July 2, 2016
Jockey Bay, 130 miles east of Ocean City, Arcadia
The Arcadian Navy aircraft carrier AFS Kestrel (CVN-30) was heading to her home port in Ocean City. Her air wing, CVW-4 was just minutes from commencing the fly-off to its home base at NAS Angel Peaks, just north of New Dream City.
Among those units was the 20th Naval Strike Fighter Squadron, an F/A-18E Super Hornet squadron led by Lieutenant Robert Castellanos, call-sign "Blaze", one of Arcadia's best naval pilots and a Top Gun graduate.
Robert was what many called a "textbook pilot", well known for his tenacity and daring, sometimes doing things that other pilots wouldn't dare to.
He graduated from flight training at the top of his class and made lieutenant in just three years.
He was highly respected by his fellow Arcadian pilots, especially the squadron-mates under his command, as well as his Equestrian counterparts, some of which flew the same aircraft he does, the Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet, nicknamed "Superbug" by the pilots who fly it.
His wingman, Lt-jg Vidal Amador, call-sign "Guts", was proud to fly on Robert's wing, and would always watch his back while in country.
Just another day. Robert thought as he stood on the flight deck near the island, staring at the sea ahead.
He thought about his close friend First Lieutenant Rainbow Dash, a member of the Sky Marshals (Equestria's special air combat force) in the E.R.A.F.(Equestrian Royal Air Force), and the cruise they would be taking on leave in the next three weeks.
The strike group was returning from a typical cruise projecting power and helping to keep the sea lanes secure and open for commercial traffic, relieved by the AFS Richard Mason strike group.
Since the Republic of Akael on the other side of the Atlantic, began stepping up naval and air activity, both allied nations had been on an increased alert status.
Robert was in his flight suit, ready for today's fly-off, his wingman right behind him as they walked towards their planes.
Five minutes later, Robert and Vidal's planes were on the #1 and #2 catapults on the forward end of the ship. Upon receiving clearance, Robert shoved the throttles forward and placed his right hand on a handle on the canopy arch.
Two seconds later, the plane jolted as the catapult triggered, launching Robert's F/A-18E off the deck and into the sky. Vidal's plane launched seconds later, and over the next two hours, all of the carrier's aircraft had flown off.
Cloudsdale Royal Air Force Base, Equestria
First Lieutenant Rainbow Dash had just finished a training exercise with her unit, the Wonderbolt Squadron. Normally, the Wonderbolts are an air show team that carry out spectacular shows all over Equestria, and even some shows in Arcadia. However, they are also Equestria's best Air Combat Pegasus (ACP) squadron.
Rainbow was second in command, under the squad leader, Captain Spitfire. Rainbow was well know all throughout Equestria for her ability to perform the "Sonic Rainboom", a spectacular colorful aerial phenomenon that occurs whenever she breaks the sound barrier, creating a dazzling colorful ring of light.
Her undying loyalty to her teammates and her other friends, which is unlike any other, has earned her lots of respect among the ranks of her fellow fliers, and she is even expected to be promoted to captain soon.
Her daring, gung-ho attitude has caused her to do many things that have nearly gotten her killed in the past, but she knew that she could always count on her friends and comrades to help her out, and that they could count on her as well.
Since the day she became a Wonderbolt, her popularity had increased dramatically, and soon, she had friends and fans alike all over the world.
She had just gotten off for the day and was returning home. As she stared at the sky, she thought of Robert, her human friend from Arcadia. The two had met shortly before they went off to training three years ago and became close friends fast after discovering that they had many common interests.
I'll bet he's having as much fun as I do. Rainbow thought as she went inside her cloud house. She was excited because she and Robert were going to be on leave in less than a month, taking a cruise to relax and unwind.
Fort Troy Tank Gunnery Range, Hoofington, Equestria
First Lieutenant Applebloom and her tank crew were putting their Leopard 2A7+ main battle tank of 1st Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 6th Armor Regiment through its paces at the base's armor gunnery range.
Inside, PFC Twist was manning the main gun, Cpl. Roseluck was driving, and Pvt. Lyra would load the main gun as needed, using her magic to quickly transfer 120mm shells from the magazine compartment to the gun and into the breech.
"Gunner, target, tank 2 o'clock, 100 yards Load up sabot!" Applebloom commanded as she spotted a target tank. Lyra quickly used her magic to bring a APFSDS (Armor-Piercing, Fin-Stabilized, Discarding Sabot) round into the breech of the main gun and shut the breech once the round was in place.
"Sabot up!" Lyra yelled over the interior noise once the round was loaded up. "Identified!" Twist called out once she had the target in her sights. The targeting computer calculated the exact place to point the gun to insure that the round was on target and the large cross-hair was placed over the indication on the display screen by Twist using her gun controls.
