material needed to invade the country. Despite being a country smaller than Equestria, the grifffins still have developed almost the same level of tank and aircraft of the same quality. Equestria didn't know about the gfriffins technological advancments until they invaded the country in 2016. Even the dragons and other nations discovered the same technology as both, but decided to remain neutral in this war.
With the Equestrian Air Force stationed in Cloudsdale, the Equestrian Army in Ponyville, and the intelligence agency in Canterlot. The ponies knew if any of those cities falls, especially Canterlot, the nation would have little chance of survival against the griffin onslaught.
Rainbow Dash and her best friends, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity all decided to join the armed service to defend Equestria. But from then on everyone was separated from each other, with AJ, Spike and Pinkie joining the Army, Fluttershy and Rainbow in the Air Force, and Twilight and Rarity in Intelligence, they hardly got to see each other anymore. She didn't know what had happened to them, all she knew was that Fluttershy was a crew member of an AC-130 gunship as a radio operator and such graduated earlier than Rainbow, who trained to be fighter pilot.
When Rainbow finally arrived at the Fairpony Airfield after she graduated she was assigned to Flight Group B, who's flight leader was
a pony callsign named Thunder. She was exited to be in the group because of its reputation, the squadran was known to fly through enemy fighter formation and make out of it alive and to perform amazing combat feats.
As Rainbow continued to stare outside the window she didn't notice that another pony was walking up behind her. When she turned around she saw that it was her wingman, Howling Wind.
" Hey Rainbow Dash." Wind said
" What's up, did you need me?" Rainbow asked.
" The flight leader wants us at our planes by 0900, were going on patrol soon." she answered.
" Really? All right, my first flight on a real combat patrol. This is going to be so awesome!" Rainbow said happily.
" Well, word of advice kid," Wind put in. " Don't go and try to show off up in the sky. I heard about you during training, you always liked to show off of what you learned and sometimes put other ponies at risk."
" I promise I won't show off during the patrol, its my first real mission and I don't want to mess it up." she said
" Okay then, grab your gear, I'll see you on the runway." Wind said before walking out.
" Wait, Wind. Which plane will I'll be flying?" asked Rainbow Dash.
" You'll be flying an F-16, I'll be flying the same plane so I wont leave you all by yourself while were on patrol." she answered. Before she went out, " Any more questions you want to ask me before I leave?"
" Just one more, do you know anything about the captain? I don't even know his name. He never told me when I was Introduced to him. All I know is that his codename is Thunder."
" Good question Rainbow, I don't really know myself, but I'll bet he'll tell you after after a couple of missions with him." Wind said.
" Thanks, that's all I wanted to ask so you can head on out to your plane now, I'll see you on the runway." said Rainbow.
" I'll be seeing you out there Rookie." remarked Wind as she turned to leave the room.
" Hey, don't call me that. I hate it when other ponies call me that." she complained.
" Your going to have to show me that you deserve not to be called that." Wind yelled down the hall.
At that moment after she left Rainbow became all excited about the fact that she was going on her first flight outside of training, but she also felt that little bit of nervousness since it is her first time. She quickly put the thought aside and tried to look on the positive side of what was happening, she was finally going to be able to get into the skies without some nuthead instructor yelling at her over the comms. In fact she thought to herself, I might get lucky today and shoot down a scout plane.
As she thought of what might happen on her first combat flight, she turned towards the table where she placed her flight gear, grabbed it, and started to put it on while she started walking to the runway toward her waiting plane.
As Rainbow Dash made her way toward her plane she began to wonder how her friends were doing elsewhere. She never got to see them and although she occasionally gets a letter from one of them, she continues to worry about them and sometimes imagines them fighting and dieing on the front lines. This thought gave her chills as she continued to think about it while walking to the runway which her plane was parked right along side it.
As she approached she saw the other members of her squadron waiting for her. They all eyed her as she walked up to them.
The first pony she instantly recognized as Howling Wind. She was easily able to be seen from a crowd by her light purple coat and seagreen mane. She had been with Rainbow throughout their training and helped support her through many difficult situations that to Rainbow seemed impossible. To Rainbow she was like the sister she never had and always wanted, full of spunk like her and confidence that nearly rivaled her own. If she could trust anypony to watch her back besides the captain, it would be her.
