The Nightmare Relief Plan

by OlimarandLouie

Rating: teen
Tags: Alternate Universe, Thriller, Original Character, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, Rumble, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Equestria at War
Length: 9835

A rogue naval officer and fanatical Nightmare Moon worshipper manages to build an advanced submarine in secret, then sets off for a mission for salvation on a scale the world has never seen before.

The year is 1037 ALB. Harmony reigns around the world, with Equestria, the River Federation, and the United Kingdom of Aris rising above all other nations to secure peace and prosperity for all creaturekind.

But while nearly every nation has embraced harmony, not every pony has. Within the Chiropterran Republic, a festering vendetta has brewed among a small number of radicalized soldiers and veterans of the North Zebrican War. They were not content with their dream of eternal night being stolen from them, and have conspired for years for revenge on a scale that the world has never seen before.

And at the helm of this secret mission is the most bitter veteran of all: Perfect Shot.

This story takes place in the Equestria at War universe and was written for the Seventh Annual EaW Writing Contest. It is also an adaptation of the "Ten Million Relief Plan" mission from Ace Combat 7, though it is primarily an EaW story. No knowledge of any of the above is necessary to understand this story.

Published 2024-08-29 22:50:00 UTC
Last updated 2024-09-01 02:27:26 UTC

The Search For The Equinox

Author's Note

Disclaimer: I know absolutely nothing about aviation, much less proper procedures for the Navy and the Air Force. I apologize in advance for the likely numerous errors depicted in this story.

The Search For The Equinox

Some ponies refuse to accept the hoof they've been dealt. The reality of their loss can turn a veteran into a risk factor the moment their nation surrenders. So you arrest them. Crude, but if it was effective, then this entire debacle could have been avoided.

__--Mission Briefing--__

Location: Equestrian Air Force Command Center, Cloudsdale

Date: 18 December 1037, 7:30 AM

The pilots of the Equestrian Air Force snapped to attention as General Rainbow Dash and one of her subordinates entered the room. Adorned with the medals befitting her rank, she allowed herself a smirk, for she commanded the same air of respect that her mentor once held. "Listen up, cadets! As you probably already know, just a few days ago an explosion rocked the port of Moonspeaker Hollow in the Chiropterran Republic. Our friends in the United Kingdom of Aris happened to have a few coastal vessels nearby, but as they were investigating said explosion, they were sunk by something beneath the water."

One mare leaned over to whisper to Scootaloo, "Why does she still call us cadets? We're the best pilots in the Wonderbolts Squadron for Celestia's sake..."

Scootaloo shrugged her off. "Rainbow Dash was a better pilot than all of us when she was in her prime, she can say what she wants."

General Dash did not appear to hear them and continued unabated. "A preliminary report suggested that a submarine might be the cause of these incidents, and a deeper investigation into the port explosion confirmed that suspicion." She paused to press a button on the nearby projector. An image of a warehouse appeared for all to see. "As you are all aware, the Chiropterran Republic used to be a vile hive of scum and lunacy, home to the worst kinds of ponies in Zebrica: Nightmare Moon cultists. They could not stand up to the combined might of the Arisian armed forces and were subsequently crushed, but in defeat, several of them refused to accept their nation's surrender, even as mass arrests went out for countless acts of terrorism." She pressed the button again, switching the image to a variety of mugshots. "Some held onto their ideals so hard that they plotted for decades for a chance at revenge. Many cases ended in life sentences, but that didn't stop the most devoted of them."

The stallion behind Scootaloo, Rumble, raised his hoof.

"Yes, cadet?"

He lowered his hoof. "If this all happened in Hippogriffian air and sea space, then why are we getting involved?"

General Dash grit her teeth at his impatience. "I was getting to that, cadet." She pressed the button once more. A blurry photo of a surfaced submarine appeared. "This vessel high-tailed it through Arisian waters at top speed before their armada could organize a response. It ignored any ships or targets it passed by, and it soon entered international waters. The United Kingdom of Aris was kind enough to share as many details about the vessel as they could find, especially since according to its last known trajectory, it was making a beeline straight for Equestria."

Rumble spoke up again. "Why didn't the hippogriffs turn into seaponies and deal with the sub from underwater?"

General Dash slammed her hoof onto the table housing the projector. "Another word from you and you'll be sitting this mission out, cadet! You haven't even heard why we're taking this so seriously!" She stopped to compose herself, "But to answer your question, sonar wreaks havoc on the eardrums and internal organs, so it's impossible for seaponies to get near the submarine without risking death."

Nopony else spoke up. "In any case, I'll turn the time over to Ms. Sapphire Light, who is more qualified to speak on the technical details of naval vessels than I am." General Dash stepped aside, inviting a much younger mare to address the Wonderbolt Squadron.

She seemed rather flustered, as she skipped introducing herself and dove straight into describing the target. A blueprint for a large submarine appeared on the projector. "There was a small slip-up by one of the ponies who helped engineer this monstrosity of a vessel. The Arisians found these schematics in the wreckage of the warehouse used to construct the submarine. The Equinox, as the terrorists aptly called it, is an advanced nuclear submarine armed with technology decades ahead of anything we've seen elsewhere. Chiropterra had very talented scientists and mages, despite their crimes against equinity, and it shows here. The Equinox is approximately 248 meters in length and 44 meters tall, making it the single largest underwater vessel ever built. In addition to a veritable quantity of main guns, it is armed with a weapon thought to be impossible at this scale: a railgun. The barrel exceeds 45 meters, meaning it can theoretically hit targets over 1,500 kilometers away. We do not know what the Equinox's payload is, but whatever it shoots will almost certainly devastate its target." Sapphire paused, then realized that she was done speaking. "Thank you," she said before excusing herself.

"Right," General Dash stood forward again. Another button press led to the final picture: an aged naval officer. "This is Captain Perfect Shot of the Chiropterran Republic Navy. It is very likely that he is the one commanding the Equinox, as he mysteriously vanished along with several other naval personnel shortly before the explosion in Moonspeaker Hollow. The Chiropterran Republic has sworn up and down that they had no idea he was plotting anything, but if I had a bit for every time a former Legionary caused trouble from that mess of a nation, then I could buy a very nice lunch for each and every one of you. He's mostly an unknown, as details about his war career seemed to have been scrubbed clean by somepony with access to those kinds of files."

