The Long Haul

Two weeks at sea, and Nimbus could already see why his dad had told him to never join the Navy. Surprisingly, he’d been absolutely fine when it came to dealing with the constant rocking and occasional wave buffet; seasickness didn’t seem to bother him, but that wasn’t his issue. The real problem was the monotony of the whole situation. Each day played out just like the one before- a breakfast, lunch, dinner routine that was seldom interrupted, and to top it off, he hadn’t flown since leaving land. Color Splash was sometimes around to break things up with some interesting conversation, and for this Nimbus was grateful. Otherwise he felt he would’ve hurled himself off the deck days ago. At least it would’ve been a change of pace.

And here he sat, once again chowing down on the same old bland lunch while his new friend sat nearby, going through the same motions they went through everyday. Nimbus twirled his spoon around on the table a bit, making a loud rasping noise that Color Splash took note of.

“Bored much?” the stallion asked, to which Nimbus simply replied with a blank stare.

“Yeah…” Color Splash went on, “can’t say I blame you. It’s been way too calm out here. No storms or anything interesting like that to liven things up.”

“You guys actually want to go through storms?” Nimbus said, straightening up at the mention of the first interesting thing he’d heard all day.

“Well, yeah,” said Color, “our ships can take it, and it really makes for one hay of a ride.”

Nimbus shrugged, “I guess I could see that. Know what I’d kill for right now though?”

Color Splash smirked, “two mares, a beer, and a couple of hayburgers?”

Nimbus laughed, “other than those, I mean. What I really want is to just get off the ground. This is the longest I’ve gone without flying in months!”

Finishing up his bowl of oatmeal, Color Splash nodded, “I suppose I should’ve guessed that. You miss it, don’t you?”

Nimbus’s nod was all he needed. “Well, the whole ‘Aviators on boats’ concept is a new one, and from what I understand, our captain’s a bit reluctant to deploy you guys yet. Don’t worry though- I bet you’ll be going on patrol before long. After all, we’re almost within Griffon territory.”

“Almost?” Nimbus choked, “have we sailed around the world or something? Good grief, this is taking forever!”

Color Splash opened his mouth for a witty retort, but was cut off by the arrival of Starburst. The major nodded to the Navy pony and addressed Nimbus.

“Lieutenant, we’re wanted up top to meet with the captain.”

Nimbus cocked an eyebrow; the captain hadn’t requested their presence before. Something was clearly up.

“Did he say why, sir?”

Starburst shook his head, “he didn’t, but I’m expecting you to look your best. Go change into your dress blues and meet Storm and me in front of the captain’s quarters in fifteen minutes.”

“Roger,” Nimbus nodded, gulping down the rest of his lunch as soon as Starburst had his back turned.

“The captain wants to see you?” Color Splash mused as he and Nimbus piled up their trays, “wonder why. Listen- word of advice: Captain Ocean Echo’s kind of a hardflank, but he’s reasonable. Rumor has it he’s not so fond of you Aviators sharing our ship, so… just try to keep to the point, and whatever you do- don’t argue!”

Nimbus gulped. Not exactly the pep talk he’d been hoping for, to be sure. He hadn’t met the captain himself yet; truth be told thus far he’d gone out of his way to avoid him. Now, however, it looked like this meeting was going to be unavoidable.

“Okay,” he said uncertainly, “I’ll do my best.”

“You’ll be fine,” Color Splash added, patting his friend on the back, “meet me on the deck when you’re done. I’m kinda curious what he has to say to you guys.”

Nimbus nodded, turning towards his quarters.

“Unless it’s classified, of course,” Color added, “you know- what’s secret remains secret and all that.”

Holding up his hoof in a wave to Color Splash, Nimbus trotted away, mind racing. How bad could this meeting be, anyway? After all, Starburst would be doing the talking. No, he decided, this time he could just sit back and let somepony else take all the incoming fire.

