After dismissing the pilots, Lance was told by Chrysalis that due to their current tensions with SteelJaw and his armies, the Equestrians and Hippogriffs each send one of their finest pilot as volunteers to support the RCAF. Lance met them afterward at the hanger. The Equestrian pilot is a Pegasus named Lighting Flash, former Wonderbolt and an elite pilot, flies F-22 Raptor, F-16 Viper, and Strike Eagle. The Hippogriff is a young pilot named Jokodi, served in the Hipporffian Navy, flies F/A-18F Super Hornet and F-35B Lighting II. Lance told the brief summary of Operation Bullseyes, the two pilots was then assigned to be the Wingmen of Mage Squadron. They Brough their aircraft with them; Since F-35B is still pretty new to them, Jokodi picked his old ride, a F/A-18F Super Hornet which is named "Maverick", while Lighting Flash prefers the attacking type, F-15E Strike Eagle. Now with the aircraft preparation completed, they're off to sortie. As for the Mirage and Rafale fighters, the engineers had already built the prototype and had successfully completed their test flies, just a few weeks before they officially enters service.

Before leaving, Lance went to see Chrysalis, as promised. The two shared a lovely kiss before departing.

"Please... Come back safely." Chrysalis sighed sadly as she leaned her head on his shoulder, which Lance brushed her mane softly.

"I will, love... I will."

At the airfield, Mage Squadron and Shifter Squadron were lined up on the runway, Shifter Squadron are the first to take off. Before talking off, Lance told the Mage Squadron their callsign; Lance's callsign will be Mage 1, or Trigger. Sword Tail will be Mage 4, or Viper. Quick Slash is Mage 5, or Full Band. Jokodi is Mage 2, or Sea Gull. And lastly Lighting Flash will be called as Mage 3, or Count.

The Mage Squadron will take off in numbers, Lance is the first. This time however, he flies a F-16C; he don't wanna waste the engine or some critical parts of his F-35B since it's new to this world. Lance pushed the airspeed to max, afterburner roaring, he glide towards the end of the runway and took off. Then came the Flight Tower's words.

"Mage Squadron, attitude restriction is lifted, happy hunting."

Lance then heard Shifter Squadron's leader, Night Shade, callsign Shifter 1, speaks, "Control tower, do me a favor and get these birds in the air ASAP."

One by one, Mage Squadron took off, "Mage Squadron, form around Mage 1." Lance ordered through the radio. Soon, a triangular formation can be seen from above; the one in the lead is Lance, on his bottom right is Jokodi, bottom left is Lighting Flash, Behind Jokodi is Quick Slash, and behind Lighting Flash is Sword Tail.

The AWAC is already in the air far behind them, providing radar supports for both fighter squadron, while the B-52 bomber is already up, around 50,000 feet above the ground.

"This is the AWAC Sky Keeper, don't forget your objective of the mission; Mage Squadron, find and destroy all enemy radar sites, anti-air vehicles, and SAM sites, Shifter Squadron, provide cover for the bomber, assist Mage Squadron if you can. Good luck."

"Copy that." Lance replied, while turning off his afterburner, theres no need for wasting fuel, it's a long way from their airbase to Steel Jaw's, besides, they carried external fuel tanks just incase.

Mage Squadron decides it'll not hurt to chat sometimes before the great battle starts.

"Hey Trigger, got any mares waiting back home?" Quick Slash asked.

"Nah, spending too much time in military won't get you a girl. "Lance said.

"What about our queen?" That question caught him off guard.

"What?"

"Chrysalis, I heard rumors about you two getting steamy." Quick Slash teased. Lance rolled his eyes.

"Fine, you're half-right though, but I haven't even start dating her yet, no need to get steamy just yet."

As the two chat, Sword Tail decides to charm in, "Hey Trigger, tell us something about your world."

Lance sighed, he doesn't have that much to say, all except for all those battles against the Extraterrestrials... he do hope that those bastards won't find their way here... Will they?