"FIRE!" Applebloom called out.
"On the way!" Twist responded loudly.
Everypony braced as Twist pressed the trigger on her controller.
BOOM! The tank jolted back with the recoil as the main gun fired. A wisp of smoke flowed out of the barrel as the shell hit its mark. The breech opened up and the end-cap of the shell fell out and into a bin on the floor below.
"War Horse, this is Command, exercise is over, bring it in." came a call on the radio.
"Roger that, heading in now, War Horse out." Applebloom replied.
"OK, let's head back." Applebloom said. Roseluck turned the tank towards the range exit and drove out.
Applebloom was well known for her ability to think quickly and incredible leadership, both of which led to her quickly reaching the rank of first lieutenant and becoming a tank commander.
She was well respected among her fellow tankers and for being the younger sister of Applejack, a well-known captain in the Royal Marines and Corporal "Big" Macintosh, an incredibly tough yet well-mannered Army soldier.
Roseluck pulled the tank into its parking spot in the tank hangar and shut off the engine.
"Wow, that was a lot of fun!" Twist said as she climbed out of the turret.
"Yeah, I always get a kick out of this bad boy!" Roseluck replied as she jumped to the ground from the front of the tank.
"Ah'm not gonna lie, y'all all did great out there, y'all all once again helped show why we're the best tank crew in the battalion!" Applebloom said.
They walked to the lounge, ready to rest after a day on the range.
Fort Stable Infantry Barracks, Detrot, Equestria
Cpl. "Big" Macintosh was at the base shooting range, ready to carry out a target practice session with his shoulder-mounted G36P assault rifle. The ACOG sight was made to line up perfectly with his right eye while firing, and a trigger pulled with his mouth fired the weapon.
"Stand by!" the line coach called out as Mac and his fellow soldiers prepared to fire.
"FIRE!" the line coach called out. All at once, the soldiers deactivated their safeties and started firing at their targets down the line.
Once their magazines were empty, they were automatically ejected from the weapons. Each soldier quickly reached down and reloaded with a spare magazine from a small pile on the table next to him/her.
"Cease fire, cease fire!" the line coach called out after the soldiers had emptied their second magazines. The targets were then retracted towards the firing line for evaluation. The line coach, a well-experienced sergeant named Bulletstorm, walked down the line examining each soldier's target carefully.
"Well, I think it's clear who's still the top shot of the squad!" Sergeant Bulletstorm said, turning to look at Big Mac. His target had the smallest grouping of hits, which were all on or near the bulls-eye on the center of the target.
"Well, it's all because of the practice ah've had, Sarge." he said with a proud grin.
"Well, if we ever go out into the field, those skill will save your life and that of your squad-mates, Corporal. Your sister will be proud." Bulletstorm replied.
Big Mac smiled as he looked at his teammates, soldiers of the Equestrian Royal Army's 20th Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team (Heavy) "Hunter".
Fort Stable Heliport
CW2 Scootaloo, call-sign "Scooter" and her co-pilot/gunner CW1 Bon-Bon had just climbed into their AH-64D Block III Longbow Apache helicopter gunship of 1st Battalion (Attack), 1st Aviation Regiment, Company A, Death Dealers.
They were about to carry out a short single-ship weapons exercise at the Celestia Gunnery and Bombing Range in the mountains near Canterlot.
"Starting her up!" Scootaloo called out as she started up the chopper's twin T700-GE-701D 2,000shp turboshaft engines. Bon-Bon got ready to activate the helicopter's rotor mast-mounted AN/APG-78 Longbow fire control radar.
The aircraft was carrying the standard multi-mission practice load-out: 4 AGM-114S Hellfire II practice missiles with spotting charges in place of warheads, 38 Hydra 70 70mm FFAR (Folding-Fin Aerial Rockets) with M274 smoke generating practice warheads in 2 M261 19-tube launchers, and 4 AIM-92 Block II ATAS (Air-To-Air Stinger) heat-seeking missiles fitted with dummy warheads in dual box launchers fitted to the Apache's wingtips.
In addition, the magazine for the helicopter's M230 30mm single-barrel chain cannon contained a practice load of 500 rounds.
The course was simple: first, a set of small targets that would be engaged with the gun, followed by a short transit to the next area, where they would practice with their Hellfires, followed by a similar area for practicing with their Hydras, and finally, a flight of target drones would be launched for the Apache to shoot down with its ATAS missiles.
After receiving clearance from the control tower, Scootaloo pulled up on the collective with her left hoof and the helicopter began to rise from the ground.
The two aviators had already turned on and calibrated their IHADSS monocle displays, which were mounted onto their helmets and lined up with each pilot's right eye.
Scootaloo was strapped to a special harness that was connected to the flight control system, all she had to do was move her body in a certain direction and the helicopter would fly in that direction.