Now if only he could remember exactly where the captain’s quarters were…

…

Machonen. In the language of the ponies, the name translated to “mighty heights.” Melodramatic, perhaps, but confidence-inspiring nonetheless. It was the name of the great capitol of the Griffon Kingdom; a city almost as old as the Griffons themselves. Built atop a massive plateau, the city was originally intended to be a central fortress, through which Griffon military activities could be routed and coordinated. As the Griffon forces grew in strength and their civilization expanded, the fortress grew, housing civilians and military alike, until it became the city the Griffons knew today. With towering architecture and large, stone battlements, the place was certainly distinctive, and it was this sight that King Sturm found himself staring out over as the sun fell lower and lower in the sky. Somewhere, miles away, his Griffons were out there, protecting their ways of life, and here he was- rotting away in this comfortable palace. As an old soldier, the thought of leaving his troops far away was never easy for him, but he knew he would’ve been a fool to suppress his gift for politics. He served his time on the battlefield, then ascended to the throne through popular demand, leading the Griffons to several great victories. Only one defeat remained on his record; his retreat from the land of Equestria. The Great Griffon War had been a harsh but valuable lesson for him; now he knew that the Griffons’ old rivals across the sea were not to be underestimated.

Now the ponies were headed right to his continent, no doubt suspicious that his troops had attacked them. The emotionally-charged conversation he’d had with the Princesses a few weeks ago probably hadn’t helped much, but the last few months had been tiring. Machonen hadn’t seen any fighting, and this was for the better, but several coastal cities had already fallen to the resistance. The old ways were breaking down; and behind the dam they created was a flood of change, just waiting to wash over anyone foolish enough to stand in the way. Ideals were harmful, and Sturm knew that any sort of new government could be a potential disaster. One wrong move, and everything his ancestors stood for could be erased in the blink of an eye. Weary, he leaned against the railing of his observation balcony. He was tired of the responsibility; if anyone had given him the chance to relive his old soldier days, he would have jumped on the chance in a heartbeat. But this was the real world, and no such opportunities presented themselves. Instead, he was stuck fighting a war against his own kind, sitting in the back while others fought for him. It was pitiful.

The sound of someone entering his room caught his attention, and Sturm turned around to come face to face with his advisor, Spaenne. The light grey Griffon gave a short bow.

“Your majesty, how are you this afternoon?”

Sturm held up a claw. “Please, Spaenne, spare me the formalities. Why are you here?”

Spaenne took his place by Sturm’s side at the balcony, gazing out over the vast city. “What a kingdom we’ve created, eh? Our reputation alone these days is practically unprecedented. Just that one small blemish…”

“I see,” Sturm crossed his forelegs and went back to leaning on the railing, “you’ve come here to humiliate me? To remind me of our defeat?”

“No, I’ve come here to advise against your decision to allow the ponies onto this continent.”

Sturm narrowed his eyes. “Explain.”

Clearing his throat, Spaenne continued. “There have been whispers, or so our Foreign Minister has told me, that the ponies plan to immediately ally with the resistance and wipe us off the map for good. I’ve already talked to the generals about this-”

“Wait-” Sturm narrowed his eyes, “you went to the generals first?”

“I had to; you’re preoccupied with winning this civil war, so I just thought-”

“You went over my head, Spaenne. I won’t forget this. Unfortunately necessity dictates that I let you continue, so out with it!”

Somewhat shaken, Spaenne lowered his head “We’ve all agreed that the best action will be to deny the ponies entrance to our country- forcibly if need be.”

“And you propose…?”

“We attack if they enter our coastal areas. We cripple them before they make landfall and start doing damage.”

Sturm shook his head, pacing. “Spaenne, Spaenne… what is wrong with you? Have you lost your mind?! As much as I hate to admit it, we are not in a position to defend against two enemies!”

“We’re Griffons, sir. We’ve never backed down from a challenge before, no matter how impossible!” Spaenne paused for a moment, gritting his teeth for what he was about to say. “Or have you lost your nerve, your Highness?”

