In the summer of 1943,
a fierce battle raged in the skies over Europe.
Every day, hundreds of young airmares faced death
as they flew daylight bombing raids deep into enemy territory.
The Magic of friendship had faltered,
giving way to bigotry and Unicorn racial superiority.
No element of Harmony could change the fact
that fewer and fewer were coming back.
"Now let us see vat vee haf here,"
The mare with light blue coat and snow white mane, adjusts her rose tented sun shades as her young drake assistant hands to her a manila folder. She opens it as she beholds several young mares and colts playing hoof-ball on the grassy knoll.
The native born Austrian may have raised some red flags with Celestia's Army high command, with her questionable accent, but the fact she was an Earth pony and a former celebrity, not only alleviated any concerns regarding where her loyalties lie but also placed her in the ideal position of being the Public Relations attache for the E.S.A. Army in Great Bridlemane.
After all, propaganda was not merely a tool of the enemy.
'Aunt Celest' as she is comically referred to in political propaganda campaigns, in order to instill a sense of endearment and loyalty to the sun goddess, has to bolster support both financial and emotional for the war effort, a war they were essentially losing. The losses had discouraged the ponies of The United Stables of Equestria, as well as their allies. A symbol of hope was needed to stoke the fires of determination that were once kindled during the massacre in the Haywaiian Islands, committed by the Empire of Neighpan on the morning of December 7, 1941.
Colonel Photo Finish's job was to find that symbol of hope that the Elements of Harmony could no longer provide.
She ignores all other ponies around her as she singles out in tunnel vision the 6 enlisted mares and stallions engaged in a rowdy game of popular Equestrian pastime. She ignores the olive drab of her uniform, long sense resigned to the muted colors and sense of conformity the Army seeks to instill on officer and enlisted mare alike.
She flips open the folder to the first profile within and takes note of each crew mare and stallion as she goes through them, sizing them up for both desirable traits and those she would rather avoid or down play for the public's consideration.
"Snails Crawlmore.. vhat kind uf name is zhat?" she scoffs as she begins her evaluation of the potential candidates for her next big PR campaign. "Not zhe brightest pony in zhe herd." she sighs "Worked in zhe family diner before signing up, writes home every week.. ha at least ve know he can write, ja?" she chuckles as her assistant just nods.
"Now who is zhis goon?" she asks herself in dismay as she looks at the next dossier and the pony in question "Barbra Seed Orange, AKA; Babs, only Pony in zhe crew not from Ponyville, hails from Manehatten, raised by ein wealthy family, graduate uf several reform schools.." she pauses and sighs while massaging her temple "We'll jus keep her in zhe back ground." she reasons as her assistant just nods again.
"Pippin Mc Squeak." she sighs again "He really should had picked a better name vhen he got is mark." she continues "Alzo known as 'Pipsqueak'.. how cute.." she comments with an unknown level of sarcasm in her tone "I suppose ve could feature him as zhe token 'Moma's Colt' und zhe name many mares might find quite endearing. Especially zhose vith colts of zheir own, overseas. Says here he is high strung and ein devout Lunarian.. zhere's always a religious one. Age 19, Born in Trotting Ham, New Eqineland, moved to Ponyville, at age 9." closes the file.
"I sense zhe harmony is strong in zhis von." she comments with a smile.
"Scoota Loo.. I vould venture to zay her parents ver nein too kind to her, accept for zhe fact she hasn't any." sighs "Age 19, Orphaned since age 8, Resident of Ponyville, impetuous, outgoing, has a reputation of a ladies' mare, or so she claims."
"Blossom May Apple, Alzo known as "Applebloom" or AB for short. Farmers Daughter, born und raised in Ponyville Texas. Lost her father und mother vhen she was just ein foal. Raised by her sister und brother. Oh Zhis is interesting. When her brother und sister lost zheir farm in zhe 'dust bowl' she started playing piano in ein changeling 'cathouse'.. zhe papers vill luf zhat!" she scoffs heavily, her tongue dripping with sarcasm. "Expert marks-mare, tail gunner, claims 47 kills, zhouh only 40 are confirmed."
"Und finally ve haf Feather Veight.. Zhis colt couldn't be more skin und bones if he tried. Radio Operator.. former editor of his school paper, volunteered the day after he graduated from college. Alvays carries ein camera vith him.." chuckles "My kind uf stallion."
"Yes I believe I haf plenty to vork vith here.. come Mr. Spike.." she gives the young male dragon assigned to her, a small smirk
"let's make some magics!"
