Romeo and Juliett

>You are Twilight Sparkle.
>And war has Equestria in its iron grip.
>The gryphons are invading.
>Temporal rifts are opening up throughout the kingdom that you and the Princesses govern.
>Welcome to office, Princess.

>The Princesses know of your incredible genius and effectiveness.
>They wanted you involved in the war in hopes that you can help Equestria snatch victory from the advancing gryphon army.
>But of course they would not have you in any sort of combat position
>No, they appointed you as the head of the Equestrian Wartime Research (EWR) department
>Since then you have directed your department to developing several weapons key to pushing back the Gryphon offensive
>Many based on colorful descriptions provided by a dear friend and product of the spatial anomalies, Anonymous
>Chemistry had recently been a new field somewhat akin to alchemy and is in its experimental stages
>Thanks to help from Anonymous and his previous experience in chemistry, he helped advance the field decades past the work we already had.
>Your department since then has developed numerous chemical weapons to be used against the gryphons and drugs for medical use, such as painkillers
>New inventions have been integrated into the Equestrian army, from infantry firearms to great swiveling guns that shot pegasi and gryphon alike out of the sky.
>The research department has found out a way to apply magical properties to munitions and the containers that hold them.
>The EWR is responsible for industrial development all across Equestria.
>Factories, as Anonynous would call them, pumping out the new weapons by the masses.
>You remain cold and unfeeling to the losses and suffering on both sides despite the weapons that you and the EWR devise.
>Despite the implications of Anonymous belonging to such a warlike species.
>But what were we now?
>This is a war that that has to be won.
>The gryphons would surely kill us all if we do not.
>You remember how it all started.

>It was just a month ago
>Princess Celestia was meeting with the Gryphon emperor
>It was somewhat of a haze in your mind
>You and Luna were assigned to supervise the event
>You had cast a spell to be able to hear what they were saying from afar
>You stood, watching, listening, from your balcony
>"So, Your Highness, are you in agreement with these borders?"
>Unsure with the redefined borders, the Emperor sits quietly for but a moment, then speaks up.
>"I er... suppose it could do with a small amount of revision."
>Celestia sighs quietly in frustration.
>Apparently these talks have been going on for months.
>A break is called, and the two rulers part ways, walking down the steps to separate chambers
>But the Emperor lingers in the main hall
>Possibly for too long
>Shards of glass rain down from above as the skylight is shattered as he speaks with a pair of his guards
>As ducks for cover, several bolts of magic rain down upon the group of three
>You see the Emperor get struck by two, and he collapses.
>A bolt comes in your direction, annihilating the balcony on which you stood
>You hit the ground, and the next thing you remember is waking up in your royal chamber, with a doctor at your side
>The familiar bed
>And a bandage around your head, wrapped just below the horn
>Celestia comes in
>"Twilight, I'm so glad you're awake, but I'm afraid we have urgent matters to discuss."
>She gives you a somber look
>You know she is about to give you bad news
>"The Gryphon Kingdom has declared war."
"... What?"
>"Somepony assassinated their emperor, and they are inclined to believe that we were behind the plot."
"Did we catch the assassin?"
>"All we know is that there were multiple. And no, they seem to have disappeared off of the face of the planet."
>You lay there in your bed, dumbfounded

>The heart monitor beside you begins to beep faster
>"I know this is terrible news, but due to the urgency of the situation, we have established the Equestrian Wartime Research department. Luna and I have decided it would be best to place you in charge of it."
>You don't want to, but you know you must accept.
"Y-yes. I accept this duty which you have bestowed upon me. I will ful-"
>Celestia gently puts a hoof to your mouth
>"Thank you, but that is not necessary. You need your rest."
>Celestia trots quietly out of your room to let you consider your next course of action.
>You lay there, thinking
>"Hey."
>Again.
>"Hello?"
>You blink.
>You are withdrawn from your daydreaming by a stallion in a white labcoat.
>"Hey, are you there?"
>You blink again and shake the thoughts out of your head
"Yeah, sorry, heh..."
>"We think it's ready."
>You feel nervous.
>You have directly involved yourself in the research for this project.
>Anonymous once again made himself useful with his detailed description of military technology from his home world.
>The Equestrian military required a new type of flight.
>Pegasi are too feeble and are often outmatched by stronger, faster gryphons in the air.
>Gryphons currently have air superiority in the ongoing war.
>A new development involving cunning design, advanced mechanical science, ingenuity, and arcane magic.