Sturm narrowed his eyes, speaking in a menacingly low tone. “Get out of here, Spaenne. If you value your life, you will leave me this instant.”

“I’m not worried about my life right now,” Spaenne smirked, “but you should be.”

The door opened, and Sturm had to double take at the Griffon who entered. He could have sworn it was Spaenne, but that would be impossible. Yet the two looked exactly alike.

“What?” he whispered, “what is this, some kind of trick?”

“The end of your reign,” the “original” Spaenne said, green light crackling up and down his body as changed shape, turning into a figure Sturm knew all too well- himself. Sturm didn’t even have time to react before he felt a prick and cool slide of metal entering his chest. The lookalike had stabbed him, right here in his own quarters. Sturm couldn’t even speak- after all these years, this was how he was destined to die. As the light faded from his eyes, his expression was perplexed, seemingly asking his attacker “why?” It was a question he’d never hear the answer to. As the former leader’s body slumped to the floor, his doppelganger turned to the other Spaenne.

“Right, I believe I’ve suddenly had a change of heart. Mobilize the Griffons’ forces. We’ll begin this today, for the glory of our Queen.”

“Spaenne” nodded, eyes gleaming green, “as you command.”

Sturm grinned, resuming the old leader’s position on the railing outside as if nothing had happened. The mighty city of Machonen had never been breached until this day. Now it was under a new leader’s control… and the citizens below had no idea.

…

“Sir? Captain Ocean Echo will see you now.”

Thank Celestia, Nimbus thought, letting out a long sigh. He, Storm Runner, and Starburst had been waiting outside the Captain’s quarters for the past ten minutes, standing stiffly and awkwardly by without a word to one another. Nopony was really sure what the Captain wanted with them, and the rumors that he didn’t want them on the ship in the first place weren’t helping.

With a gulp, Starburst nodded to the two other officers, and Nimbus followed him in. It was rather humbling to see his commanding officer scared stiff, but he guiltily admitted to himself that he was glad Starburst was there in the first place. It was nice to have somepony else catching the flak they were inevitably going to receive.

Captain Echo stood with his back turned to the approaching ponies, staring out the window at the sea below. The old pony cut a crisp figure in his naval uniform, and an intimidating one. Slowly, he turned and addressed the Aviators with a voice that Nimbus couldn’t help but compare to the rumble of distant thunder.

“Take a seat, Aviators.”

Not one to refuse, Nimbus gladly obliged with the rest of his squad, trying his best to formally collapse into his seat. It was for the better; his legs were shaking like reeds in the wind. Echo pulled down a projector screen on the opposite wall, rolling some grainy black and white footage.

“This is footage from one of our cannons’ cameras,” he explained, taking a pointer and highlighting two rapidly growing dots. “And these-” he froze the footage, “are Griffons.”

Nimbus squinted. It was hard to make out the shape fully, but the Captain was right. The wings were far too large to belong to Pegasi, and he could just make out the creatures’ tails. Echo snapped the screen up and took a seat behind his desk.

“That footage was taken last night at 2347 hours, and it confirms that we are, indeed, entering Griffon territory. As much as I may pretend otherwise, we are on the cusp of a new era of warfare. I know you’ve heard the rumors that I barely tolerate your presence aboard this vessel. Some of them are at least partially true. Frankly, I don’t know what to think about you Aviators yet; I haven’t seen you in action, but the fact that aerial Griffon units are already making their presence known has me on edge. Whether I like it or not, we need an aerial presence above the fleet to prevent further harassment.” He turned to Starburst. “Major, how quickly can you deploy?”

“Five minutes from suit-up to hooves off the ground,” Starburst replied, “possibly faster if we’re on alert.”

Echo nodded. “Right. I want you Aviators on the deck this evening; you’re going up on patrol.”

“Yes sir,” Starburst said.

Echo frowned as he pushed himself away from the desk. “This is an evaluation, Aviators. You’re under the microscope even more so from here on out. Prove to me that you’re on this ship for a reason. Oh and here-” he passed a clipboard to Starburst, “ship frequencies. I’ll want you in contact as often as possible.”

