Equestria at War: Beyond the Glass

DATE: 1007 ALB
LOCATION: Fort Dawnstar, Central Equestria

She was finally here, years of hard work and training had led her here. 2nd Lieutenant Fluttershy, a graduate of the Canterlot Military Institute, was now a pilot. Not one piloting a plane, no in fact she was much more comfortable on the ground. But rather a Mobility Suit pilot. She walked through the gates of Fort Dawnstar, receiving a salute from the gatekeeper in a gray MP uniform. She seemed a bit out of place, she was tall for a pilot, regulation put most at well under six feet tall yet she seemed to stand at five feet nine inches tall. Her hair was pink, it had been cut to just above the shoulder to fit with army regulations, and she wore the gray jumpsuit of a pilot. Patches showing her rank and unit number were sewn onto the shoulders. She walked along the paved road through the base, carrying herself with a strange timid nature abnormal for a soldier and even more for a pilot.

She jumped at the sound of tires roaring along the road, she was greeted by a soldier, a private, dressed in the regular sycamore gray uniform and forage cap that regular soldiers wore. He drove a Manehattan Motor Company light truck.

“Colonel Fury heard you were coming.” Said the young man with bluish green hair, his eyes behind a pair of aviator sunglasses. “Said for us to come get ya, ain’t no need for a pilot to be walkin’ like the rest of these bastards, hop in.” He spat a stream of tobacco juice on the ground, almost landing on Fluttershy’s black boots.

“Th-Thank you.” She said, her soft voice carrying the same timid nature she exuded. She sat her duffle bag in the backseat and climbed into the passenger seat. The private started off suddenly and recklessly down the road.

“I was told to take ya to the mobility suit hangar, by the way, you’ll be meetin’ your unit.” They passed by other trucks and logistics vehicles, as well as a line of tracked APCs. It wasn’t long before they reached the tall prefabricated building that was the hangar. The private dropped her off with a salute before speeding off yet again, nearly hitting a soldier walking by. The large sliding doors to the hangar were open, the sound of machinery emanating from within. Fluttershy walked inside, inside was a large Marion M46 heavy duty truck and trailer, a model imported from the Aritrovan Territories. Being unloaded by a crane were the new Mk3 Alicorn Mobility Suits. Suit was a strange name for them, they looked less like suits and more like legged platforms with armored cylinders for bodies and arms on either side of these cylinders.

Right now they were folded up, their legs in a crouching position and arms folded around them like a child in an upright fetal position. Standing near the machines was a single pilot. Fluttershy approached her nervously.

“E-Excuse me.” She said, her voice barely audible over the sound of the recovery vehicle and truck. “Excuse me.” She said again tapping on the shoulder of the pilot, a blonde haired woman in a Stetson style hat unbecoming of a soldier and mismatched with her jumpsuit. She turned around to face her, revealing her captain’s markings. Fluttershy stood at attention immediately. “Excuse me, C-Captain, are you with Dawnstar Company?”

“Why yes we are, Lieutenant…?” Her voice carried a southern accent.

“Fluttershy, Lieutenant Fluttershy, Captain.” Her voice was louder now, less timid.

“Captain Applejack, Lieutenant, let’s head outside where it’s quieter.” The two headed outside of the hangar. “I reckon you’re that new officer fresh out of pilot school.” She said, leaning against the wall of the building.

“Yes ma’am, just graduated, C-Captain.” She answered in a formal manner.

“You can lose the formalities sugar cube, unless Colonel Fury walks by that is.” She let out a boisterous laugh, Fluttershy let out a shy, quiet laugh. “I heard you were too of your class too.”

“Really? Where’d you hear that?”

“It’s been all the pilots could talk about, of course I’m a bit surprised, no offense but you’re… not quite what I was expecting.”

“I heard that a lot when I was training, I guess I don’t seem like a soldier to most.” Fluttershy said with a more confident sounding voice as she grew more comfortable talking to Captain Applejack. “But I’m a graduate of the Canterlot Institute, I was squad leader in basic and-“

“Pardon me, Lieutenant.” Captain Applejack said, cutting her off. “That stuff don’t matter, so long as you can pilot and fight you’ll do us good.” The truck and crane left the hangar, allowing the duo to go in and check out the newer mobility suits. The Mk3 Alicorns were tall, even when fully folded they stood over the two of them. They had a large armored body with a head made up of scanners and sensors protected by a spherical cover resembling a head. They had five fingered hands for holding the large autocannons they would wield in combat. Mounted on the sides of their armored torsos were smoke launchers. “I must say these new suits don’t look too different from the old ones.”
“You haven’t piloted the Mk3 yet?”

“You’re sayin’ you have?” Applejack looked at the Lieutenant with a bit of surprise.

“They brought one to the institute, since I was the top of my class I was allowed to operate it. The changes are in early warning systems and sensors, they also added a connection to sights on the cannons.” In the past, the Mk4 Autocannons had been fired from the hip without a proper sight.

“Well what’d you think.” Fluttershy thought for a moment.

“It was… smoother than older models, and the sensors allowed for more advanced movements and made me more aware of my surroundings.” The older models had only the camera and viewport to allow for travel, which limited visibility significantly.

“So they’re an upgrade from the old ones, I had heard. Of course I didn’t hear about retraining.”