General Dash turned off the projector. "Anyways, your mission is primarily reconnaissance. We need to locate the Equinox and if possible ascertain the motives of its captain. We estimate that the Equinox might be heading toward the sea immediately above the Mareiana Trench, as the depths there combined with its max operating depth of 600 meters would allow it to hide and relocate to anywhere in the ocean without being spotted. Before it reaches the trench, it would have to pass through an undersea mountain range in a rather blandly named body of water called 34408XP in the Turquoise Sea." She paused to retrieve a small model jet fighter from her uniform pocket. "To this end, your fighters will be retrofitted with an experimental magical detection device along with several depth charges. With any luck, we'll be able to force it to surface before it gets in range of any Equestrian cities. Then we can hail the vessel and attempt to question it. Depending upon how that goes, we may be forced to destroy it. Why not use bomber pilots, you might ask? Well, that's because there's one last surprise that the lovely engineers of the Equinox left in store for us."

General Dash gestured to Sapphire, who stumbled forward to explain the rest. "In addition to being the world's biggest submarine, it is also a carrier, and is capable of housing roughly 30 planes."

The mare next to Scootaloo raised her hoof. "You've gotta be kidding me. How did they even build this thing in secret?!"

General Dash seemed to forgive the unprofessional tone of her question, "That's another thing we'd like to find out, but we don't have the luxury of time right now. The Equinox will likely reach the trench before the end of the week, so prepare yourselves for transport immediately. You'll be staging out of the ERN Vanhoover, one of the finest carriers in Equestria. Any questions?"

Rumble tentatively raised his hoof. "Who's flying on this op?"

"Everyone here except me and Ms. Sapphire Light."

Scootaloo raised her hoof. "What if we can't find it in time?"

General Dash grimaced, "We're coordinating with the Equestrian Royal Navy on this operation. We'll have several ships stationed around areas where we think it will be. If it does fire a salvo off, it sure as tartarus it won't get a second." She paused, "You're the Wonderbolt Squadron, and that means you're the best pilots in the Equestrian Air Force. I expect a clean mission from you all. Any other questions?" None spoke up. "No? Then you are dismissed!"

The pilots rose from their seats, eagerly chatting to one another about the unusual nature of the mission as they made their way out of the briefing room. Just before Scootaloo left, though, she was stopped by Rainbow Dash. "Scoots," the older mare said with an uncharacteristic worried tone, "Shortwing, I mean. The fate of the world isn't at stake. This is just reconnaissance. So please, nothing crazy, okay?"

Scootaloo internally rolled her eyes but saluted her mentor and superior officer nonetheless. "Yes ma'am. Just reconnaissance. Nothing crazy."

__--Operation: Nightmare Relief Plan--__

Location: ERN Vanhoover, 34408XP, Turquoise Sea

Date: 20 December 1037, 12:10 PM

The day was calm as the fighters launched from the ERN Vanhoover. Some pilots felt uncomfortable with how many weapons were removed from their jets, but they were assured that the numerous depth charges were necessary for the mission at hoof. Thankfully, there were no complications as each plane left the carrier one by one.

A few minutes later, as the fighters traveled toward their destination, their radios crackled to life. The voice was distorted but was still recognizable as General Rainbow Dash's. "All pilots, report in!"

"Blastoff, standing by."

"Egghead, standing by."

Scootaloo excitedly toggled her radio on when it was her turn. "Shortwing, standing by."

"Big House, standing by."

"Iris, standing by."

"..." There was no response from the next pilot in line.

"Rumble, you there?" asked General Dash.

This time, he responded, "...can't I have a different callsign?"

Another voice spoke up, "You don't get to pick your callsign, stupid."

"But it's a filly's name!"

"And yet you keep acting like one!"

"Quiet!" shouted General Dash, "Rumble, please report in."

"...Tumble, standing by."

Scootaloo snickered as she listened to the exchange. She never got tired of hearing Rumble complaining about his callsign.

As the rest of the pilots finished reporting in, General Dash went over the plan one final time. "Each of your fighters is equipped with an MDD, a "Magical Detection Device", that should be able to detect the crystals used in the Equinox's nuclear reactor. If we get enough pings from the MDDs, then we can triangulate its position, and that's where the next stage of the plan comes into play. There are six destroyers from the Equestrian Royal Navy nearby, and each of them is armed with missiles that will drop depth charges into a target area from range. Once you reach your destination, each of you must split up and fly low to the water with your MDDs active. With any luck, we'll find the Equinox, and the depth charges from your fighters combined with the missiles from our destroyers will force it to surface. Once that happens, wait for further instructions."

"Wilco, General," said Iris.

Location: 34408XP, Turquoise Sea

Date: 20 December 1037, 12:43 PM

What started as a very tense half-hour of flying eventually transitioned into boredom as the Wonderbolts flew just above the calm ocean waters. "Any sign yet?" asked Blastoff.

"No," sighed Scootaloo, "Are we sure that the sub is even going to be in this area?"

A new voice popped in on the radio. "It has to pass through here. It's what I would do if I were its captain."

"What? Who are you?" asked Rumble.

The crackle on the radio was noticeably different from General Dash's. Scootaloo surmised that it must have been in a different location. "Sorry, I just got to my station. My name is Aurora Gale, and I'm a former admiral of the Chiropterran Navy. I was brought on to assist with the operation and provide intel."

"Why is a Legionary on our comms?" scoffed Rumble.

General Dash spoke up. "Keep your unhelpful comments to yourself, cadet. Aurora defected to Hippogriffia during the North Zebrica War, and then became a valuable asset to the Equestrian Royal Navy after she immigrated to Manehatten. If she says the submarine is here, then it's here."

"...Fine."

There was a brief silence, then Aurora spoke up again. "If the reports are accurate, and Perfect Shot is commanding the Equinox, then there's something you all need to know about him: He constantly got into arguments with the Legionary Council about how to defeat the mighty Hippogriffian Navy. They wanted to build a fleet of cruisers and battleships, but Perfect Shot wanted them to invest heavily in submarine warfare. He was convinced that it was impossible for Chiropterra to defeat Hippogriffia in traditional naval battles, and as history has shown us, he was right. Chiropterra's fleets were outnumbered four to one, and it only took a single battle for Hippogriffia to completely decimate Chiropterra's naval capabilities." She paused for effect, "Perfect Shot never got over that. He did what he could with his meager amount of submarines, but even with a few minor victories elsewhere, it was nowhere near enough to turn the tide of the war."

"I love a good history lesson!" chimed Egghead.

Scootaloo laughed as she briefly flicked her radio on. "You would."

Aurora continued, "Anyways, my point is: Perfect Shot is a bitter naval officer who is wholly devoted to submarine warfare. The plan you have to catch him is solid, but still, I would advise exercising caution-"

General Dash's voice overrode Aurora's. "Detecting hostiles!"

Scootaloo glanced down at her radar. Sure enough, there were multiple signatures ahead of her. Her heart rate increased as the casual nature of the mission burned away instantaneously. "All Wonderbolts regroup on me!"

Rumble's voice was the first to respond. "You got it, Shortwing."

"Are they confirmed to be from the Equinox?" asked Blastoff.