>Despite putting all of your heart and soul into this new technology, you bite your lip in hopes that it will work.
>It strikingly resembles a pony in form, even personality, despite being (arguably) mechanical.
>With prehensile wings resembling those of high-speed fighter aircraft as Anonymous described that allow it to maneuver in the air quickly, featuring hardpoints for various armaments
>Twin turbojet engines mounted in the back for high speed
>Vertical stabilizers near the back
>Advanced sensor and communication array mounted on the neck, to serve as the head
>Ground mobility enabled for combat environment flexibility in the form of four legs
>Indeed, its outer anatomy is analogous to a mechanical pegasus
>Made of magically enchanted alloys that grant it the flexibility and range of motion of a regular pony
>7.92mm machine gun mounted in the chest pointing forward
>And here in front of you it stands, in its off-state.
>It is magically enchanted to give it autonomous abilities, emotions, the ability for it to think for itself.
>One could say it is actually a living thing, and you want to disagree.
>But instinct tells you it's alive.
>You go up to it, and mutter under your breath.
"Let's see if this works"
>You and several underlings (You like to think of them as colleagues) hold your collective breath as you open the protective cover and flip the switch.
>It opens its eyes, gathering information about its surroundings.
>It speaks in a vaguely robotic voice
>"Test model 04B active. Reporting for duty."

>You look at the small console screen provided near the power switch.
[PLoNY-OS v0.1]
visual_sensors....R-100% L-100%
audio_sensors....R-100% L-100%
vocal_module......100% / M
legs...................RF-100% LF-100% RB-100% LB-100%
ID_FoF...............7B4AE0DA9A5E780EB9B45DC067031DA7
MG...................100% / 400 RND
radar.................100%
>You skim the rest of the numerous readings.
>The readings show that all systems are working at 100%.
>You make a few configuration settings and adjust the vocal module to mode F.
>Nodding to yourself, you flip the cover closed and you order everyone outside for target practice.
>You and the others walk the new machine to the freight elevator.
>You step inside and hit the button to be brought to the surface.
>You look to your left and see the new prototype PLoNY.
>Looking right, you see excited colleagues who smell a turn of the tables in the ongoing war.
>You yourself are nervous just as before. You have never seen technology like this in action, but today is the day.
>The day that the air war changes or the day that you try again.

>You can hardly think straight, but you make it to the top of the elevator shaft.
>You take a deep breath of the cool, refreshing night air, knowing that after this test session, you will be retreating back underground.
>You work in a vast subterranean facility located in a mountain a couple hours by train outside Ponyville.
>You suppose it's nice to work close to home, but you have more important things to be doing.
>You and the rest of the group trot out of the elevator
>To your left appears a rack from the floor: aerial targets transported up from underground
>You levitate five into the air and set them on flight paths some distance away.
"Five targets. You know what to do!"
>"ENGAGING."
>This time, its voice is feminine, yet still robotic; it makes you smirk.
>The PLoNY enters a crouched position for a moment, you swear you see a smirk form on its face, and it pounces up into the air
>You hear the engines roar to life and the prototype accelerates quickly
>It banks into the flight path of one of the targets and fires its built in MG
>A short burst on the first target and it explodes
>Firing off two missiles, they both bank and turn and strike their intended targets.
>Targets two and three explode.
>"Oh!"
>"Nice!"
>You smile at your vocal colleagues and watch the PLoNY down the last two targets with its machine gun.
>They both explode a distance over your head, and you cast a shield on your fellow scientists to shelter them from shrapnel
>You take down the shield as the prototype makes its approach to land near you
>You hear its engines winding down
>It hits the ground running and skids to a stop
>Applause erupts from you and your fellow ponies of science.
>A successful test

>You trot over to the PLoNY, and you see it smile.
>"How'd I do?"
"You did well, you should be proud of yourself."
>"Sweet!"
>You can't blame it, you're holding back your own excitement yourself.
>You can feel it growing more accustomed to you, and it seems to be speaking more casually.
>You flip open the back panel again that houses the small console and take a look at the readings.
[PLoNY-OS v0.1]
visual_sensors....R-100% L-100%
audio_sensors....R-100% L-100%
vocal_module......100% / F
legs...................RF-100% LF-100% RB-100% LB-100%
ID_FoF...............7B4AE0DA9A5E780EB9B45DC067031DA7
MG....................97% / 363 RND
radar.................100%
>You frown at the machine gun's status.
"97 percent? We'll have to look at that back in the lab..."
>You walk everypony back to the freight elevator.
>You take one last deep breath of the night air and push the button.
>The motors start whirring and you all start descending.

>The elevator reaches the bottom of the shaft.
>The lower laboratories for you have become somewhat of your home.
>Not to mention the housing facilities on this level, but that's beside the point.
>You dismiss the scientists and tell the prototype to follow you.
>You're beginning to warm up to it.
>It's your creation, and you can't help but start using different pronouns for her.
>As far as you're concerned, she's alive.
>You both trot along the corridors, wordlessly.
>There wasn't much to talk about.
>Before you know it, you reach the technician's office, and you lay her out on the table.
>You flip open the control panel and turn her off.
>It only takes about ten or so minutes of diagnostics for the technician pony to find the problem.
>"Ah, I see what it is now."
"What is it?"
>"Well, it can be easily rectified. As it turns out, the machine gun was improperly mounted,"
>"The recoil from the gun was damaging the mount."
>"We'll install a new gun and mount it PROPERLY this time, and it should be good as new."
"Perfect! I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then."
>"Oh, no, no, this is a simple fix. I'm thinking this'll only take about half an hour."
>He goes over to the intercom panel in the office.
>He voices a request for replacement parts and a mechanic to help with the installation of the new gun.
>He then turns back to you.
>"I'll get in touch with you once the repairs are finished."
>You walk out of his office and close the door behind you.