Feather Weight ducked and weaved through his crew mates with speed Rainbow Dash would sit up and take notice of. His small frame allowed him to dodge the other players attacks and score a touch down, affording him a triumphant standing pose, with wings and arms outspread, after throwing down the ball as hard as his scraggly arm could, into the dirt.
At that very moment the first of many B-17 Flying Fortresses roared over his head. It was followed by another, and another in rapid succession, prompting all the ground crews and other off duty aircrews to come running to watch them land and count their comrades safely returning home.
Author's Note
Snails
Virgil "The Virgin" Hoogesteger: Top Turret.
Babs
Jack Bocci: Left Waist Gunner.
Pipsqueak
Eugene Mc Vay: Right Waist Gunner.
Scootalloo
Richard "Rascal" Moore: Ball Turret.
Apple bloom
Clay Busby: Tail Gunner.
Featherweight
Danny Daily: Radio Operator.
Officers-
Silver Spoon
Captain Dennis Dearborn: Pilot
Diamond Tiara
Lieutenant Luke Sinclair: copilot
Sweetie Belle
"Val" Valentine: Bombardier.
Peppermint Twist
Lieutenant Phil Lowenthal: Navigator.
Princess Twilight Sparkle
Colonel Harriman: Base commander.
Photo Finish
Colonel Bruce Derringer: Army P.R.
Army-485: "Rarity Belle"
Watching The Ships Come In
Equineland
May 16th, 1943
Inside the watch tower command Colonel and Princess Twilight Sparkle receives a disheartening phone call directly from Celestia's own Secretary of Defense and commander and chief of Equestria's armed forces "At this point 15.. now 16.." The base commander addresses her highest commanding officer "I'm sorry Princess Luna.. I can't promise you a full 24 planes tomorrow. They are still coming in, though. With a little luck we… yes.. I realize the importance… of course.. you will have as many as we can spare." The alicorn feathers her purple wings in exasperation. Ever since the war began Luna has become ever harder to speak to.
The second oldest Princess has been bound and determined not to let her sister and her nation and people down. She has thrown her self into the war effort every bit as much or more as she does her duties as princess of the night and dreams. But the war she never saw coming, has turned into an ever waking nightmare for the princess who is still adjusting and trying to catch up to the modern world.
"May I ask what is so pressing a target… Where?" Colonel Twilight feels her blood run cold. "I thought we hit that target a month ago, your highness." she speaks in a low tone "Yes I know we have to keep the pressure on but I lost almost a quarter of my squadron..." Twilight holds the receiver in her hand away from her head as Luna blasts back with her Traditional Royal Canterlot Voice that was never meant to be amplified and transmitted via telephone lines.
"Yes mam.. I understand Princess.. I was just.. hopping to give the crews a breather." she scratches behind the back of her neck under her olive drab cap and sighs. "You see we're having a little dance tonight in honor of the…" Twilight swallows hard as Luna gives her an earful, with less volume this time "Yes mam.. I'll have my ground crews work through the night.. oh a full moon tonight? That's excellent to hear, our Bridleish friends will be most pleased to hear that." she forces a smile, knowing their gracious hosts do their bombing at night. "Anything else?" she waits as there is a long pause over the phone "Yes.. Private Mc Squeak is still among us.." she almost breathes a sigh of relief, hearing Luna speak of personal concerns, letting the youngest alicorn princess know that her mentor's sister and her dear friend was still equine (human) after all.
"No he has received no special treatment, and his captain treats him no differently from the rest of the crew on her ship. I thought it best to place all the foals from Ponyville in one crew. I assumed though their past is not exactly all sunshine and smiles, that they would work best together since they all knew each other. With the exception of Private Seed of course… yes.. I still believe in the magic of friendship. I know it sounds frightfully naive and cliche, I just wish I could make copies of my letters to the princess and forward them to the enemy, instead I send them bombs. It's a strange new world we live in, but I take it you know all too well how that feels." Twilight forgets her self in the casual conversation and suddenly there is another long silence and she hears a sigh
"Yes Princess.. I will give Pip and his crew your best. And please give Cel…" she hears the line go dead abruptly.
"My best." she sighs and stares at a picture of Princess Celestia her self in full royal dress and jewelry, smiling. She recalls the beginning of the war when Luna was placed in charge of all of Celestia's armed forces. Obviously Celestia and Luna were still not on good speaking terms since the beginning of the war. Celestia disagreed with several of her sister's war time policies, though she did not overrule her sister's decisions. Twilight knew the truth, that Celestia and Luna argued behind the scenes constantly.
