Day 44

NLRAF Base Nocturnal 1

Room 116

Scootaloo was jarred awake suddenly by a harsh, desperate banging on her door. Followed by one of the guards shouting: “Get up! Emergency briefing is imminent!”

Scootaloo was instantly up out of bed, and out the door. She jumped over the railing and landed on an old mattress she had found to cushion her fall. She wasted no more time as she charged down the hall.

Not many seconds later, she crashed through the door of the briefing room, and skidded to a stop. She took her usual seat near the front, and sat down.

The atmosphere was tense. The entire squadron, what little there was of it, had been called to an emergency briefing at almost midnight.

So here they were, sitting in the room for what probably was only a minute, but felt more like an hour.

Commander Black Knight finally entered the room. Instinctively, everyone in the room instantly jumped up to attention. They returned to their seats after he said: “At ease.”

“Alright, I know you all must be wondering what this is about. So I’ll make this brief. We currently are in a campaign to take the outer ring of the Solar city of Manehattan. You will be flying escort for our aerial transports who will land our troops inside the city. Any questions?”

“Yes sir,” called out Lightning Dust. “Why are we transporting them by air? Can't they just get to the city on hoof?”

“No. The empire has turned the city into a literal fortress. They’ve built walls 10 meters high, all around the city. Every 15 meters atop the wall is a guard post. 10 kilometers in is another wall, and 5 kilometers further in is another, both have the same stats as the outer wall. An infiltration from the ground is impossible. Even if we could get inside from the ground, we wouldn't be able to get in quietly. We want to keep stealth on our side for as long as possible, we’ll have fewer casualties that way. Anyone else?”

“What are we using to transport them?” asked Nightwatch.

“A new kind of equipment named M.I.Ts. Short for Manehattan Infiltration Transports. They use tec similar to our own, except their feather engine wings are larger, and are able to go into a vertical takeoff and landing position. They carry one commando under them, plus all of their equipment. However, they don't have an incredible amount of range. That is why we have to launch them at a close range.”

“Why are we doing this now?” Scootaloo called out.

“Originally we were planning on invading after we got more of our forces together. However, we just got the message that Solar spies have stolen the plans for our invasion. Meaning we have to strike now before they can make use of the information, plus we have cloud cover tonight. Now I know this operation may sound strange to you all, however we believe that youth will outweigh experience in this situation. Which is why I will be commanding from this well hidden base… we deploy in 15 minutes. Dismissed!”

...

The sky was quiet and calm. The wind had a frosty chill to it, stinging Lightning Dust’s bare nose as she cut her way through the air. She made an audible noise as she shivered. It was a good thing these suits were insulated. The winter would be coming soon, but for now the clouds were just storm clouds. But flying above cold rain clouds in late autumn while she was escorting transports was not what she meant when she had said a while ago that she had wanted to visit the city some time.

Lightning Dust looked up. It was dark out, the moon was dim, and the stars lacked their usual bright twinkle. She was puzzled. “Hey what’s up with the sky?” she asked.

“It’s Princess Luna’s way of helping our operation. Darkening the sky to increase our stealth as much as possible. Not to mention it’ll help demoralize the Solar army when the battle begins.” It was Nightwatch speaking, flying in a trailing position behind Echo. He would watch Echo’s six o'clock while they were fighting. Scootaloo didn't like it when her squad mates went off by themselves.

“Alright guys, listen up,” Scootaloo said calling them to attention, turning her head back to the squad. “Our job here is to keep the sky sanitised while the operation is underway. Disable the enemy, but if they aren't shot down, don't bother with them. Be careful to not waste ammunition, and no single ship attacks. Stay in pairs, and stay on the lookout for Solar patrols. Understood?”

There was an unanimous: “Understood” from the squadron. Turning her head forward, she cocked her AMCs before saying: ”Alright, Nightwatch, Echo, you two cover the north west side of the city. Lightning, Rumble, cover the west side, I'll handle the south west. Engage.”

With that last order, the ponies split apart. Each one flying to their designated sections of the city.

Truth be told, Scootaloo didn't really like flying solo. But she knew that she couldn't let her other squad mates fly alone. She also knew she could handle this. The mark 1 Feather engine pack was the prototype originally designed for her just before the war started. The mark two, the current standard flight equipment, and the one she was using, wasn't that different. So she knew how to use this thing like nopony else could, having the most time to understand them.

She reached up with a hoof, feeling her AMCs, and the almost clockwork feel to them. She looked to the horizon, seeing pony-strapped spotlights shining in various directions. There were more flying than there usually would be. A regular patrol was made of a group of three, but tonight there was a group of five up in front of her. The Solar Manehattan Air Base must have realized that something was wrong with the state of the sky. It was likely that the majority of the base was currently scrambled. But Scootaloo’s orders were clear. Sanitize the air space by all means.

She frowned. It was time to go to work. She cocked both of her AMCs and quietly snuck up behind the patrol. A searchlight crossed the sky near her, but did not detect her. She eased behind them, looked down the sight, and fired.

Author's Note

Guys, please listen to me, I beg you. Read and comment. Comments are my reward to show that I did a good job. Reading the story is good, but unless people say they like the story, I start think you guys don't. SO PLEASE COMMENT. Tell me what you like about the story, what you don't like. IT CAN LITERALLY BE ANYTHING, JUST PLEASE TELL ME HOW YOU FEEL!