"Well, nothing much, Earth isn't exactly Equestria-Like; war and conflicts had been raging ever since mankind first appeared. There's World War 1 and World War 2, each took place in the early-mid twenty century; minions of men, women, and children died. Then the current war we're having on Earth is nothing like we'd expected." Lance said.

"What do you mean?" Sword Tail asked.

"Our enemies are from the stars, they've superior technologies and larger numbers; they struck as off-guard, many great countries were lost within a month; my country, which is England, Russia, and China were the only three remaining countries resisting the aliens... And I'm not sure if they're still active..." He sighed.

"Geez, I'm sorry dude." Quick Slash said.

"But even if mankind does lose the battle, I don't really care, " Lance said, "I lost my family and friends during their attacks, and my army wasn't doing great either. Humanity is full of hate and violence, I lost faith in them a while ago. Now I have a new life, new start, new fight, new friends... And maybe a new family."

Suddenly, AWAC's voice came over, "Attention Mage Squadron, this is the AWAC Sky Keeper; cut the chat, large groups of unidentified fighters are coming your way; most likely enemies, stay frosty, we'll provide radar support, over."

"Understood." Lance said before sending his message to the rest of the squadron, "Mage Squadron, listen up, enemies dead ahead, stay sharp."

Everyone stiffened as they awaits an intense air combat ahead of them, Quick Slash has been surprisingly quiet along the way. It's not long until Lance finally caught radar signals on his radar, more than twenty enemy planes were coming their way; from their airspeeds and sizes, Lance could identify them as Su-27 Flankers.

"Mage Squadron! Drop fuel tanks! They're coming in hot!" Just as he finished giving orders, missile warnings went off immediately, "Alrighty... IT. IS. ON." Lance then dropped his tank, popped some decoys, and did a barrel roll to the right. Just as he did that, two infrared missiles flew by his jet, exploding on the decoys he just tossed.

"JINX! JINX!" he ordered, now the enemies were visible, the Flankers flew straight into their formation, braking them off and chasing them around, dogfighting. Lance soon found himself dogfighting with a raging Flanker on his tail, which kept on missile-locking him while launching infrared missiles at him, luckily thanks to flares and Lance's advanced maneuvers, none of the missiles got him.

"Show time!" Lance then raised his F-16C's head and climbed on, increasing his throttles while performing a high-G turn, or known as Kulbit. He flipped his jet above the air as he slowly turned towards the enemy, which passed by him fast. Lowering his throttle, Lance successfully got onto his sixth. But when he was about to gain a lock, the Flanker did something unexpected; it suddenly raised its head while letting the air current pull itself backward; Cobra!

This aerial stunt isn't used too much during a real-life air-to-air combat, more of a fun stunt to perform during an air-show; bit whoever this lucky bastard is, he's good enough to pull off a Cobra; only Flankers are capable for performing this stunt.

Advantage taken again, Lance was forced to perform a Chandelle, pulling his jet 180 degrees while climbing, which out-turned the Flanker, getting to his six o'clock again, and this time Lance won't let his chance slip away. Quickly gaining a radar lock on him, Lance pressed the trigger, "FOX 3!"

An AiM-120 flew out of its weapon hanger and darted straight into the Flanker's left engine, violently tearing the enemy jet apart; Lance watched as the jet's engine bursted into flames while spinning, falling towards the ground, a few more small bursts before the entire plane exploded into scraps of metals. (It looked kinda like how a jet dies in Ace Combat 7.)

"Splash! Splash!" Lance then saw Quick Slash getting chased by a Flanker, for some reason the way the Flanker moves looked similar to someone he knew back home... "Hold on Full Band! Coming your way!" But as he approaches the target, h was surprised to found that this is actually a Su-30SM, with red wing tips, a skull painted to its back, and a set of numbers "13" painted by its nose. What in the bloody hell is a Su-30SM doing in a Su-27 squadron? Must be the leader.