Reminded of A particularly controversial tactic, Colonel Sparkle recalls the mare's Aloe and Lotus Blossom being held for questioning and then put in internment camps with other ponies of Neipanese descent. Twilight felt a little sick recalling her duty as an officer in Ponyville to coordinate their detainment.
She recalls the years before the war, when she first came to Ponyville and met her 5 friends. She fondly looks back on all her letters to the princess. Her letters of late were quite different from her essays on friendship she used to send religiously. Now when she was done writing to all the families who had foals who were lost in combat, she had not the physical or emotional strength to write to her own parents, let alone her beloved teacher.
"I'm sorry I haven't wrote to you, the one pony I wish I could talk to more then any other. More then my own father and mother.. more then my own brother in the Pacific theatre." Twilight recalls the day her brother reenlisted, now a Captain of his own Aircraft Carrier, The ESS 'Lauren Faust' leaving Cadence to rule the Crystal Empire herself.
The sound of another B-17 and then another roaring over the tower on their way to the landing, woke her from her thoughts and brought her back to her dark reality.
"Colonel.." Spike salutes the violet coated princess, in the clashing flat green uniform "18 planes, 3 are still out." he informs "Thank you Spike.. you can relax." she nods and picks up her binoculars with her telekinesis as she walks out onto the catwalk to join the other officers in counting the returning planes, folding her wings tightly at her back, so as not to catch the wind and be blown off.
Colonel Twilight levitates her binoculars in front of her, barely taking note of the blue coated white maned mare in the large rose colored shades.
"So zhats zhe crew of the "Rarity Belle", ja?" Colonel Sparkle doesn't even bother lowering her specs and tries not to let the name conjure up memories of her best friend begging on her knees for Twilight to watch over her little sister, or her having to lie and say that she will do her best to set the hysterically melodramatic mare at ease.
"Those are the enlisted crew."
Twilight replies blankly, having no wish to converse with the flamboyant older mare "You'll be meeting me the officers this afternoon."
"Zhose little ponies must be zhe luckiest ponies on zhe face of zhe earth." "They're just ordinary ponies, colonel." Twilight replies, her disdain growing.
"Ha.." the Earth mare scoffs "first zhey sign on for all zhis und zhen fly 24 missions vith out even ein scratch? Doesn't seem very ordinary to me. "2 more mam!" Spike calls out to his commander and mother figure. Twilight offers no reply and only offers a brief icy glare at the pompous show mare before walking off, trying to distance her self from the P.R. rep she had been saddled with.
Photo Finish casually strolls over to the alicorn colonel as she tries to spot the last plane, desperately hopping all her little ponies would make it back. She wanted to make time to write her own family and her teacher tonight.
"Jou know, every pony back home is getting discouraged by our losses." Photo reminds "Zay need a symbol of hope, und jour elements uf harmony just doesn't fit zhe bill."
Twilight lowers her specs and raises an eyebrow in rebuke as the mare continues "Zhe age of magic is ofer. Earth pony ingenuity und resourcefulness holds zhe key to zhe future, Colonel Sparkle. Even our enemies, zhough zhey seek to return to zhe times of unicorn domination, even zhey haf to admit zat magic alone vill not vin zhem zhis var."
"Both magic and technology have their place and their uses, Colonel Finish." she narrows her eyes "They are very different elements but both equally powerful, with the ability to accomplish great.. and terrible things." she sighs looking back to a rather spirited discussion with Secretary of Defense Luna, concerning something called 'The Manehatten Project' a scientific undertaking so Top Secret that the young princess dare not ponder it too deeply in public, just incase some unicorn spy could read her mind.
It's not something she likes to think about at any rate.
She tries not to think about Rainbow Dash offering several expletives when she was told that she could no longer serve the air force as a fighter pilot. Instead Twilight had to hand down orders to her friend to report to the train station where she would be relocated to an undisclosed location, deep in the barrens of the Neighvada Desert. A Top Secret research facility run by the Army Air Corps. Their she would work with Equestria's best scientists to harness the power of her 'Sonic Rainboom' into a weapon of mass destruction.
"Not every of the world's problems can be washed away in a magic rainbow wave." Twilight continues feeling her temper flare up, ignoring the irony in her statement, given Rianbow Dash's contribution. "The Elements of Harmony are capable of purifying the corrupted and sealing away ancient evils, but they are not a weapon and can not change a pony's heart, let alone an entire nation who have had their views warped and accepted everything some pompus airhead has told them, spouting garbage and revealing half truths to twist them to his desires, but I am sure you know all about that." Twilight cracks a wry smirk.