"They have to be, there's no other ships nearby to launch from," responded Egghead.

"This doesn't make sense, though..." grumbled Iris, "Why would the Equinox give away its position by launching fighters?"

"The Equinox isn't giving away its position," Aurora clarified, "It's trying to hide it by shooting you down before you can locate it."

"How do you know that?" asked Rumble.

"Like I said before, it's what I would do."

Scootaloo glimpsed a few dark blue specks in the distance - the signature color of Chiropterran aircraft.

General Dash spoke up to issue orders. "Destroy all enemy aircraft as fast as you can. We have to locate the Equinox before it escapes into the Mareiana Trench."

Scootaloo took a deep breath as she mentally prepared herself for combat. She'd be lying to herself if she said that she wasn't at least a little bit scared, even though she'd flown nearly a hundred missions by now. But going up against Nightmare Moon fanatics, well, that always unnerved her. She toggled her mic. "Wilco, General."

The Hero of Moonspeaker Harbor

__--Operation: Nightmare Relief Plan--__

Location: 34408XP, Turquoise Sea

Date: 20 December 1037, 12:51 PM

Scootaloo barely had time to register that one of the approaching jets in the distance was firing at her.

"All Wonderbolts regroup on me, NOW!" shouted Scootaloo as she roughly yanked her flight stick back, causing her plane to pitch upwards away from the ocean. She heard a faint tapping noise and glanced to her left, then grimaced as she saw a long, thin streak along her wing's outer layer, just a few inches from her cockpit. Though the damage was superficial, she cursed herself for not reacting faster.

"Iris, regrouping on Shortwing," confirmed Iris.

"Tumble, regrouping on Shortwing. Let's pluck their wings, eh?" Rumble laughed, but the nervousness in his voice was apparent.

"Will regroup soon, currently engaging hostile!" said Blastoff.

Scootaloo grit her teeth. "Finish them and group up, Blastoff! I don't want another friendly fire incident from you!" An ominous beeping noise came from her radar. She cursed herself again; a bogey and a heat-seeking missile were after her.

"The Big House is comin' in on Shortwing. Need help?"

Scootaloo twisted her aircraft to the left in an effort to shake her pursuers. "Get these things off my tail!"

"Roger that!" confirmed Big House.

Scootaloo's heart skipped a beat as she saw the missile zip past her directly above her cockpit. That was two narrow brushes with death within the span of a minute. The adrenaline was fully kicking in by this point. She slowed her aircraft, then briefly fired her guns at the missile that had sped past her. Without much fanfare, it exploded.

There was a flash from behind Scootaloo. "Bogey down!" exclaimed Big House.

One less problem to worry about... sighed Scootaloo. She saw two of her aircraft group up on both sides of her. She was about to issue an order, but then her radio crackled to life again.

"Egghead here, I'm hit! I need help!" Egghead shouted frantically over the radio.

Scootaloo toggled her mic on. "Tumble, you help Egghead. Me and Iris will cover you!"

"Copy that, Shortwing!" confirmed Rumble.

Scootaloo turned her aircraft to follow Rumble. She took a moment to survey the skies. Her squadron was engaged with eight enemy aircraft, and they'd already eliminated one. That meant seven pilots to her six. Maybe if they had double that amount, it'd be an even match, she jokingly reassured herself. Her squadron was the best in Equestria for a reason, after all.

Scootaloo took this opportunity to get a reminder of what she was up against. "General Dash, is the pony who knows the Equinox there?"

"Ms. Sapphire Light has been on comms the entire time, Shortwing."

Then why hasn't she said anything?! she yelled internally. "Sapphire, how many aircraft did you say the Equinox was capable of fielding?

The shy voice that responded was barely discernable over the roaring engines of the skies. "Um, at least 30. Why do you ask?"

"Doesn't it need to surface to launch its fighters?"

Another explosion rocked Scootaloo's eardrums, and her wingmate's voice overtook Sapphire's meek vocalizations. "Boom! Got ya covered, Egghead!" shouted Rumble. Six left, Scootaloo noted to herself.

"Thanks, Tumble! I might need to head back, I'm pretty beat up," said Egghead.

Scootaloo angled her aircraft to get a better look at her friend's fighter. It was positively riddled with holes, and smoke was coming out of one of its wings. "Can you make it by yourself?" Scootaloo asked.

"I think so."

"Go ahead and return to the Vanhoover, we'll make sure no hostiles follow you." Scootaloo adjusted her headset, "Sapphire, what was that you said? I didn't catch it."

"It, um, can launch planes vertically from approximately 50 meters below sea level. That's another reason why the Equinox is a marvel of magical engineering! You see, there's a spell matrix that briefly protects the planes from water, and-"

Scootaloo heard beeping from her radar again. "Thanksfortheinfo!" She immediately pulled to the right, trying to shake the missile off of her.

Curiously, Scootaloo heard a new, distorted voice while performing evasive maneuvers. "One of them is splitting off. I'll divert to secure the kill."

What?

"Did anyone else hear that?" asked Blastoff.

"Judging by how one of them has turned to follow Egghead, I think it's one of theirs," said Rumble.

Another unfamiliar voice popped up. "Roger that. We'll take down these Wonderbolts yet!"

Scootaloo heard Big House's laughter reverberate through her cockpit. "I don't know if they know that they're speaking on an open channel!"

General Dash inquired, "I'm not picking up anything on my end. Are you sure that it's the enemy you're hearing?"

As if to confirm her question, more hostiles conversed with one another. "These Equestrians are better than I thought they'd be, Nightmare save us!"

"Yes, we're sure!" chimed Scootaloo as she listened intently to the increasingly fast beeping on her radar.

General Dash was quick to answer her confirmation. "Then use this to your advantage and don't let them know you can hear them. Remember: Never correct your enemy in the middle of a mistake!"

Scootaloo kept an eye on the missile closing in on her. Rather than try to narrowly dodge it again, she opted to drop flares this time. Not but a second afterward, she heard a muffled explosion from behind her, and the heart-pounding beeping ceased.

There was another explosion in the distance. "Got another one!" cheered Big House. Five left.

Scootaloo turned her attention to the enemy that was chasing after Egghead. She didn't have to change her angle much to chase after it, and it only took a few seconds of firing to down the bogey. Four left.

A hostile's voice popped up over the radio again. "Our brothers and sisters are falling!"

It was then that a deep, resounding voice emerged from the radio. "Don't fear death, fear failure! If our devotion falters, then so will we! Hold to your faith and you will see eternal night reign forever!"

"I know that voice..." said Aurora.

The mysterious voice, definitely a stallion's, continued. "Our mission is more important than our lives, and that gives us the right to take the lives of those who would stop us!"

"Let me guess: that's Mr. Perfect Shot, isn't it?" said Rumble.

