A/N: I based this chapter on the intro cutscene for the mission "Wolverines!" from MW2 and the first mission from Ace Combat: Assault Horizon
This is just the first part of the battle for Equestria to eliminate the Akaelian threat in the area, before the Equestrians and the Arcadians join together on the offensive into Akael.
Equestrian Royal Air Defense Command (ERAD)
Stalliongrad, Equestria
5:34 PM (1734)
Inside the facility, which monitors all Equestrian airspace and waterways, one of the many radar operators spotted a cluster of contacts headed towards the Swayback Mountains from the north.
"Sand Delta, we're seeing a group of at least forty bogies in your sector coming from the north, can you verify?" he said as he monitored his screen.
"Heh, very funny, Station. We don't see jack out here, it's all clear." the radar operator at Fort Stable said after seeing that his scopes were clear.
"Sand Delta, be advised, we're running diagnostics to scan for malfunction." the ERAD operator said.
"The skies are all clear, Station. Looks like you have some phantom dots." the Fort Stable operator replied.
The cluster then disappeared, and another similar cluster appeared to the west, passing over Arcadia. "Uh, Sierra Foxtrot, we're seeing at least fifty bogies in your sector, please advise." the ERAD operator said.
"That's a big negative, Station, our scopes are clear, don't know what to tell ya, solar interference? We've had a lot of sunspot activity recently." the radar operator at Everfree RAFB near Manehatten said.
The cluster then disappeared and another appeared near the coast. "Sierra Delta, we may have a minor ACS fault here. Do you have anything on your scopes?" the ERAD operator said.
"THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!" the air traffic controller at Mareami RAFB said in a distressed voice, nearly yelling over the sounds of warning sirens outside.
"Sierra Delta, repeat!" the ERAD operator ordered. "I'm looking at fighter jets and transports over Highway 115, how the hell did they get through?" the controller asked.
The ERAD operator suddenly tensed up, knowing that Equestria may be under attack. "Stand by! Attempting to contact the nearest unit in that sector." he said.
"I read you, this is 2nd Brigade Combat Team (Heavy), 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, Sergeant Rambo, acting commander of Hunter two-three. Do you copy over?" Sergeant Rambo said, having heard the last few transmissions.
"All stations, be advised- satellite surveillance has been disabled. Water Ears and Pave Paws arrays are inoperative at this time." the ERAD operator said, informing all radar stations of the situation.
There was no denying it: Equestria was under attack!
20 miles south of Seahorse City, Equestria
30 minutes later...
Robert stared with steadfast determination out at the sky in front of him through the HUD of his F/A-18E as he and his squadron-mates sped towards Mareami at supersonic speeds.
Their mission was to assist the ERAF in maintaining air superiority over the city as their ground forces attempted to push the enemy back into the ocean. He knew that Rainbow Dash was somewhere out there in the fight, and he was determined to help out at any cost.
"Shadow Flight, Stardust, we have multiple contacts, bearing 100, 65 miles, angels 11. Stay sharp, IFF is attempting to identify." the radar operator on Stardust, the Arcadian E-3 Sentry AWACS that was in orbit in Ocean City.
"Roger, Shadow Flight proceeding to Mareami to assist allied forces, keep us advised on the bogies." Robert replied. Robert's eyes went wide when the squadron approached the airspace in Mareami.
He could see several plumes of smoke rising from the city as well as tracers from Equestrian anti-aircraft batteries. Numerous parachutes filled the sky as gryphon soldiers dropped in from IL-76MD Candid transport planes. "Get ready, Shadows!" Robert ordered as he flipped on his master arm switch.
The other pilots did the same as they prepared for the coming battle. "Stardust to Shadow Leader, bogies are confirmed hostile on direct course to Mareami. You are cleared to engage and destroy." Stardust said after confirming the contacts as enemies. The Equestrian anti-aircraft batteries stopped firing upon the arrival of allied aircraft into the airspace.
"This is Clydesdale One, be advised, multiple contacts! We have missiles in the air!" Captain Ace Swift, an ERAF Typhoon pilot said as he and his squadron engaged the enemy.
"Shadow Four, bandit closing with you, break right!" Angelo said to Megan as he spotted an Akaelian MiG-29S trying to close in on her. "Shadow One, tally bandit at one o' clock, I have him!" Vidal said as he engaged an Su-27 in front of Robert.
