Chapters The older Pegasus stretched his wings as he walked beneath the trees of Sweet Apple Acres. He smiled as he looked at the sign above the entrance to the fruit farm. The paint was faded, but it was still plenty legible. He continued walking along, the gentle clop, clop of his hooves muffled by the leaves covering the ground. He chuckled to himself as he heard the cries of young colts and and fillies playing an innocent game of tag around the yard. There was a whoosh, as a rainbow blur streaked with a light blue blasted overhead, blowing the leaves everywhere. The old stallion shook his black mane, highlighted with dark violet, to straighten it after the blast of wind. He continued along at a faster pace.Honest she may be, but I've never known her to be patient with me.
"Well, ain't you a sight for sore eyes? I'm happier t' see you than a love-struck fool on Hearts 'n Hooves day. Think you can take care of these young'ns while I get some buckin' done?"They all want to hear that story... Well, it's a good one. Why not, he's certainly old enough. humans. "
Stretching and yawning, a middle-aged man looked at the wardrobe across from his bed. In it was a Navy uniform, decorated with several medals. Next to it was an old flight helmet with the words Howling Wolf written across the forehead. It was a bright, polished silver, with the words in dark blue. He smiled sadly at the helmet. Nowadays, people could fly at unbelievable speeds without the helmets he and his squadron had used, thanks to planes being built more effectively. He then turned to the uniform, and his smile turned into a glare, filled with a pure hatred. The only reason he kept the wartime uniform where he could see it was so that he could remind himself every day of how much he loathed the violence and evils of warfare, and the dark part he had taken in it.
He removed himself from his bed and stretched his arms, then turned and smiled at his sleeping wife. He had met her after the war, and she had helped him rediscover himself and find his own inner peace. He leaned over and brushed her dark hair aside, touching her temple lightly. She smiled gently. He stood again, and turned to leave the room.
A young girl of thirteen was sleeping on the couch in the living room as he began making breakfast. Just as he was finishing the bacon for the morning meal, she woke up, rubbing her eyes and yawning quietly.
About a week before the war began, the Wonderbolts were doing an annual tour of Equestria, performing in various cities. The prime place to view the show was Cloudsdale, of course, but I wasn't able to make it there. I was busy perfecting several of my own routines just outside of Ponyville. I went to see them when they performed there. During the routine, a streak of color blasted through the sky. Six colors, in fact. Faster than lightning, Rainbow Dash rocketed past the Wonderbolts before performing a Sonic Rainboom. The Wonderbolts took it well, and used the blast to further their own routine, as though it had been planned. Autographs were signed afterwards, and I asked where I could find the rainbow streaked pegasus I had seen. They said they weren't entirely sure, but that they had seen Rainbow Dash floating towards a small collection of clouds. I chased after her; she had sported the most impressive flying I had seen in years.
I didn't find her, but I did find someone of far greater importance; Princess Celestia. The mighty ruler of Equestria. The one who raises the Sun in the morning, even today... And I couldn't have cared less. However, I didn't ignore her; I felt that would be foolish of me in the extreme. She spoke to me:
As it turned out, the patch of clouds I had seen was Rainbow Dash's home in the sky. Against the night sky, the rainbows spewing from the clouds - as well as the clouds themselves - were rather beautiful. However, nothing could possibly compare to what I saw when she stepped out. At Celestia's call, she flew from the dark recesses of her cloudy home. She was the most amazing sight I had ever seen. Her coat was the color of the sky, and her mane shone like the Sun. Six spectacular colors were in it, just as a rainbow. She looked at me with a confident smile. Her eyes were the color of roses.
I was doing a routine training exercise off the coast of California when the message came in. I was already a captain, and I worked with the Blue Angels at the time.
There were four of us in the air that day, including myself. I knew that the third man, a pilot named John Tellman, was a loose trigger. However, we had to assume the worst at the time. It took us only ten minutes to reach LA, and when we got there, it was rather apparent what the problem was; there was a tear in the sky, as though someone had ripped it open. We flew towards it quickly, but cautiously; anything that large could be very dangerous. I spoke first.