"Yeah... that's him, all right," confirmed Aurora, "Just as fanatical as I remember..."

Rumble grumbled in annoyance. "Why is it always the Nightmare Moon cultists causing problems? Why can't they get over the fact that Princess Luna basically disowned them?"

"They don't see it that way. They view Princess Luna as a prison that hides their true Goddess from them."

Scootaloo spotted another fighter accelerating while trying to get behind her. She grinned, then opened her flaps to decelerate. They didn't seem to expect that, as they overshot her, giving Scootaloo the perfect angle to take them down. Three left.

"Shortwing, I see an easy target. Permission to engage?" inquired Iris.

"Go ahead, but stay safe," answered Scootaloo. As she watched her friend veer off, a thought occurred to her. "General? Weren't we supposed to speak with the Equinox's captain? If he's talking on an open channel, then... well, you know."

"Two reasons, cadet. Firstly, I still can't hear them, though the colts and fillies here are working on that. Secondly, we want to force the Equinox to surface so that we can converse with them on our terms, not theirs."

Scootaloo heard more beeping from her radar. She grit her teeth and turned away once more. "Can't these Lunatics lay up on the missiles for five minutes?!"

"Hey! They're Nightmare Moon fanatics, not fans of Luna! Don't associate them with me!" chided Blastoff. "Oh, and by the way, I got another one." Two left.

"Um, don't you have missiles too?" asked the ever-helpful Sapphire.

"I would, except somepony had the bright idea of replacing them with depth charges!" After a few seconds of maneuvering, she realized that she might not be able to evade this missile. Scootaloo slammed her emergency countermeasures button again. More flares were dispensed, and the beeping ceased shortly thereafter.

"Umm, guys?" Egghead spoke with concern in her voice, "My MDD is receiving pings."

Wait, but she's heading back to our carrier...

"All aircraft not engaged with hostiles, regroup on Bolt 6 Egghead when possible, then spread out to maximize the chances of locating the Equinox." commanded General Dash.

"Wilco, general." said Blastoff and Big House.

Scootaloo saw one of the Chiropterran fighters spiral downards, then explode in the distance. "Target eliminated," Iris stated neutrally. One left.

She scanned the skies, then her radar for the final target, but couldn't find it. "Where are you...?" She mused to herself.

"Uhh, where's who, Shortwing?" asked a confused Rumble.

Scootaloo mentally kicked herself again for accidentally leaving her mic hot. Though... I could use his help. "The last target, Tumble. Do you see them anywhere?"

The last hostile pilot seemed to be up to something. "My life for the Nightmare!" she shouted.

There was silence for a moment, then Rumble practically screamed over comms, "ABOVE YOU! MOVE!"

Scootaloo reflexively yanked her flight stick to the side just in time to see a fighter dive straight down in front of her. In that instant, Scootaloo saw the mare in the other cockpit. She looked barely above twenty...

"Nice dodge! I got a good angle, I'll get 'em!" said Rumble.

It took Scootaloo a moment to compose herself after that. "She just tried to take me down with her! These ponies are insane!"

"If they weren't, then we wouldn't be here," said Blastoff.

Scootaloo leveled her plane and kept an eye on Rumble, who was in hot pursuit of the last hostile. Surprisingly, he seemed to be having trouble landing a hit.

"My shots aren't connecting, her transversal is too high," he spat, "Of course she decides to stop being suicidal now that she missed her chance to take you down!"

"Hold on, I'm coming." Scootaloo quickly maneuvered her plane to get a good view of where the target was turning. The target's angle was difficult for Rumble, but Scootaloo bided her time, waiting for her enemy to turn directly away from her... Now! She pulled the trigger, laying a barrage of bullets into the hostile. A second later, smoke erupted from the plane, then it barreled into the ocean. That's all of them.

"Hey, that was mine!" Rumble complained. Scootaloo rolled her eyes.

"It's not a contest, Tumble, we're on a mission." Scootaloo redirected herself to head back towards Egghead and the others. There was something off about that engagement, though. Something that should have occurred, but...

Her eyes lit up as she realized what it was. "Hey, did any of you see them eject from their planes?"

"I wasn't paying attention, honestly," said Big House.

"Come to think of it, no. The one I took down had plenty of time to..." said Iris with a hint of concern.

"Nope, didn't see any. I wonder why..." said Rumble.

That morbid train of thought was interrupted by Blastoff. "I'm getting pings over by Egghead!"

"Copy that. Regrouping on you and Egghead." Scootaloo turned herself around and accelerated to catch up with her comrades.

"One more set of pings and we can triangulate the Equinox," said General Dash. "Remember to keep your airspeed low when you're close to the water."

Over the next few minutes, Scootaloo and the rest of her squadron joined Egghead and Blastoff, then soured as slowly as their fighters would allow just above the deceptively calm waters.

"Come on, moonies, where are ya?" said Blastoff.

"Feels like we're hunting treasure, doesn't it?" Rumble laughed.

Scootaloo was about to respond, but her MDD started registering pings. "Hey, I got a positive with my MDD! General, what now?"

"Give us a moment, our ponies are analyzing the data," responded General Dash.

"Hey, I don't mean to interrupt, but am I still clear to return to the Vanhoover?" Egghead spoke with concern, "My plane is full of holes, and it's starting to make some really worrying noises..."

"You may."

Scootaloo impatiently hummed to herself as she waited for results. This mission was supposed to be just reconnaissance, but the Equinox immediately played one of its crucial cards by responding with force before they could even find it. It wanted her and her squadron dead, and that in itself spoke volumes about what they were dealing with.

General Dash's voice commanded her attention. "Attention all aircraft, clear the area. We've found the Equinox, and are relaying its location to our destroyers. They'll be launching missiles carrying depth charges over where you are shortly."

Scootaloo frowned, then toggled her radio, "General? Should we drop our depth charges too?"

"No, cadet. Hold onto them for now."

Scootaloo sighed in annoyance. Then why do we even have them?! We could have had missiles equipped instead! She opted to keep her frustrations to herself. "Copy that. Clearing the area."

Scootaloo and the rest of the Wonderbolts squadron retreated between their current area and the Vanhoover. Comms were fairly quiet until they started to pick up transmissions from their allied destroyers.

"Target coordinates locked in."

"Commence preparations to fire."

"Missiles ready to launch."

"Line of fire is clear."

"Awaiting launch orders."

"Ready."

General Dash gave the order. "Fire all missiles!" Scootaloo could hear the grin in her voice.

Each of the six destroyers launched a missile that flew off into the distance- Wait, that's... Scootaloo realized that the area they were shooting at was far, far closer than where she and her squad had engaged the aircraft. Still, the missiles popped open to reveal depth charges that were now slowly descending to the sea via parachute. Soon enough, they landed in the sea.