"He's mine, Guts." Robert said as he took over the engagement. "I've got your back, boss, he's all yours." Vidal replied as he took up a covering position behind Robert's plane. Robert locked up the bandit and closed in for an AIM-120D AMRAAM shot.
"I've got tone...Shadow One, fox three!" Robert called out as he squeezed the trigger on his control column to fire the missile. He watched as the missile flew off from under the right wing.
"I've got your six!" Vidal said. He turned to engage an IL-76 Candid transport that was approaching from the beach.
"Shadow Two, Fox two!" he called out as he launched an AIM-9X Sidewinder heat-seeking missile. He watched as the missile flew true and struck the Candid on the left side, tearing off the left wing.
Robert turned towards the first bandit and saw a black ball of smoke in the distance. "Good shot, Blaze, he's down!" Angelo said as he confirmed his kill.
"Shadow Two, fox two!" Vidal called out as he struck down a MiG-29 with a Sidewinder.
"This is Edge, I've got one on my six, I can't shake him off!" Megan called out. "Hang on, I've got you!" Angelo replied as he turned to engage the MiG-23. "Shadow Three, fox two!" Angelo called out as he shot down the MiG.
"Thanks, Angel!" Megan said as she turned to engage the enemy. "Clydesdale One, fox two!" Ace Swift called out as he fired an AIM-132 ASRAAM heat-homing missile at an IL-76.
"All allies, be advised, allied transports are inbound to drop infantry into the hot zones, watch your fire!" Stardust said.
Several Arcadian and Equestrian C-17As flew in and numerous parachutes came out from the cargo ramps as the infantry inside dropped into the city to secure the area.
"This is Clydesdale Two, I've got a missile coming at me, I'm turning to evade!" First Lieutenant Gamer called out as he turned to evade an R-73 Archer heat-homing missile that was fired from a MiG-35 that was at his 3 o' clock.
The missile hit the left wing, tearing half of the wing off. Gamer managed to eject safely, dropping his plane into the nearby sports arena.
"Stardust, this is Shadow Three, we have an Equestrian fighter down near the stadium, I have a good chute on the pilot." Angelo said as he spotted Gamer's parachute.
"Roger, directing Chariot Six-One for SAR, Chariot Six-Two remain in reserve. Six-One, Six-Two, acknowledge." Stardust said as he directed some assets in for the rescue of the downed pilot.
"Chariot Six-One, roger." the lead pilot of the HH-60G Pave Hawk squadron replied. "Chariot Six-Two, roger." the wingman replied.
Over the next few minutes, the helicopters made their way near the stadium to extract Gamer, with Scootaloo's unit providing cover.
"Looks like they're targeting Highway 115!" Robert said as he got on the tail of another MiG-35. "Fox two!" he called out as he took down the MiG with a Sidewinder. "Target down!" Robert called out as he confirmed his kill.
Suddenly, a MiG-23 fired an R-60 Atoll heat-homing missile at Robert's plane! "Whoa!" Robert exclaimed as he released a burst of flares and turned hard to dodge the missile, his body straining to stay conscious despite the high G-forces of the evasive maneuver.
"Baseplate, this is Alpha-Six, we're enterin' the city from the north and movin' in to secure the area!" Robert heard Applejack's voice say on the radio.
"Alpha-Six, roger, be advised, Arcadian infantry and IFVs are inbound to support you." Baseplate replied. Applejack's unit was moving in to help secure the city from the enemy ground troops that were attempting to secure a foothold on the city.
"Roger that, we sure can use the help, Alpha-Six out!" Applejack replied. Robert got behind an A-50 Mainstay AWACS and shredded it with his M61A2 Vulcan 20mm rotary cannon.
"Delta Two-Zero to Stardust, we're assisting a search-and-rescue operation for a downed air-pony near the stadium." Scootaloo said as she and the other gunships in her unit flew around, looking for enemy infantry.
She spotted a group of enemy troops on the rooftop of one of the buildings and cut them down with her M230 30mm chain cannon. "Copy that, Delta Two-Zero." Stardust replied.
"Stardust, can you keep those planes off us and the Pave Hawk while we bring it in?" Scootaloo asked. "We're doing our best, Delta Two-Zero." Stardust replied.