Rainbow Dash and myself immediately flew off. I couldn't keep up with her unmatched speed, so she flew far ahead of me. I flew as fast as I could, however. I didn't know if Celestia was flying, or if she had transported herself there by magic, but whatever the case, I knew I couldn't wait for her.
Although I was slower than Rainbow Dash, I wasn't slow for a Pegasus. I rocketed over the land, attempting to find what had been described by Celestia. It was hard to miss when I came across it; a giant tear in the sky. It was all I could do not to fall out of flight when I saw it; it was as though a claw had rent the sky in two. Rainbow Dash flew up beside me. She seemed somewhat out of breath.
Several shots and a long story later, my superiors at ground control were stunned. They even called in a general from God-knows-where to hear it. I had to retell it to at least three, supposedly very important people before they stopped asking for the report. The general spoke to me first.
I was about to speak, but Celestia raised her hoof. I snapped my mouth shut at the sign. She had suddenly gained an air of authority and command that I had not seen earlier in the evening.
About three days later, I finally got word about the peace conference; having met with the leaders of this new world, which they called "Equestria," we were ready to have a formal meeting. The two leaders had unearthly powers; both could fly, and had magical horns. They called themselves "Alicorns," and the eldest of the two, Princess Celestia, raised the sun. Meanwhile, the younger, Princess Luna, raised the moon and stars. We were rather worried that they had such power, but were also excited at what it could mean for our world. The conference was to take place at the end of that week, and I was to be present at it, because of my experience. The United Nations had agreed that meeting so many leaders at once would be an unwise decision, and could overwhelm these new creatures - ponies. Therefore, they put together a list of topics, and sent in the President of the United States to discuss their case. They would also be sending myself, the general - who I found out was to be addressed as General Cole - and Tellman, who had been directly engaged with one of the ponies.
When the time came, I felt the others around me had unfair advantages; the President was the leader of the free world, and had more information on these creatures than I did. He also had two FBI agents with him who refused to disclose their names. General Cole was almost as well informed. Tellman and I were on the same page - or so I thought. As it turned out, he had found out the names of several of the ponies we would be meeting with, but refused to tell me their names. We all piled into Air Force One. I almost felt sick; the plane was luxurious and huge, but it felt unsafe to me, somehow. It was such a large target, and was very slow-moving compared to the F/A 18 Hornets I usually flew with the Angels. Still, I trusted the crew with my life, and so did the President. The flight was very short; we landed just outside the capitol of Equestria, a place called Canterlot, and walked to the Princess' palace. It was spectacularly large, and designed for style and grace, not for defense. We had agreed to meet the ponies on their own turf, as we didn't want to intimidate them with our machines of war. We entered a great room, with a large, round table. Chairs were provided for us, while the ponies sat on their haunches. The air felt tense, as though a single misspoken word could send electricity through the room. I looked around at the table, realizing I only knew two of the ponies' names; Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna. The President addressed this first.
(A Note From the Author : Hey, guys. I wanted to say thanks for the constructive criticism and such that I've received on this story. Originally, this was just an idea floating in my head, and I needed it removed so I could get to work on my own characters, and my own novel. A common complaint/comment I've heard is that there is no possible way that ponies could stand up to the USA's military forces. Probably true, in a more realistic setting. However, I still hold fast to the argument that the ponies have very strong points as well. The Elements, combined with magic (let's face it; combined Unicorn magic could totally stop a nuclear strike), flight (who knows what the Sonic Rainboom is really capable of?), and even strength (just wait until you see what Bic Macintosh does), I feel that these two races are well equipped for battle. Not to mention, when a world is at stake, unusual alliances are made. I just wanted to clear this up, so thanks for reading. I understand any and all complaints in this department at this point; I'm still happy to hear anything else relating to this story. Thanks for reading, as always! - GK)
After the humans left the room, I found myself in complete shock. Celestia seemed to shrink, while Luna simply glared at the door. The others around the table all looked somewhat stunned. I blamed myself, of course; it had been almost entirely my fault. If I had kept my peace, nothing might have happened. However, I still didn't think that Tellman person was trustworthy, nor did I think he had regretted his actions. I did not realize that Celestia would so quickly jump to the offensive, nor did I even consider that Luna would declare open war. Celestia glared at Luna.