The silence that followed was deafening. Scootaloo held her breath, waiting for something to happen.

First, a muffled boom vibrated through her cockpit, and then a huge splash of water exited the sea. Then another. And another after that. Three more depth charges exploded, and then there was silence again.

"Did we get 'em?" asked Rumble.

In the seconds that followed, a long, deep blue cylindrical shape emerged from the sea. The tip of it rose high into the sky, then splashed back down to the surface. By Celestia, it's huge...

"Equinox spotted; it's surfacing!"

It was a sight to behold. The Equinox looked like it had come straight out of a comic book with its slick, futuristic design and gargantuan runway. It may have been able to launch aircraft vertically while underwater, but they needed a way to return, after all. She thought that it was devoid of surface weaponry at first, but then several panels from the sub retracted to reveal a large arsenal of guns and missile launchers.

Wait a minute. Her eyes went wide as she saw the sub turn itself toward the destroyers. "General! I don't think they want to talk!"

General Dash was quick to respond. "Elaborate, cadet."

Scootaloo's heart raced as she saw a thin, bright red tube just below the water's surface accelerate away from the Equinox. "I think it launched a torpedo!"

"All hooves, brace for impact!" exclaimed one of the allied destroyers.

"General! Orders?!" Scootaloo asked frantically.

Scootaloo heard a muffled explosion behind her. She turned around to see one of her fleet's destroyers listing heavily as smoke billowed out of it.

General Dash took an uncharacteristically long amount of time to respond. "It would appear that diplomacy is no longer an option. All aircraft, engage the Equinox. You likely won't be able to deal significant damage to the hull with your guns, so target its weapons and disarm it."

"Wilco."

If launching a torpedo wasn't enough confirmation of the Equinox's hostility, what happened next was. Several fighters emerged from the vessel and took to the sky, followed by an ominous declaration from the sub's captain: "For nearly thirty years we've prepared for this day! We shall not let godless heathens stand in our way! Destroy the Equestrian fleet!"

Scootaloo could see the ponies on the allied destroyers scramble toward their posts as the Equinox opened fire on them with surprising speed and accuracy. Comms became difficult to parse with the amount of ponies speaking.

"The Equinox is engaging us! All hooves, prepare for combat!"

"We can't drain the leak! Evacuate!"

"We've lost Destroyer Appleloosa! Destroyer Stableside is under fire!"

The skies turned into disorganized chaos as the latest batch of fighters from the Equinox engaged Scootaloo and the rest of the Wonderbolts squadron. She issued what orders she could, but her comrades seemed to have their hooves full trying to evade anti-air guns from the Equinox while also taking down enemy aircraft.

Scootaloo unleashed lead into one of the fighters in front of her. Despite its evasiveness, she landed several good hits on its left wing, tearing it to shreds and sending the fighter tumbling down into the sea.

"Nice one, Shortwing!" exclaimed Blastoff as he flew past her, "I got one on my tail, can you help me out?"

Sure enough, a hostile fighter trailed after him, guns blazing. Scootaloo took a deep breath as she moved in to assist. "You got it."

More hostile chatter popped up as Scootaloo opened fire on the aircraft chasing Blastoff. "Captain, the second destroyer has been eliminated."

"Good. Prepare to dive, we'll take out the rest from where their guns can't reach us."

"But what about their depth charges?"

"Keep the ship at full speed; they won't be able to hit us in time."

"Aye, Captain!"

That's not good. Scootaloo finished off the next hostile, then toggled her radio. "Sapphire, where are the ballast tanks on the Equinox located?"

"Um, there are some all over, but the largest ballast tanks are concentrated at the bow."

Scootaloo immediately pitched her plane downward toward the Equinox. She held her breath as she hailed bullets at the very front tip of the sub. Come on, come on...

The sub began to dive despite Scootaloo's rain of fire. She groaned in frustration, but then she heard more chatter from the enemy.

"Captain! Our main ballast tank has been damaged! We'll have to surface again!"

Scootaloo heard a hoof smash into something metal. "Curse those vile creatures! Just as we were... wait..."

There was a pregnant pause, and then Perfect Shot's next words sent chills down Scootaloo's spine.

"They're listening."

"Making preparations to switch channels, Captain."

"No," Scootaloo heard Perfect Shot laugh. It was almost... maniacal. "Let them hear us."

"But Captain! They'll be able to counter our tactics!"

"No matter. Our mission is righteous and our cause is indomitable. Just as my words inspire our crew, they shall strike fear into our enemies!"

Much to Scootaloo's surprise, the crewpony that Perfect Shot was talking to seemed to accept this as if it were a revelation. "Of course, Captain!"

Also surprising was Rumble's thoughts on that exchange. No quips, no jokes, just shock. "He's insane..."

"You're telling me," Iris laughed nervously, "They got serious guts to knowingly broadcast their comms to us."

"That ain't guts at all, they're just crazy," mumbled Rumble.

Scootaloo twisted her aircraft to the right to avoid an enemy fighter's gunfire. As she did so, she pulled back on her stick to turn vertically in hopes of getting a good angle on her newest target.

The same pony who was speaking to Perfect Shot, likely the submarine's Command Duty Officer, spoke up once more. "Awaiting new orders for when we surface, Captain."

"These Wonderbolts are more troublesome than I expected. Focus all fire on enemy aircraft."

"Aye, Captain!"

Scootaloo tapped her radio. "All Wonderbolts, keep an eye out for weapons fire from the Equinox after it surfaces. We need to take out its guns like General Dash ordered."

"Wilco, Shortwing."

Scootaloo pulled her aircraft away from the smoking cloud where her latest target used to be. She glanced at her cockpit's console; she'd already run through half of her main guns' ammunition. Need to keep an eye on that... she mused.

"Enemy submarine surfacing!" shouted somepony from an allied destroyer.

Just then, she heard another explosion nearby, followed by a scream of exhilaration from her comrade. "Woo, baby! You're in the Big House now!"

"Careful, Big House," said Scootaloo, "These ponies are still a threat, even if they're way less experienced than us."

"Ain't nopony capable of smashing this house down, Shortwing! You worry too mu-" Suddenly, a blinding beam of light cut through the sky, ripping the aircraft of Big House in two. Scootaloo gasped in shock.

"What the hay was that?!" shouted Iris.

Scootaloo looked around for the source of the beam as its energy was dissipating. Sure enough, it had come from the Equinox. She bared her teeth and angrily tapped her radio. "Sapphire! You didn't mention that the sub had magical weapons on it!"

"I um, thought I did! I said it had a lot of guns, and-"

"MAGICAL WEAPONS ARE MORE THAN JUST GUNS!"

"Sorry! I thought it was obvious!"