"Shit! Somebody get him off my tail!" Quick Slash's panicking voice came from the radio, "His good! Bastard's moves were almost same as mine! He's stuck to my ass as if he's glued to me! Damn it!"

"Fuck! Quick Slash I cannot get a clear shot with you in front of it!" Lance shouted over the radio, "Dive to the left! NOW!"

Quick Slash's jet immediately gave an hard dive to the left, the Flanker followed, copying his move exactly the same, Lance grunted as he couldn't get a clear shot without friendly-firing Quick Slash as well.

"HOLY SHIT! WHY ISN'T THE FUCKER FIRING?! It's like... It's like he's playing with me! DAMN IT!" Quick Slash's voice is desperate, panic and fear all over it, "THIS IS GETTING CREEPY! GET THAT SHIT OFF MY TAIL!!!"

"GOD DAMN IT I'M TRYING TO!!!" Lance yelled.

However, Lance later found himself getting locked on by another Flanker behind him, he had no choice but to leave Quick Slash, his heart pained as he heard his comerade's desperate screams, "TRIGGER?! WHAT ARE YOU... UGH! HIS FIRING! GOT DAMNIT GET BACK HERE!"

Lance couldn't repeat back, he's already busy dealing with the Flanker behind him.

"... He's a predator..." A few moment later. Quick Slash's unusual dead tone came to every jets in the Mage Squadron, "The weak gets eaten..."

"FUCK! QUICK SLASH SNAP OUT OF IT!" Sword Tail shouted, "Quick dogfighting and run!"

"He can't!" Jokodi's voice came in, "That bastard's already got the advantage..."

"FUCK! I'M NOT LEAVING HIM!" Sword Tail screamed.

Lance, who just did a U-turn and finished off that Flanker, early have time to turn back, when he did, he's only able to watch Quick Slash's final moments. His jet was already smoking, small flickers pf flames are visible. The Su-30SM however, is chasing and teasing Quick Slash like a cat chasing a mouse. Finally, the Su-30SM decided that time's up. It fired a missile at him.

"DAMN IT! GOD DMANIT! SOMEBODY HELP!!! NO! I DON'T WANNA DIE! I DON'T WANNA-----" his unfinished words were forever silenced by the suddenly buzz of the radio getting disconnected violently, explosion can be heard from the background, as the radio faded away completely.

Outside, time seemed to slow down; Quick Slash's plane was hit, its engines bursted as it went into a violent spin while bursting flames, then, everything ended when Quick Slash's jet exploded in the mid-air.

"NOO!!!" Sword Tail cried, there's no way anyone could survive the explosion in the air.

"Holy shit!"

"Oh my god!"

"Mage 5 is down! I repeat! Mage 5 had been splashed!"

Shocked chatters began to form, Lance's only target is this Su-30SM, he snapped. Lance's jet went straight towards the Su-30SM, closer and closer until he can spot the pilot in the cockpit. The enemy pilot had a set of black goggles and helmet on, he couldn't see his face, he looked at Lance, then went full afterburner, escaping the battlefield faster than a regular Su-30 goes. Lance can't risk wasting too much fuels, the main objective hasn't being completed yet, and he'd already lost a pilot.

"FUUUUCK!!!" Sword Tail roared into the radio, "SKY KEEPER I'M GONNA GET SMASH THAT PIECE OF SHIT!"

"Negative Mage 4, stick to the mission." Sky Keeper said, from his voice everyone can hear Sky Keeper suppressing has anger.

"NO! I'M GOING RIGHT NOW!" Sword Tail screamed, but the next sentence from Sky Keeper is ice cold.

"You go after him, I'll make you as a deserter, and enemy, then you WILL get fired upon."

"Sky Keeper! You wouldn't !" Lance snarled. But the AWAC ignored him, "Continue on with the mission."

"SON OF A BITCH!" Sword Tail cursed, but have no other choice but to move forward.

Author's Note

HOLY SHIT! Quick Slash is KIA?! Well, no sacrifice, no victory...

Just watch Brownie's death from Ace Combat 7, it's based on that.