“They’re functionally the same machine, just with updated displays.”

“I see.” the ground shook as the roar of jets filled the air, three Raven fighters flew over the base. “I swear, those air corps fellers fly lower and lower every time they pass over.” Applejack shook her head and picked up her hat, which had been blown off her head. She looked back at the young lieutenant. “Well, welcome to the MS Corps, Lieutenant.” They saluted one another.

DATE: 1557 UMC
LOCATION: Fort Patriot, Edge of Castletown in the Anders Territory

1st Lieutenant Josiah Williams leaned against the guardrail of the upper level of barracks. The sun was starting to set, easing the late summer heat. Two months, that was how long he had been there in this foreign land, away from his family. Well all but Captain Poppy Williams, his sister, a pilot in the Federal Air Service. Right now he didn’t know where she was, usually they would spend supper together in the officer’s mess, seeing as Fort Patriot acted as both an army base and air base with a large airport.

“Tensions are heating up.” The voice of 1st Lieutenant Mornia Fenna, a MS Pilot and Foxfolk, one of the few in the Knights’ Corps. She was shorter than Joey, who was rather tall, with gray fur like that of a southern gray fox. She hailed from Williamshire, in southern Aritrova.

“Where’d you hear that?” Josiah asked, turning to face the Lieutenant.

“It’s in the news, the radio’s been shouting about it for hours, said the Equestrians are putting soldiers near the border. Josiah scoffed.

“I don’t believe it, they say that all the time, besides, they’d have started deploying men to the outposts if they were.”

“What makes you so sure about that?” She leaned on the guardrail. “Ya know they don’t put us pilots up for border guards, no we’re the lucky ones.”

“My sister flies the transport planes that carry men and supplies out to the border, last we talked she said she hasn't been taking any more soldiers there than usual, just the usual border guards.”

“Speaking of sisters.” A young woman with cat like ears atop her head said as she walked up to the two pilots.

“Poppy, I was wondering where you were.” Josiah smiled. “We were supposed to meet at the officers’ mess.”

“Had a meeting with Colonel Strong, I’ll be leaving in about an hour.” Her accent, unlike Josiah's, had a more Westlander sound to it.

“Really? I didn’t know they’d be moving border guards this late.”

“It’s a cargo load, I’m flying it to Outpost 116.”

“Must be carrying guns, I’m telling ya Joey, they’re getting ready for a war.” Josiah rolled his eyes at Mornia.

“Wonder what Captain Silvo says, ya know she can’t stand your ramblings.” Mornia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms annoyed.

“I’ll fucking scratch ya.” She declared in a half joking half serious manner.

“Do you want me to scratch you?” Poppy drew her cat like claws, a common sight on Nekos. The two then laughed loudly, Josiah joining them. They laughed for some time before it slowly faded. “I have to go now, Lieutenant Hart’s waiting for me on the strip.” She gave her brother a hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow Joey.” She looked at Mornia. “Touch him and I’ll kill you.” She retracted her claws and left the two. As Poppy left, a soldier in olive drab fatigues ran up.

“Lieutenant Williams, sir!” He saluted Josiah. “You’ve been called to the MS Hangar, someone wishes to see you.” Josiah lifted an eyebrow.

“Who?”

“They didn’t say, just someone from Vanderbilt Industrial.”

“Very well, dismissed Corporal.” The soldier finished his salute and darted off. “Guess I’ll head to the hangar, don’t know what someone from Vanderbilt’s doing here this time of day.” Mornia simply nodded, and Josiah left. After a long walk from the barracks he reached Hangar D, a building shaped like a shrunk down aircraft hangar. Parked outside was a Rodderman van painted black with a white V painted on the side. A fully armed and dressed soldier stood at the side door to the hangar, Josiah entered without issue seeing as he wore a pilot’s jumpsuit. It was dark now, the only lights being a strand of dim lights hanging from the ceiling. It was to save power while allowing guards patrolling enough visibility to work. Lining the path through the center were KS-6 Mobility Suits called Saints. They all sat folded with only their sensor heads sticking up, even their communications antenna was folded away. “Hello?” He called.

“Hello.” A familiar voice said, Josiah turned around to see someone appearing from behind one of the suits. He was a short man, much shorter than Josiah at close to a foot shorter. He wore a regular blue business suit that seemed a bit oversized on his smaller frame. Unlike Josiah who had brown hair he had black hair that seemed rather messy for a businessman.

“Matt…” he smiled, the young man, Matthias Fuller was his name, was Josiah’s lover back home. “How’d you manage to get here.”

“They sent some folks here to look at the suits, I managed to convince them to let me come.”

“Just couldn’t be away from me, could ya?” Josiah pulled Matt into a hug and planted a kiss on his lips. A moment later they were outside catching up, neither of them had anything interesting to say, besides work and constant drills in the suits.

“I heard it’s getting serious over here.” Matt said after Joey finished his story about the time Mornia got stuck in a tank while drunk. “Something about more soldiers going to the border.”

“It’s all stories, Mornia told me that the news has been talking about it all day. You know the news gets all out of whack when it goes through the mirror, it’s gotta pass through a portal and across a sea and continent. You don’t need to worry yourself about it.”

“I hope you’re right, dear… I worry about you here…”