Scootaloo was furious. Of course the Equinox had magical weapons. It had a nuclear reactor and therefore Focusing Crystals. It was a reasonable assumption for those crystals to power other kinds of weapons too. And of course, it had to be a magical beam cannon of all things. She roared in anger and adjusted her radio again. "They got Big House! I'm going to make them pay for that!"

"Is that... yes, why yes it is." Scootaloo's heart dropped as she realized her error. "I thought I recognized that aircraft. Shortwing, was it?" asked Perfect Shot.

Scootaloo had accidentally spoken on the open channel. She mentally screamed at herself for such a stupid mistake.

Perfect Shot continued to speak without waiting for her to answer. "The pupil of the legendary Rainbow Dash herself, come to stop destiny." He paused to laugh, "Well? What are you waiting for? Stop us!"

Scootaloo roared as she turned her aircraft around. "I WILL!" She pulled her trigger and fired at the Equinox's beam cannon.

"You don't even know why we're here, do you? You're just a slave to history, following orders because that's what you've supposed to do, rather than following your heart and doing the right thing." Sparks rippled across the Equinox's surface as Scootaloo tore apart its beam cannons. "You fight against the only ponies who can bring salvation to a world devoid of true divinity!" Scootaloo's vision seemed to bleed crimson as she pulled up milliseconds before colliding with the Equinox. "What do you have to show for yourself, Shortwing? Loyalty? To a country ruled by two false goddesses?!"

"SHUT! UP!" she screamed as she turned around for another run at the submarine. Unfortunately for her, that was exactly what he wanted her to do.

"All hooves, focus all fire on Shortwing! Ignore all other aircraft!"

...Crap. Scootaloo yanked her flight stick to the side as hard as she could to avoid the hailstorm of bullets that were now whizzing past her. She twisted and turned as much as she could to dodge them; it took every ounce of her skill just to avoid the lethal shots. Multiple scrapes and small chunks of her aircraft were struck by gunfire, turning her pride and joy of a fighter plane into a badly scarred, if still functional aircraft.

"Unlike you, our lives carry weight! And that-"

Perfect Shot's interrogation was interrupted by his subordinate. "Captain!"

"What is it?! I'm busy!" He sounded profoundly annoyed at being cut off from his speech.

"We have multiple hull breaches! We can't dive anymore!"

"When did that happen?!" Perfect Shot sounded positively demented.

"Um, while you were talking, sir."

The hostile comms chatter ceased after that question. Scootaloo pulled enough distance from the Equinox to afford a moment to calm down, though she did turn her plane slightly to get a view of the submarine. At the sight of it, her jaw dropped. Somehow, during that commotion, she and her comrades managed to destroy most of the Equinox's guns, while the remaining destroyers significantly damaged the outer hull. Smoke was billowing outward across multiple areas of the vessel. On top of that, her comrades had managed to clear the second group of hostile aircraft.

Suddenly, General Dash's voice pierced the silence. "Apologies cadets; had to go dark for a bit while our comms were being fixed. I should be able to hear all frequencies now. Somepony give me a report, please."

Rumble was the first to speak. "We... we lost Big House. And General, you uh, missed quite the conversation that Shortwing had with Mr. Crazy Submariner."

"What? You talked with him?"

Scootaloo reached up to toggle her radio, but she heard a resounding sigh before she could respond. "We surrender." She froze. But he was trying to kill me just a minute ago!

Those two words shocked all who were listening into silence. All except for General Dash, who was quick to capitalize on them. "This is General Rainbow Dash of the Equestrian Air Force. Please repeat that with your name and the name of your vessel."

"This is Captain Perfect Shot of the submarine aircraft cruiser Equinox. We surrender! Stop shooting!"

Immediately after he finished speaking, General Dash issued a new order. "All aircraft, cease fire!"

"But they killed Big House!" shouted Blastoff.

Scootaloo was having none of this. "Let's just sink it!" she exclaimed.

"Negative, cadets. We can't attack those who have surrendered. It'd be a breach of international law."

"I repeat, we surrender!" shouted Perfect Shot. He sounded almost desperate.

Rumble spoke with fury in his voice. "Why hold international law so dearly when these freaks keep violating it every chance they get?!"

General Dash seemed exceedingly pissed at her Wonderbolts. "Because I'll have your wings if you don't, cadets! CEASE! FIRE!"

It took every bit of willpower that Scootaloo had to not go for another run at the Equinox, but she obeyed. She took the time to examine her plane. Miraculously, her wings were mostly intact, and not one of the incoming bullets had struck the depth charges attached to her underbelly. Her paint job, on the other hoof...

"We surrender," repeated Perfect Shot, "We are currently making preparations to be disarmed."

Aurora spoke up next. "This is Aurora Gale, former admiral of the Chiropterran Navy and advisor to General Rainbow Dash. Captain, we're 3,000 kilometers from the nearest Equestrian shoreline. Whatever you were planning to do with that railgun of yours, it's not happening.

"You..." the venom in Perfect Shot's tone was incomparable. "I know you. You helped convince the Legionary Council that my ideas were foolish! That we could have defeated the hippogriffs with battleships!"

"That's right, I did. And after making sure that they were going to go through with that plan, I defected."

"When the Nightmare returns, I'll see that you won't live to witness it."

Aurora seemed to take joy in mocking him. "Good luck with that, Captain. I'm safe in Manehatten now."

"Manehatten?" the madstallion began to cackle, "Perfect..."

General Dash butted in before the two could yell at each other any further. "Captain, one of our destroyers is going to approach your vessel. Ensure that all non-vital personnel are ready to vacate your ship ASAP so that our ponies may board it."

"Let me tell you a story, General. Back when I commanded more than a single vessel, back during the North Zebrican War..." Perfect Shot spoke with pride as he recounted the tale, "The hippogriffs had just annihilated our battleship fleet. They were preparing to storm the beaches of Moonspeaker Hollow, and the only thing that stood between them and the sanctity of my home was me, my destroyer, and three submarines."

As Scootaloo flew circles around the Equinox, she noticed a thick strip of metal in the center of the submarine's runway begin to rise into the air. Is that how its aircraft return to the ship?

"Our pegasi ensured that the weather was rough that day, but the hippogriffs still brought two dozen transports with escorts alongside them. And yet despite the odds, me and my small fleet managed to destroy every single one of them. I even landed a shot on their support carrier from over 30 kilometers away. On that day, I came to be known as the Hero of Moonspeaker Harbor."

Aurora couldn't resist another quip. "Too bad the hippogriffs landed uncontested on a different beach that same day."

That riled up the captain. "What do you know of honor?! Of faith?! Of beauty?!"

Scootaloo frowned as she examined the strip of metal further. It wasn't rising straight up, but at an angle, and it was separating to reveal... That's a barrel.