The old stallion checked his wall clock. “I want you Aviators on the deck in five hours. You’ll have time to work out a patrol route between now and then. In the meantime, I’ll be briefing the rest of the squadrons.” Echo sighed and rubbed his mane, “for me, it’s going to be a long day. Dismissed.”

The Aviators stood up, exchanging a few brief glances, and saluted. Then all three departed out the cabin door. Outside, Nimbus went limp, releasing the pent-up tension in his muscles and breathing a sigh of relief.

“Well, that could’ve gone worse,” Storm Runner admitted. Nimbus smiled in response, but Storm Runner shot him a quick glare and his smile dropped.

“Five hours, Aviators,” Starburst said, heading for the stairs leading lower into the ship, “I’ll get a route prepared. I trust you two can handle a patrol together?”

“Yes sir,” Nimbus said evenly, casting a withering glance at Storm Runner.

At least I hope so, he thought to himself.

…

Mom, Dad, and Whirly,

How has everything been back home? We’re only a few weeks into our voyage and I’m already itching to get back into the air. The ship’s captain says we’re going up later, so hopefully I’ll get the chance to stretch my wings out in a little while. Celestia knows I need it. Also, I’d like to assure you that I’m fine- sea travel isn’t so bad at all, though it’s still rather slow. At least I get fed every day, right? Anyway, hopefully this is all over soon and I can come back to you guys. I expect I’ll be home by Hearth’s Warming Eve at the latest, so I’m looking forward to seeing everypony again when that time comes. Whirly- I know school’s starting for you. Work hard and stay focused, and keep being awesome! Stay strong for me, little buddy. We’ll dogfight again soon.

Love,

Nimbus

Nimbus looked up from the letter he’d written and went over his flightsuit for the third time, making sure its surface was free of scrapes, tears, or other imperfections. While such things seemed minor on the ground, they could be a huge hazard in the air at over mach 1. While he didn’t expect the patrol to go supersonic, one could never be too careful- especially after the encounter Windigo had experienced with the Griffons not long ago. Besides, the whole “under the microscope” talk still had him tense. Impressing the old captain wouldn’t be easy. Nimbus checked the nearby clock.

Thirty minutes to launch, he noted.

“Hey there!”

Nimbus turned around to see Color Splash in the doorway, and he grinned.

“Hey Splash, what’s new?” He noted the bags of gear draped over his friend’s back, “and what’s with all that stuff?”

Color Splash smiled sheepishly, “yeah, that’s, er, all my gear. I’m being transferred to the Radiance as a madar technician. With all you Aviators going up, the sky’s going to get crowded pretty soon. I’ll be the poor, unappreciated scrub responsible for thanklessly saving your sorry flank.”

Nimbus chuckled, but had to blink a bit to hide the lump in his throat. Color Splash, in the short time he’d known him, had been a great friend, and almost a sort of distraction, keeping his mind off of Colonel Cloudsplitter’s recent demise. Without a true friend on board, it’d be harder to cope. Still, Color was advancing, and in the military, doing so was no small feat.

“Congrats,” he said, swallowing and shaking his friend’s hoof, “transferring over tonight then?”

“Yeah,” Color Splash nodded, “right after you guys launch tonight, actually…” he let his words trail off, “look, Nimbus, it’s been fun. Keep in touch after we make landfall; this whole event will probably blow over soon anyway.”

“Of course,” Nimbus said, “odds are you’ll be on my comms most of the time anyway. They promoting you for this?”

“Yep,” Color Splash took a seat on a nearby bunk, “up to Lieutenant. From there, they say it won’t be far to Lieutenant Commander.”

Nimbus laid his head back on the wall, “well the pay raise certainly can’t hurt.”

“Yeah…” sensing Nimbus’s discomfort, Color Splash leaned forward.