"Stardust to Shadow flight, we have an SAR operation underway near the stadium. Keep the bandits away from the area." Stardust ordered.
"Copy that." Robert replied. He and Vidal continued to engage the enemy while Angelo and Megan set up a RESCAP around the area where the rescue mission was taking place.
At this point, most of the enemy aircraft had been destroyed, with very few losses among the Arcadian and Equestrian forces. "Guts, fuel status." Robert said.
"Enough to take down two or three more." Vidal replied. "Roger that, wing, let's finish this!" Robert replied as he took down the last Candid with an AMRAAM.
"Stardust to Shadow Flight, four bandits coming from the east at a very low altitude, bearing is zero-nine-eight." Stardust called out.
"Fuel is into reserves." Vidal said. "Moving to engage. Guts?" Robert said upon hearing Vidal's fuel status update. "I've got enough fuel for them." Vidal replied.
"Roger Shadow Two, keep an eye on your fuel." Robert ordered.
"Bandit on your back, LT, I'm taking him down!" Vidal said as he engaged an Su-27 that was trying to get on Robert's tail.
"Fox two, fox two!" Vidal called out as he took the shot. The Su-27 went down in flames after being hit by Vidal's missile. "You're clear." Vidal said upon seeing his kill.
Robert then spotted a MiG-29 ahead of him that had what appeared to be a robotic gryphon painted on the nose.
"What the hell?" Robert thought out loud. Missile...*Beep*...Missile...*Beep*... went the missile alert as the radar warning receiver went off in Robert's cockpit.
Oh shit! Robert thought as he turned to evade the incoming threat. "OOF!" Robert grunted as the R-73 missile impacted the fuselage, which burst into flames and alarms began to blare within the cockpit.
"SHIT!" Robert exclaimed as he struggled to control his damaged aircraft, barely managing to turn it towards the ocean.
"DAMN!" he exclaimed as he looked around. "Radar...dead. Engines..." Robert thought out loud as he assessed the systems that were damaged.
"Get out of there, Lieutenant, eject!" Vidal said, hoping for Robert to punch out.
"Hit it. Get out, you're on fire!" Vidal pleaded. Robert reached for the ejection handle and tugged with all his might.
The canopy instantly blew and the seat's rocket motor fired, propelling Robert out of the doomed plane, which exploded three seconds later, causing Robert to spin around in mid-air.
"Stardust, be advised, Shadow One is going down, Lieutenant Castellanos is out!" Vidal called out as he saw his flight lead eject.
Seconds later, Robert's parachute deployed, and he stopped spinning. He looked around at the chaos and carnage around him.
"I have a chute! I have a chute!" Vidal said as he spotted Robert's chute. The MiG that shot him down buzzed right past him as he looked at it with a hateful gaze. Seconds later, the MiG came around again, only to be shot down right in front of him.
He looked around for the source of the missile that avenged his shoot-down, and saw a familiar cyan Pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail flying towards him, an ACP missile pack on her back and twin M134 Miniguns mounted on her shoulders.
"Rainbow..." Robert said as he saw her approach. He then looked down and saw that he was nearly fifty feet off the ground.
Several seconds later, he hit the ground and rolled himself around to distribute the force of the landing throughout his body. As he cut off his chute, he saw Rainbow Dash land ten feet from him and the two rushed towards each other.
"Robert! Oh, thank Celestia you're OK!" Rainbow exclaimed as she embraced him, careful not to hit him with her gear as she gave him a quick peck on the lips.
"Good to see you too, sweetheart." Robert replied, thankful that Rainbow shot down the MiG that took him down.
"Look, I'm sorry, but I can't stay long, I gotta get back to my mission, but I am gonna let my guys know that you're OK and tell them where you are so they can send a rescue party for you." Rainbow said.
"I understand, go get 'em, dear...and thanks!" Robert replied as Rainbow flew off, radioing in Robert's location. Robert got out his survival radio and turned it on in case any allied units tried to contact him.
"Blaze, this is First Battalion, Second Royal Marines, Captain Applejack, commander of Alpha-Six, y'all OK over there?" Applejack asked.
"Yes, I'm fine, I just had an unplanned landing, that's all. It's great to hear your voice again!" Robert replied, relieved to hear another close friend's voice.