And it's beginning to glow.

"General! He has no intention to surrender!" Scootaloo shouted as she turned her plane and started accelerating back toward the Equinox.

"Wait, Shortwing!" exclaimed Iris.

"Do it now, Shortwing!" exclaimed Rumble.

"Stop attacking immediately!" shouted General Dash.

"Dash, he's charging the railgun!"

"Not according to our sensors he isn't! Stop attacking now! THAT IS AN ORDER!"

Perfect Shot's voice pierced the maelstrom of conflicting messages. "Today marks the eve of the shortest day of the year, and the anniversary of the false goddess Luna's hypocritical speech!" He practically cackled with glee, "Know that it shall be the last day that any pony shall ever see! Target is the Equestrian city of Manehatten! To take the lives of ten million ponies, 3,500 kilometers away, all to break the prison housing Nightmare Moon!"

Scootaloo glanced down at her ammo count. Nearly empty. She took a deep breath as she lined up the railgun in her sights. You're a slave to history, he had said. She pulled the trigger. Well, so are you.

The last of Scootaloo's bullets riddled the base of the railgun, damaging it and causing it to limp slightly. At that same moment, a blinding flash erupted from the superweapon.

"It fired..."

Ten Million Lives

__--Operation: Nightmare Relief Plan--__

Location: 34408XP, Turquoise Sea

Date: 20 December 1037, 1:35 PM

"It fired..." Scootaloo didn't know who said that, but even General Dash over in the Vanhoover could not deny that that ear-piercing sound and blinding flash had just happened.

A veritable whirlwind of voices consumed Scootaloo's comms over the next several seconds.

General Dash's voice was the loudest. "Somepony get me intel! I want to know what the payload of that railgun is now!"

"Um, let me call somepony- er, somegriff from Mount Aris..." said Sapphire Light.

"Uh... did he say he was targeting Manehatten?" gulped Aurora, "I, um, live there."

"Shortwing damaged the railgun as it fired! It might have missed its target!" said Iris.

The clearest voice of all, surprisingly, was Perfect Shot's. "WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"Our aim was disrupted, Captain!"

"LOAD THE NEXT SHELL!"

"See, General! He faked his surrender!" exclaimed Rumble.

"...All aircraft, destroy the Equinox." While Scootaloo could not see Rainbow Dash in person, she knew that it must have been eating at her to know that she was wrong.

"Wilco, General." Scootaloo responded first.

"Wilco," said Blastoff.

"Alright," said Iris.

"With pleasure!" said Rumble.

Just then, several new aircraft launched from the Equinox. Scootaloo and her squadron began to engage them in earnest, all the while listening to the insane ramblings of Perfect Shot as his submarine became increasingly riddled with holes.

"Aim for the base of the railgun!" commanded Scootaloo.

The submarine's CDO spoke up, "Sir! The railgun is damaged! We can't raise the elevation of the barrel!"

Perfect Shot was silent for a moment. "...Clipped wings in the sky is a sign of an ill omen..."

"Captain?!"

"ALL SLOW AHEAD! FLOOD THE AFT TRIM TANKS!"

"But sir, the boat will sink aft first!"

"AND THAT WILL GIVE THE GUN THE ELEVATION IT NEEDS!" Perfect Shot descended into unhinged laughter.

"By Celestia, he's lost it..." said Rumble with utter shock in his voice.

Scootaloo glanced at her ammo count. Only six bullets left. Better make them count. She turned toward the Equinox again, only to hear the missile warning from her radar again. She quickly pressed the emergency countermeasures button, but nothing happened. She pressed it again. And again. Still, nothing happend. Must have been damaged when the sub was shooting at me. She groaned in frustration. "I gotta break off, missiles are on me. Keep focusing on the railgun! It's more important than their aircraft!"

All the while, Perfect Shot continued to ramble into her ears. "Don't you see, Shortwing? Our Goddess will be saved at the cost of a mere ten million lives!"

"You liar! You just wanna kill innocent ponies!" shouted Iris.

"Railgun supercapacitor is recharging," the Equinox's CDO relayed.

"Shortwing," General Dash began, her voice more serious than it had ever been before, "Scoots. I was wrong, I'm sorry. But now: Don't hesitate. They quit being soldiers the moment they faked their surrender."

Scootaloo tried to pull to the right to evade the missile, but her damaged wings seemed to hinder her ability to turn. The beeping grew ever faster and louder, so she resorted to simply accelerating to try and outrun it. Wings don't fail me now...

Through the corner of her eye, she saw muzzle flashes from a destroyer's guns. She hoped that one of them could finish off the Equinox, especially since her aircraft was functionally out of ammo.

"Um, General?" asked Sapphire.

"What is it, Ms. Light?"

"I just got off the phone with Mount Aris. They said that it is, um, very likely that the railgun's payload is nuclear in nature."

"Well isn't that just great?!" General Dash spat, "Do we at least know where that shot is going to land?"

"Um, not yet."

"If I stop responding in, oh, let's say ten minutes, then it blew up Manehatten." Aurora chuckled, though her voice was full of fear. "Though if I am going to die, then please sink his ship before the nuke hits me. I want to outlive him."

Scootaloo sped up her aircraft as fast as it could go, and thankfully, that was enough. The beeping ceased as the missile behind her dropped into the ocean. Unfortunately, more pieces of her already-damaged wings were torn off by the wind.

"Indulge me, then! What makes you and I any different?!" Perfect Shot laughed once more, "You want to kill the two hundred ponies on this boat to save your goddess. I want to kill ten million to save mine. How is that any diferent?!"

Rumble cheered as he landed a barrage of shots onto the Equinox. "Let's give him an answer he can take to the bottom of the ocean!"

"Captain, we're taking on water! We won't be able to maintain the gun's elevation for much longer!" exclaimed the CDO.

"How long until it's ready?!" demanded Perfect Shot.

"Railgun supercapacitor at 55%! Roughly sixty seconds, sir!"

Scootaloo managed to turn her aircraft around without it falling to pieces. She accelerated toward the Equinox, all the while more pieces of her plane were falling off as she sped up.

"Don't you see?! DON'T YOU SEE?! Landing a clean shot on a difficult target to bring forth divine salvation - that is what makes it elegant! That is true beauty!"

"Somepony destroy that railgun! We can't allow it to fire again!" yelled General Dash.

"Railgun supercapacitor at 75%!"

Come on... somepony... Scootaloo looked over the scene before her. The railgun was beginning to glow again, but her comrades were busy being harrassed by the remaining enemy aircraft. The destroyer that was shooting at the Equinox had just received a torpedo delivery and was in the process of sinking. The other three were laying fire into the sub, but then something new happened: magical bubble shields began to manifest in the air between the Equinox and the destroyers. Of course it has that too...