“Hey- listen, Nimbus- you’re gonna be fine up there. I’m glad to be able to call you a friend, but you can’t leave yourself in isolation within your squad. Storm Runner will come to his senses eventually, it’s just going to take time. Don’t fly alone up there, that’s all I ask; don’t let what happened with the Griffons hurt you. You have friends down here and up in the sky. Remember that.”

“You bet,” Nimbus said. While Color Splash certainly wasn’t Storm Runner, he’d been good to him- especially when it came to getting used to living out at sea. Color Splash smiled.

“See you on the flight deck, buddy.”

“Later.”

…

Nimbus, Storm Runner, and Starburst gathered, a few hours later, on the ship’s deck, at the edge of what looked almost like a runway. In fact, despite a few subtle differences, Nimbus was almost positive that the thing he was looking at actually was a runway, but it had two slots running the length of it, each of which a metal pad seemed anchored into on their end. One of the naval ponies approached from the ship’s bridge, almost skipping as he tried to contain his excitement.

“Do you like it?” he said, grinning. “I’ve been tweaking this for most of the voyage.”

Starburst cocked an eyebrow. “What is it, exactly?”

“Well…” the pony made his way over to a control panel nearby, adjusting a small slider. Immediately, steam began to rise from the slots in the runway, and Nimbus stepped back a bit. The pony began to count down.

“Three, two, one-”

The pad on the left suddenly rocketed forward with a loud “hiss,” and Nimbus jumped, surprised. When it reached the end of the slotted path, the pad halted, then slowly crept back towards the Aviators.

“It’s a catapult launch system,” the pony explained, “basically, you brace yourselves on the pads and accelerate past takeoff speed in the space of this deck. Seems unnecessary, I know, but in addition to being completely awesome, it allows you to reach combat speeds by the time you’re off the deck- perfect for rapid deployment. You’re actually…”

Storm Runner was already securing his hoofhold on the pad with a devilish gleam in his eyes and a strange smile playing about his face. Nimbus grinned in spite of himself- finally Storm Runner was embracing his fun side again.

“You’re actually the first ponies to try this out. I’ve already explained to your squadron commander proper radio phraseology for this new system. Mount up and follow his lead, and may the Sisters guide you.”

Starburst looked to Storm Runner, eagerly awaiting launch, then back to Nimbus.

“I don’t think he’s getting off that pad anytime soon,” he said with a smirk. Nimbus shrugged.

“Hey, if it’s what makes him happy, sir, I’m fine with it.”

“Launch immediately after us; we’ll hold above the ship until you arrive. Do as I do as far as radio chatter goes.”

Nimbus nodded. “Understood.”

Starburst turned away, placing his rear hooves on the upsloping section at the back of the catapult pad and using his front hooves to brace himself. At the same time, he and Storm Runner extended their wings, flaring them for takeoff. Nimbus slipped on his helmet, opening up his radio channel just in time for the ship’s weather broadcast.

“...altimeter two niner niner seven. Sky conditions- clear. Remarks- none. This is weather information Sierra. Weather information Sierra for RSS Peregrine, time twenty-hundred. Wind one two at zero four eight, altimeter…”

Nimbus switched over to the squad channel after updating his information just in time to catch Starburst beginning his pre-takeoff clearances.

“Windigo One ready for deck launch.”

“Windigo Three ready for deck launch,” Storm Runner echoed.

“Windigo, this is Peregrine deck control- cleared for launch. Three, two, one- launch!”

On “launch,” both ponies rocketed forward, staggered slightly with Starburst leading. They cleared the deck quickly, with Storm Runner fluttering momentarily, then gaining stability as he fell in behind his flight lead.

“Woohoo!” Storm Runner whooped, performing a roll for good measure as he climbed into the evening sky. Nimbus watched them climb and turn in awe, almost forgetting that it was his turn next.

“Windigo Two, cleared to approach the pad.”

Nimbus was jolted out of his sense of awe and stepped forward, looking down in what he had to admit was sheer apprehension at the pad in front of him. How such a simple little device could instill such feelings of nervousness in him, he had no idea. Hesitantly, he placed his rear hooves on the warm, metal pad and gritted his teeth. Performing one final check on his helmet straps, Nimbus then activated his HUD and gave a curt nod.