"Hmph" The offended mare throws up her nose slightly "Jus jou vatch! vhen I am done vith zhem, zhe nation vill fall in luf vith zhose fillies und colts. Zhe first crew in zhe 8th Air Force to finish ein full tour of duty. I vill show jou zhe true magics, Colonel Sparkle.. zhe power of zhe written vord und zhe right photograph can be more influential zhen any spell or hex jou can conjure."
"You speak as if I'm the enemy." Twilight comments and returns to her binoculars, keeping them steady in her purple aura of magic.
"Nein nein.." Photo replies with a wave of her hand dismissively "Not at all Colonel. I'm jus trying to make jou see how important zhose fillies und colts are to zhe var effort vhen zhey complete zheir last mission, alive uf course. Jour going to see to it zhat zay do.. ja?" she more expresses an ultimatum then asks a question.
Twilight pauses and stares for a fraction of a second, before lifting her binoculars to her eyes again, offering the belligerent mare no answer in reply, but tempted to tell her just where she'll be sending them on their final mission, just to prove she has no intention of showing favoritism and to shut the mare up once and for all.
But for the sake of confidentiality she swallows her pride and returns to her 'war bird' watching. It's not something she seeks to brag about, having to send many young stallions and mares to their possible deaths, including the crew of the 'Rarity Belle'.
"One more.. just one more." Feather Weight takes the cigarette from his lips and announces to his fellow crew with hope in his voice. "It'd be great if every pony made it back this time, what with the dance and all tonight."
"Ah give um 4 to 1." Applebloom replies blankly as she lights up with a shiny chrome Bic, with a zapapple painted on the front, the only apple that grew on the farm during the depression. "Anypony interested?"
"Yeah I'll take dhat action cuz." Babs Seed speaks up "yeah?" AB raises an eyebrow "Show me yur bit$, Babs."
"Yo Snails.. Lone me some money."
"Or what.. you'll break me an offer I can't refute?" Snails smirks and chuckles.
"Dhats MAKE youse an offer youse can't REFUSE.." Babs vehemently corrects Snails "and yeah maybe I'll BREAK yuh face, yah bucking Giraffe!"
"THERE SHE IS!" Pipsqueak proclaims with jubilance as he points toward a lone bomber flying in on the horizon. There is a short lived celebration, and reserved clapping as the colts and mares begin walking away, talking casually about the band and refreshments for the big dance tonight.
Sudenly they all turn on their hooves, hearing an engine sputtering and back firing, noticing something is wrong, almost immediately. The bomber coming in has only one wheel down on the forward landing gear. The engine in question is feathering it's prop, meaning that it is providing no power to the screw, only the wind is fanning the blades as smoke trails from the damaged engine.
The fire intensifies, orange flames licking the underside of the engine cowl and wing as she slowly makes her final approach.
Colonel Sparkle watches in horror through her binoculars as the last bomber comes in. The ground crews and off duty air crews watch in awed silence as she touches down her one wheel on the right wing, letting the left wing dip into the runway. The wing and props scrape the pavement, tearing open the fuel tanks as she slides along the ground and makes an abrupt turn to the left due to the imbalance. The right landing strut fails under the weight and jarring of the crash landing. The ship comes sliding to a halt now on it's belly in the grass, just off the runway.
Sudenly the engines explode, causing the fire to rip throughout the belly of the plane, as every pony watching flinches as if the shock wave itself hit them, a massive ball of fire erupting into the afternoon sky as the fuselage disintegrates yielding a billowing cloud of black smoke and petrol fumes.
Twilight lowers her binoculars, a look of pure shock in her eyes as she watches the fire crews and Ambulance's race to the scene. The Pegasi fire brigade gathering clouds over the smoldering wreck and bucking them with all their furry to make them give up the moisture within, in a desperate, valiant and ultimately feudal attempt to save the crew's lives.
One by one each mare and stallion solemnly turned and walked away, trying to put the ghastly and foreboding image of the plane exploding out of their minds. Not a single word was spoken among the crews, Pipsqueak alone stood behind and drew a circle and crescent moon over his chest with an index finger, and kissed his Lunar medallion in silent prayer for the mares and stallions who no doubtedly had perished.
Twilight Sparkle sighed.
It would be another long night, writing to other ponys' families.