Her heart sunk as she realized she was the only pony currently able to shoot at the Equinox's railgun.

And she only had six bullets left.

Still, she accelerated. She'd have to make those bullets coun-

Wait. Scootaloo tapped her radio on. "Hey, anypony who knows the answer to this: can kinetic force set off depth charges?"

"I think so," answered Aurora, "Why do you ask?"

Scootaloo opted to not answer her. Instead, she eyed a gap in the bubble shields and aimed straight for it.

Even now, Perfect Shot kept talking. "Alas, you don't see, Shortwing! Of course you wouldn't!"

"Cadet, what are you planning?!" asked General Dash.

Scootaloo continued to speed up. The Equinox wasn't far now.

"Shortwing, answer me! What are you planning?" asked General Dash again with genuine worry.

Scootaloo held her breath as she threaded the needle through the bubble shields. She had to keep accelerating to maximize potential damage.

"Scoots! Stop now, please!" pleaded not General Dash of the Equestrian Airforce, but Rainbow Dash, her lifelong friend and mentor.

"Railgun at full charge!"

Perfect Shot laughed once last time. "Commence firing!"

Just reconnaissance. Nothing crazy. Scootaloo closed her eyes. "Sorry, Rainbow Dash."

"Scootaloo! No!"

Callsign: Shortwing

Location: 34408XP, Turquoise Sea

Date: 20 December 1037, 1:42 PM

The first thing that Scootaloo felt was the rushing wind on her face. Then the blinding light. To top it off, her head hurt. She couldn't make out anything. Was she dead? She raised a hoof to her eyes to shield them as they adjusted to... wait, what was that sound? And what's that blue wall in the distance? She tried to piece together what was going on, but...

The laughter of a maniac pierced through her dazed senses: "Don't you see?! Ten million lives! Ten million lives! All it would have taken is ten million-" The voice was cut off by a deafening explosion.

Scootaloo felt the shockwave throw her back into her seat. Wait, she was seated? Her vision was blurry, but yes, she could see that she was seated. Floating in the air, too. The ringing in her ears subsided long enough that she heard the flapping of fabric above her. She looked up. Was that a parachute?

A familiar female voice made its way into her ears. "Scootaloo! Are you okay?! Please tell me you're okay!"

Scootaloo rubbed her eyes and shook her head. She was sitting in her pilot's seat, roughly fifty meters in the air, and she was descending toward the ocean. Not too far from her was the smoldering wreck of the super submarine that she and her comrades had spent a considerable amount of effort to destroy.

Oh, I ejected.

She reached up to adjust her headset. "Um, I'm okay. I think I'll need a new plane, though."

"Oh thank Celestia you're okay. Don't worry, we'll pick you up as soon as the A/O is clear."

It's not clear? Scootaloo suddenly became acutely aware of the roar of jet engines and gunfire above her. Ah, right. Forgot that there were some hostile aircraft left. She wasn't worried, though. With the Equinox destroyed, her comrades could easily mop up the rest of them. All she had to do now was wait.

Location: ERN Vanhoover, 34408XP, Turquoise Sea

Date: 20 December 1037, 4:30 PM

Scootaloo sat in the mess hall alongside the other Wonderbolts. Usually, there'd be a lot of conversation, and they'd be celebrating the success of their latest mission, but this one was harrowing for more reasons than one.

For starters, they were missing one at their table.

"What was Big House's real name?" asked Iris.

Truthfully, Scootaloo didn't remember. That made her feel even worse.

"Smoke Stack," said Egghead. Usually, one of them would crack a joke about her knowing every little detail, but none of them were in the mood.

There was silence for some time. Scootaloo stared at the fruit salad on her plate, but she'd long since lost her appetite. Her mind went back to that blasted captain. He had singled her out and spoken only to her, only paying the barest minimum attention to anypony else. She briefly wondered if he was actually that insane or if he was on some sort of drug. Then again, Nightmare Moon cultists tended to behave strangely, so...

"I'll miss him," said Blastoff.

"Yeah... me too," sighed Rumble.

After another moment of silence, Scootaloo heard hoofsteps approaching them. She turned her head, then reflexively snapped to attention when she saw that it was General Rainbow Dash. Her companions haphazardly joined her in saluting when they noticed as well.

"At ease."

Scootaloo and the others sat back down. General Dash stood at the edge of the table, then tossed a few papers onto it. "Once you're all done here, we'll need you to fill these out. Nothing too important, but it is procedure."

"Yes ma'am," they said in loose unison.

General Dash removed her beret and tried to force a smile. "Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the Equinox missed its target of Manehatten. The bad news is that a popular fishing area just off the coast is now somewhat irradiated, and the shockwave caused by the nuclear explosion broke a few windows."

That's something, at least.

"Furthermore, I have great news: For going above and beyond to prevent what would have been the single greatest loss of life in Equestrian history, you're all going to receive the Equestrian Medal of Freedom, the highest honor that any member of the military can achieve."

Each of them took turns to thank General Dash, but Scootaloo's mind was still elsewhere. The General took notice of this and asked her comrades to leave them for a moment. They nodded, then departed without complaint.

General Dash sat down next to her pupil. "Hey, Scoots? You all right?"

"...Not really."

"Why not? You saved Equestria."

"Yeah I know, it's just..." she bit her tongue.

The older mare reached a hoof out to Scootaloo's shoulder. "You wanna talk about it?"

"...They didn't eject," Scootaloo stared at her plate. "None of them did. Not even the ones who were young enough to grow up outside of the Chiropterra of old. They had so many opportunities to live, but none of them wanted to live in a world without Nightmare Moon."

There was quiet again.

Rainbow Dash sighed, "Some ponies are just... they just find something to hold onto, and they hold onto it so hard that they can't accept anything else. 'Cause if they let go, then that means their entire life was for nothing."

"What about us? What are we holding onto?"

"That's what makes us different, Scoots. We don't hold onto one thing, we hold onto lots of things. Our friends and our families. If one thing falters, then the others keep us floating."

Scootaloo closed her eyes again. "You know, Rainbow Dash? You'd make a good motivational speaker."

That got a good laugh out of her. "Oh please, I would never be caught dead trying to cheer up just anypony. I gotta keep up appearances, you know? I'm a strong, tough old mare."

It was Scootaloo's turn to laugh. "You're not that old."

"Okay, middle-aged, then."

The two of them descended into a brief fit of giggles. Eventually, Scootaloo reached over to hug her. "Thanks. You're the best."

Rainbow Dash reciprocated that hug. "Nah, Shortwing, what you did out there is gonna go down in history. I'm not the best anymore. You are."

Author's Note

I would have liked to make this story a bit longer, but the word limit for the contest was 10,000 words. It is what it is. I hope you enjoyed it, regardless.