The other member of her team was another pegasus mare named Morning Star. She and Rainbow never got along and always got into fights. She had a dark orange mane with small white stripes and a bright red coat along with an attitude that Rainbow couldn't stand. She could really trust her with watching her back from not experience, but a sheer gut feeling she had about her.
Last but not least was the captain and leader who kept the squadron from falling apart, Captain Thunder. She didn't know his real name, and no matter how many time she asked him, he just kept saying that he'll tell her later. Not much was known about him except that he was in command of her squadron since the start of the war, and she idolized him for that.
" Well, look who finally showed up. What took you so long?" asked Morning Star with a rude tone.
" That's none of your business Star." Wind said defending her, " It's not her fault that she got lost on finding her way here."
" Uh, actually..." Rainbow began but soon stopped to see that Wind and Star were having a heated argument on why I was a little late to meet them.
" Enough." the captain yelled. His voice boomed through our ears and immediately grabbed our attention. " I don't want anymore arguing until we get into the air. Am I understood?" he ordered.
" Sir, Yes, Sir!" we all said at once.
Before rainbow climbed into my plane I first went around it to make sure it was fully fueled and armed. It was armed with 8 air-to-air missiles, 4 air-to-ground missiles and its standard vulcan machine cannon at the front of the plane. She double checked to make sure everything was secure before climbing into the cockpit. She checked every system and being satisfied that everything was green, she turned on the fighter plane on moved it toward the runway.
First went the captain, then Wind, then Star went, Rainbow was the last to lift and join them in the sky for their combat patrol around the three remaining pony cities. As she moved into formation with the others the captain began to speak out to them.
" All right every pony." he began," Our mission for today is to patrol around the perimeter of each city until we are called back. Here are your assignments. Star, you get it easy today and get to fly around Cloudsdale for now."
Rainbow could see Star jumping in happiness in her seat as she got the easy job for today.
" As usual." chipped in Wind from the comms.
" Wind," he continued. " you and Rainbow get to patrol around Ponyville. I'll be flying around Canterlot."
" Sir, wouldn't that make our air forces in each city weaker if we split up?" Rainbow asked.
" Don't worry about it." Star chimed in. " Our air force we'll be able to get to any location in record time if the griffins ever showed up around here."
" Just remember, everypony." Captain Thunder said. " The fate of Equestria may lay in our hooves so keep your guard up alright? We need to protect every innocent pony in these cities if they ever came."
" Yes Sir!" we all answered.
" Alright. Yankee Team, break formation!"
As Rainbow and Wind left the formation and flew towards Ponyville for their assignment. Rainbow asked her." So, do you think that the Griffins are going to try and attack us today or what?"
"Beats me Rookie, I can't predict these things that may happen."
"Hey!" Rainbow retorted. " I thought I told you to stop calling me that name, who knows what kind of teasing I'll get from Morning Star is she heard that.
" And I told you before, you have to earn that kind of respect from me." she called back.
Rainbow couldn't believe this. If she didn't get some action soon she would forever be called a 'Rookie' by Howling Wind for the rest of her time flying. All she wanted right now was to shoot down at least a scout plane to get Wind to stop calling her that name.
As the two fighter pony pilots continued their patrols around Ponyville, A ping came up on their radar but they decided that it was nothing. More time passed by and the same ping kept coming up on the radar. Rainbow was getting a little annoyed by the constant beeping and finally said.
" I'm going to check out what that contact on the radar is okay? She asked Wind.
" You better hurry than, I don't want the Captain to return and see his newest recruit not listening to him."
" Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it." Rainbow said.
As she angled her plane toward the pinging contact in the distance she began to notice to the ping from the cockpit. It appeared as a small black speck in the distance among the clouds. When she flew closer though she saw that more specks started to appear along with it. First two, then five, then twenty specks seemed to have been born from the cloud as they all started to converge on her plane.
Rainbow now realized the situation she was in.
" Contact,Contact! Enemy planes appearing and flying en route to Ponyville. The Griffins are attacking!"