It took some practice, but the pilots were accustomed to it in a short time.
Scootaloo activated the helicopter's navigation system that took them through a series of waypoints that would lead them to the range. She leaned forward slightly and the helicopter began to fly forward.
Scootaloo skillfully followed the waypoints to the range, arriving in the first area in ten minutes before bringing the aircraft to a hover.
"Weapons hot!" Bon-Bon called out as she armed the weapons systems.
A cross-hair appeared on both pilots' IHADSS and Scootaloo turned her head to look at the first target before touching the FIRE touch-key on her display, which was a large touch-sensitive display screen.
RATATATATATATATAT! A short burst of several rounds fired from the M230 and struck the target with fiery results.
"Nice shooting, Scooter!" Bon-Bon exclaimed as she watched Scootaloo work her gunnery magic. After several more short bursts, all of the targets had been shot up, with 168 rounds left in the gun.
"OK, next area, here we come!" Scootaloo said as she brought the gunship on course towards the next area. After a short two-minute flight, they reached their destination, where a set of four target tanks were waiting to be shot.
Scootaloo brought the helicopter to a hover near the targets while Bon-Bon activated the laser designator in the helicopter's nose-mounted TADS (Target Acquisition and Designating System) sensor turret.
She also acquired the targets on the Longbow radar, one of which appeared on the IHADSS as a diamond. The cross-hair on the IHADSS displays was replaced by a broken-lined box. Bon-Bon turned her head to look at the nearest target, pointing the laser designator in the TADS turret at it in the process.
"Locked on!" Bon-Bon called out as the box jumped onto the diamond, the broken lines of the box on the pilots' IHADSS turned solid, indicating a lock-on.
"Firing!" Scootaloo called out as she fired one of the Hellfires. The missile shot up and arched down, striking the target's top. A small burst erupted from the impact point and a large colored spot appeared on the area, a sure sign of a good hit.
Bon-Bon and Scootaloo repeated the process with the other four targets, all of their shots resulting in direct hits.
"Next area!" Scootaloo said as she skillfully piloted the gunship towards the Hydra practice area. Upon arrival, she brought the aircraft to a hover near the targets, which were made to look like infantry groups, light vehicles and small structures.
"Rockets armed!" Bon-Bon called out as she switched to the Hydra rocket pods. The box on the IHADSS displays changed into an "I" symbol.
Scootaloo carefully rotated the helicopter using her hind hooves on pedals located under the instrument panel to line up with the first target, indicated by a diamond.
"Firing!" Scootaloo called out as she fired four rockets at the target. The rockets hit, and orange smoke began to rise from the impact points.
She repeated the process with the rest of the rockets, and soon after, several columns of orange smoke were rising from the targets.
"OK, last area: ATAS practice!" Scootaloo said as she turned the helicopter towards the last practice area. Once they arrived after a short two-minute flight, four BQM-74E Chukar target drones that were launched earlier arrived in the airspace.
"ATAS armed!" Bon-Bon called out as she switched over to the ATAS. The "I" symbol for the Hydras changed into a broken-line box similar to the one for the Hellfires, but this one had a smaller, solid box in the center.
One of the drones was acquired, and a familiar diamond appeared on the IHADSS. Once a lock-on was achieved, the box jumped onto the diamond, the lines of the outer box turned solid, and a tone began to sound in both pilots' headphones.
"Fox two!" Scootaloo called out as she launched one of the Stingers. The missile homed in and struck the drone.
The missile had no explosive warhead, and the drone simply fell to the ground, a parachute opening several seconds later. Scootaloo locked onto the second drone and fired, this missile also hit its mark. The other two missile shots had similar results, all four drones falling to the ground.
"Alright, that's it for this round, let's head home!" Bon-Bon said as she flipped the weapons master arm switch to SAFE. Scootaloo turned the helicopter towards the final waypoint: the heliport at Fort Stable.
After a smooth flight, the gunship was approaching its helipad.
"Delta Two-Zero, this is Alpha X-ray Four-niner, you are cleared to land." the controller said after acquiring the Apache on radar.
"Roger that, this is Delta Two-Zero coming in." Scootaloo replied as she reduced altitude for landing. After a smooth approach, the landing gear touched the ground with a very slight bounce.
"Engines off." Scootaloo said as she placed the collective all the way down and shut off the engines. The rotors slowed down and eventually stopped spinning. Scootaloo and Bon-Bon climbed out of the cockpit and walked towards the ready room in the nearby building.
"Wow, that was fun!" Bon-Bon said.
"Yeah, but just imagine if those missiles had live warheads!" Scootaloo replied.
"Yeah, those would have been some incredible fireworks!" Bon-Bon said as the two aviators trotted inside.