“Windigo Two, Peregrine Deck Control. Cleared for launch. Three, two, one- launch!”

The acceleration was unlike anything Nimbus had ever felt before. Normally it took a while to reach speeds like these, but Nimbus found himself going from a standstill to combat speed in less time than it took him to blink. His rear hooves pressed back into the pad as the catapult surged forward, and he could feel his cheeks pulling back from the sheer acceleration. Breathing hard, he flared his wings, feeling his hooves pull away from the deck below, and as hard metal gave way to flowing air and sea breeze, his breathing slowed and he closed his eyes for a moment. Being back in his element after all these weeks was nothing if not liberating. Below him, he could see a small boat making its way towards one of the other Equestrian vessels- probably with Color Splash on board. He gave a small wave with his wings, just in case.

“Windigo Two, radar contact. Formation traffic ten o’clock at five hundred feet. Have a nice flight.”

“Traffic ten o’ clock at five hundred, thank you,” Nimbus replied, setting his sights on his squadron above and to his left and dialing in their frequency.

“Windigos, this is Two, I’m falling in.”

“Roger,” Starburst replied as Nimbus formed up off his right wing, “nothing too special today- just a bit of a figure-eight pattern around the fleet. Keep your eyes peeled for Griffons.”

“Damn, that was cool,” Storm Runner breathed with a sense of joy in his voice that Nimbus hadn’t heard in a while.

“It’ll take some getting used to,” Nimbus responded as they crossed over the RSS Capricorn, the Expeditionary Fleet’s second battleship. On the deck, ponies were waving and cheering them on.

Storm Runner laughed. “I’m already used to it. They oughta transfer me to ships, given how fun that was.”

“Somepony a bit chipper today?” Starburst chimed in, initiating a slow bank to the right over the last of the ships, “and if so, is this going to be a thing now? Can I assume that our old cheerful Storm is back now?”

“We’ll see,” Storm Runner chuckled, “but it’s definitely a possibility.”

Nimbus spared a glance down at the horizon. The sun was already starting to dip below it, casting its mellow orange light across the sea’s waves. While it had never been apparent from the deck, now Nimbus could also see the ships’ v-shaped wakes forming and merging in the water underneath him.

“Eyes up, Windigo,” Starburst called, “we’ve got company.”

Expecting Griffons, Nimbus immediately snapped his head up and got his eyes on a swivel, but intruders weren’t the reason for Starburst’s call. Behind the squadron, more flights of Aviators were taking to the skies above the ships, each calling out to the squad.

“Windigo, this is Tiger. We’re inbound, prepared to form up off your right.”

“This is the 5th Recon Squad, Aurora, moving to patrol.”

“Helldivers lead here, we’re moving in.”

“Ribbon here- we’ll ensure Windigo isn’t on its own again.”

Nimbus’s heart leapt to his throat. All of these squads had received word about the attack on Windigo, and for the last few weeks had been unable to express their feelings to them. Now, here in the sky, it was a different story. Above the fleet, they were finally unified, standing strong with each other. The other squads assembled themselves in a V formation behind Windigo, and Starburst pointed them towards the horizon, directly over the fleet. In full formation at last, the Equestrian forces steamed towards the Griffon coast. Justice was finally within the ponies’ grasp, and Nimbus couldn’t wait to see it done.

Author's Note

I am so sorry for this ridiculously long hiatus.

Seriously, it took a visit to my friend (who's also a brony) some realizations about the Free to Play aspect of Ace Combat Infinity, a good deal of coffee, and some delicious turkey to get me back on track with this tale (long story), but here I am once again! I have to apologize for this chapter's somewhat rough format. I wrote it over two months. This time I swear it's the last "fluff" chapter. The rest will not only be better-written, but more fast-paced. Don't count Windigo out yet; good things are on the horizon! Thanks, readers, for sticking with me!

-Fyn16