"Alright, Spectrum just gave us yer position, and we're comin' to ya, just hang in there, we'll be there in five!" Applejack replied. "OK, I'll let you know when I see you, Blaze out." Robert replied.
Suddenly, several bullets ricocheted from a nearby wall. Robert immediately dove for cover and drew his M9 pistol.
Shit, they found me, looks like I'm gonna have to hold out until AJ's unit arrives. Robert thought as he saw four gryphon soldiers approaching from forty yards away. Robert dropped two of them with headshots from his pistol before they returned fire with their AK-47 assault rifles.
Robert carefully took aim and took the other two hostiles out. His eyes grew wide when he saw another group of gryphons approaching.
The gryphon soldiers started firing, forcing Robert to get back behind the wall that he was using for cover.
"Alpha-Six, this is Blaze, be advised, I am under heavy enemy fire. I need help, fast!" Robert said. "Alright, ah'm gonna get ya some gunship support, just hang in there!" Applejack replied.
"This is Firestorm One, I read your last and we're on the way!" an Arcadian Army AH-74 Crossbow gunship pilot said as he flew towards Robert's position. Robert took out several enemies before he had to reload.
"Shit, last mag!" Robert said as he slipped the magazine into the magazine well.
It looked like Robert's last stand. Robert decided that if he went down, he would go down fighting! He took out five gryphon soldiers with headshots before an explosion shattered the group.
"Huh? What the...?" Robert turned and looked to see Applejack and some of her fellow Royal Marines, a wisp of smoke flowing from the M203 grenade launcher under the barrel of her shoulder-mounted M4-P carbine.
"Y'all OK?" AJ asked. "Yeah, good thing you guys showed up, I thought I was toast for a second!" Robert replied.
Just then, the AH-74 flew overhead and came to a hover near the group, strafing the enemy positions with its M230 chain cannon. "This is Firestorm One, engaging enemy troops!" the pilot said as he continued firing.
"Let's go while he has them distracted!" Applejack said, motioning for Robert to follow her and her squad.
Robert recognized one of the squad members as the group's dragon friend, Spike, who was now a lance corporal. "Good to see you again, sir!" Spike said as he gave Robert a quick salute.
Robert smiled as he returned the salute. "Good to see you again too, bud!" he replied. Applejack led her unit and Robert to the parking lot on the other side of the stadium, where the extraction chopper would pick them up.
"Baseplate, this is Alpha-Six, we've located the HVI, he's uninjured and in good fighting shape!" Applejack called into her radio.
"Roger that, Alpha-Six, vectoring Chariot Six-One to the LZ for extraction." Baseplate replied.
Robert spotted the Pave Hawk first and pointed it out to Applejack, who then threw a green smoke marker to indicate the position of the LZ, in the middle of the field.
The Pave Hawk landed near the smoke marker and everyone got on board. "Hey AJ, remind me to have us stop for some apple cider when this is all over, I'm buying!" Robert said in a humorous tone. "Heh, ah'm gonna hold ya to that, sugarcube!" Applejack replied with a chuckle.
The Pave Hawk lifted off and found itself under heavy enemy fire. Several bullets went into the door gunner, killing him.
"HAYSEED! SOMEONE GIT ON THAT GUN!" Applejack ordered. "DON'T WORRY, I GOT THIS!" Robert said as he rushed to the gunner's seat. Robert quickly studied the controls of the ponyfied M134 Minigun.
He quickly figured out that he can use his press up on the trigger, which would normally be triggered by the gunner pressing up on it with his/her lower jaw while biting down on it, with his thumbs while gripping the hoof inserts to aim the weapon.
"LIGHT 'EM UP, ROB!" Applejack ordered as the helicopter continued to take small-arms fire. Robert let loose with a brief burst from the Minigun, then another, annihilating the enemy troops below.
"YEAH, GET SOME, YOU FEATHER-HEADED S.!" Robert yelled as he obliterated the enemy troops below.
Soon, the helicopter flew out to sea, taking a safe route to the AFS Kestrel which had left port three hours earlier. The Pave Hawk landed on the carrier's flight deck and Robert was taken to the sick bay to be examined.
Once the examination was over, he was returned to active flight status. Shortly afterwards, they got some disturbing news: an enemy squadron was headed for Canterlot. What Robert didn't know, was that his squadron would end up participating in an very special, very important mission.