The World War

Prologue: Classified Orders

"Okay listen up!" a burly man in the armies khaki uniform marched in front of me and my fellow pilots, "Each and every single one of you, upon leaving this base, will be an officer in the Army Air Corps of Equestria."

He stopped in front of me as I did my best not to grin, my best friend Ditzy Doo, though everyone called her Derpy, stared at me with one eye from the other side of the barracks. The drill sergeant looked me over and gave a small nod before turning away and walking behind me.

"Each and every one of you are the finest pilots we've got to offer, angels in a sky filled with demons." he shouted as he walked toward the middle of the room and stopped wit a click of his heel that could be heard outside the two minuet building, "I have seen so many of you break, and those that stand here among the empty bunks, you got what it takes."

It was true that only about half of us who came in here left due to cracking under pressure, medical issues, and other reasons that I was not quiet privy to, but we still remained.

"You need to be dressed and packed for your transport to where you will receive your planes before you go overseas, dismissed!" he yelled as he performed a left face and marched out the door to what had been our home for the entirety of the year as we learned how to be officers, how to fly any plane, and how to keep ourselves alive in the sky with metal wings.

I relaxed before turning around to my bunk to see what exactly he had left on it, I found a small folder that had my name on it, internally I was worried, though I dared not to show that to my fellow pilots.

"Whats in the package Dash?" Derpy asked from behind me, making me jump up a bit and hover in the air with my wings extended.

"Hey Derpy, mind not spooking a gal like that?" I yelled, as many of my fellow pilots laughed.

"Oh, sorry didn't mean ta." she replied as she scratched the back of her head.

"Yeah right." I said with sarcasm as I landed and opened the package.

Inside was a single sheet of paper with four names and a set of orders,

Lt Dash,

You are to report alongside your fellow pilots Ditzy, Thunderlane, Lightning Dust, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo, to Col Windcharger's office as soon as you are packed and ready for transition. More will be made known to you as to why once you arrive.

Col Windcharger, EAAC

I smiled and put the paper back into its folder before turning around to see the five others it mentioned with their bags ready, they had packed them up last night in preparation for today. I turned back to my small closet with my dress uniform inside of it and began stripping, folding my PT gear which I had only put on last night in their own separate compartment of my briefcase so that I wouldn't dirty any of my other close, before putting on my dress uniform.

"So what was the letter about Dash?" Scootaloo asked as she leaned on an old bunk.

"Our orders, I'll explian more on the way!" I said as I tied my shoes and straitened my tie, "Lets go and get those orders straitened out shall we?"

"Sounds good to me." Fluttershy timidly said as she took a few steps back into Thunderlane who put both hands on her arms and gave a soft smile.

"Well what are we waiting for, lets go slow pokes!" Lightning Dust chided, slightly getting on my nerves.

"Well, you are the only one still standing back there Lightning." I retorted, laughing with Derpy as we walked away with her behind us all.

"You don't think that this is about that last Tuesday do you?" Thunderlane asked, making me worry a little.

"No way, we already got chewed out about that, besides today is graduation Thunder!" Scootaloo said with a grin, her voice cracking ever so slightly to which she coughed.

"How did you join up again?" I asked, to which she just gave me a nervous look since she lied about her age, though when in the air she is right there with me and the others.

We walked in silence, all of us smiling like idiots as we walked up to the Colonels office and everyone got behind me. I did a quick check of my uniform before knocking one time and standing at attention, though that didn't last long.

"Enter." the Colonel said softly, just loud enough for me to hear through he door.

Opening the door I was greeted with an elderly military man with a long white beard. If it wasn't for the fact that he had more muscle than anyone else on the base, one could have mistaken him for Santa Clause. His one wing was a dull shade of grey, and his eyes a vibrant green, he smiled with his crooked grin before speaking.

"Sit down, none of you are in trouble." he said, putting our minds to ease.

I handed him the folder with our orders to come here, and he rang a bell, "Sir, you wanted to see us?"

"First I want to have breakfast with the best pilots at this field, then we can discuss business, and please, lets keep this informal." he said as he stood up and opened a door that led to the kitchen.

Enlisted men brought in a table, though admittedly we did stand up and help them out with it before the Col decided to order us to sit. They then brought in eggs, bacon, sausage, and beagles alongside orange juice for all of us before the Col sat down at the table.

"Each one of you have proved that you not only know how to fly, but are damn good at it too, that is why I put your names up for this tasking." he started before he began to eat his food.

"And what did you put our names up for sir?" I asked, cutting up a sausage.

"A joint operation with the boys and girls in Braytain Empire, they are putting their best new pilots out and they requested that we do the same." he replied giving us all a smile.

"So a joint squadron?" Lightning Dust asked after swallowing her last egg.

"Precisely, and since you will be representing our best pilots we are giving you each a P-51 Mustang which you will get to design a paint scheme to your own content." the Col said, just before finishing his food.

"Are you joking sir?" Scootaloo asked in disbelief.

"No I am not Second Lieutenant Scootaloo." he smiled.

We all finished our food in silence waiting to hear if he had anything else to say, as he had stricken us speechless, but he merely stood up once we had finished and saluted, to which we all stood up quickly and returned the sign of respect.

"Rainbow Dash, I do have something special for you, since you passed your leadership examinations with the highest scores of this training squadron, you are hereby promoted to First Lieutenant of the Equestrian Army Air Corps and are now in charge of the Equestrian Angels, as you all have referred to yourselves as." he said as he picked up epaulets with my new rank insignia on them and put them on my uniform where my Second Lieutenant ones had been.

"Thank you sir, I won't let you or my flight down!" I replied, giving him another salute that he returned with a smile.

"Now you six had better move out before you miss that train!" he shouted as he sat down behind his desk, still smiling.

"Yes sir!" we replied in unison before running out the door.