About a month later, we had managed to militarize most of Equestria. The Elements of Harmony had become the great leaders; I chose to serve as a lieutenant in the EAF; the Equestrian Air Force. At the forefront of this army was Rainbow Dash. She served as what Celestia called "High Captain," leading all important battles. These pegasi were specially trained by Rainbow Dash to be the fastest, toughest fliers in the land. She was merciless on all of us; our training regiment was strict, and she was quick to hand out punishment. Through this, we became the most respected branch of the Equestria Military.
There were other branches as well. Twilight Sparkle served as an overseer of the two magic-based branches. The first was the MOF, or the Magical Offensive Front. These unicorns were trained in powerful attack magic that could bring down jets and helicopters. They were also taught special defensive magic, to guard the front lines. The other magically based branch was the UNG, the Unicorn National Guard. This branch was made up of large, defensive units that were stationed in many cities. Two shifts were assigned to each city, and the Unicorns synchronized their magic to create powerful barriers, to stop bombs, bullets, and anything else the humans could use against our cities.
Applejack, along with her brother, Big Macintosh, trained the Earth ponies in the EGT, Equestrian Ground Troops. These ponies were given special armor (designed by Rarity to be both functional and intimidating), and sent out on the front lines. Each had a small unit from the MOF mixed in, to help magically protect them. Special weapons were invented for these teams. Applejack wanted to fight at the front, but she had to train the ponies back home. Each and every one of them got strong enough to crack stone. Big Mac, on the other hand, served with these ponies. Although the normal troops were strong, Big Mac was the strongest in the entire military.
Probably bravest of all of us was Fluttershy. She became the envoy to other species across the land, such as the dragons, and the changelings. Although it was frightening for her, Luna or Celestia would often send Cadance or Shining Armor with her.
Derpy became a model for poster slogans. She was seen in her mail-job, being struck down by a jet, with the words NOPONY DESERVES IT underneath.
However, war didn't actually break out until two weeks after this preparation. It surprised us that it had taken the humans so long to attack, and I never found out until much later. The tear in the sky had gotten larger in the last month, and had stretched to a point where ground units could enter and exit at will. Nobody walked down the streets we could see; we rather thought that the humans had set up a perimeter there, just waiting for somepony to walk out and be a sitting duck. However, they attacked first. They brought a small squad of soldiers into our land, along with several tanks. We had our own troops stationed there. They were able to fight off most of the soldiers, whose bullets shattered as soon as they hit the shields. Our specialized Earth pony weapons were special metal machines that shot small spears at the enemy. It was activated by biting a small bit of wood. The humans weren't entirely overwhelmed in that attack, however. We lost several ponies after the shields were broken by the human's weaponry, no small feat. Although the ponies managed to dispatch most of the soldiers, the tanks were another problem entirely. Many an Earth pony died that day attempting to knock over the tanks. Even battalions of them couldn't dent the metal monsters. That was when Big Mac came, an angry flame adorning his eyes. He stomped up to the tank. He then turned, and kicked the machine, alone.
To everypony's amazement, the tank leaned to one side. Time seemed to slow down for a moment, before the tank slammed onto its side. Everypony stared in awe at Big Mac. The impossible seemed to have happened, and we rejoiced for a very short time. When people asked later if he was angry, he simply said:
(A Note from the Author : This part of the story is separate from the other two narrations, and exists to add clarity. It is told in third person, and it is related to events happening outside the warzone. -GK)
Fluttershy shrunk slightly as she approached the black hive. Blue-green goo coated the ground, and she had to be careful so as not to slip and fall. Her face was hidden behind her mane from fear. However, she was accompanied by Shining Armor. He seemed uncomfortable at the place of an old enemy, but he had not objected to what Celestia had said."Shining Armor, all of the races must be informed of this war, if nothing else. If it seems at all possible, we have to gain their support. I can think of nopony better suited to this job than Fluttershy. However, she may need accompaniment, as she is easily startled. I want you to go with her to the Changelings' hive, and speak with Queen Chrysalis."
Interview with the President of the United States.