>You are a technician
>And Twilight Sparkle has assigned you the task of replacing the machine gun
>You think to yourself that this will be a simple process.
>The mechanic walks into your office.
>"So, what do we have to work with here?"
>You look down at your clipboard
"Well, Miss Sparkle wants us to replace the machine gun and mount, it's nothing really."
>"I guess we'll get started, then. I'll take this out first, though."
>The stallion has already taken the liberty of opening the bottom panel and removing the ammunition belt.
>You both get to work

>The intercom in your office flicks on just as you finalize repairs.
>"Early warning systems suggest gryphon scouts are in nearby airspace. Re-arm and launch the prototype to intercept."
>The transmission cuts out there.
>You glance at the console screen.
MG....................100% / 0 RND
>You walk over to the phone in your office.
"Yes, Miss Sparkle?"
"It's done, I'm taking it to the hangar now to re-arm. Guess it's already going to be flying a mission."
>She says something that you didn't quite catch, but she sounds pleased.
>You put down the phone and flip the switch on the PLoNY.
>You close up all the panels and tell it to follow you.
>It obliges, and you take it to the hangar to be armed.

>You are the prototype.
>You have just arrived in the hangar, excited by the news that your technician has just given to you.
"You mean I'll get to really fly? For real this time?!"
>"I mean, they're just scouts as far as we know, but it'll be good to get you out there."
>You can't contain your excitement
>You bounce on your hooves as a mare is trying to load a missile onto one of your hardpoints
>"Hold still!"
>She sounds mildly irritated
"Heh, sorry..."
>Slightly embarassed, you stay still.
>You've quickly become far more accustomed to being around these ponies.
>Maybe it's the magic becoming stronger over time.
>But this thought is shoved out of your head when the mare announces that the missiles are loaded.
>"Okay, now just for the belt..."
>She flips open your bottom panel.
>A stallion assists her as she loads the belt into you and coils it.
>She closes the bottom panel.
>"Okay, you're ready to go. Now go get 'em!"
>She pats you on the back with her hoof.
>You make a quick check
MG....................100% / 400 RND
>You smile to yourself as you take a confident step forward while the hangar door opens.
>As it does so, target information is loaded into your vision.
>You fire up your engines and just as last time, they spool up with a mighty roar.

>You take off into the night and your wings bite into the air.
>You soar up past the clouds and cruise above them and admire the sight of the moon.
>You feel like you can see forever from up here.
>You level off.
>In the distance, you see a few specks. Undoubtedly the enemy scouts.
>You decide to have some fun, since you were given some innate, instinctive hatred of gryphons.
>You engage afterburners.
>They're circling back.
>You wonder why.
>Bullets start whizzing past you.
>You should have realized that the noise from your engines would have gotten their attention.
>You dodge and bank.
>The three gryphons end up behind you, so you loop around to catch them in your line of fire.
>You ready your MG.
>One is unfortunately caught in your line of fire, and you let off a short burst.
MG....................100% / 390 RND
>A spray of blood from the gryphon.
>He plummets to the ground.
>Out of what seems like nowhere, one of the gryphons grabs you by the neck.
>You start spiraling out of control.
>You retract your wings and go into a full nosedive towards the ground.
>The ground is racing towards your face.
>You're not sure if your plan will work.
>Just as you had hoped, he panics and lets go.
>You extend your wings again and pull up as hard as you can.
>You just barely brush the tree canopy.
>Flying back up to meet them, you see them doubling back on their original flight path.
>They must be retreating.
>You can't let them get away.

>Keen to keep your distance so they cannot hear you, you climb far, far above them as they retreat.
>Waiting for your chance to strike...
>And you hit the afterburners again.
>You dive at full speed towards them.
>A loud boom emanates from you as you break the sound barrier
>You reel your hoof back
>Your hoof connects with the gryphon's head with a sickening crunch
>The punch was undoubtedly lethal as you see that the gryphon is launched towards the ground, limp.
>Your sonic boom stunned the other, who happened to be flying nearby when you attacked.
>The rush from killing the other has heightened your bloodlust.
>You retract your wings and whip around and unleash another burst of fire onto the disoriented gryphon.
>Ah, the benefits of being a mechanical creation.
>Intense G-forces rarely bother you.
>Still falling, you extend your wings once again and level off.
>No more enemy signatures on the scope.
>Satisfied, you find your way back to the hangar.
>Cleared for landing, you cut the throttle and skid to a stop in the hangar.
>Miss Sparkle was waiting there for you.

>You, Twilight Sparkle, have been watching the radar this whole time.
>Your own creation has made short work of a patrol of three gryphons.
>Granted, they were three scouts deep inside Equestrian airspace.
>But this unplanned sequence of events leaves you pleasantly surprised.
>You're proud of her and yourself, and you can't hold back a grin.
>Less because she killed three gryphons and more because she has proven to be extremely functional.
>"Did you see me out there?!"
>"I punched him right out of the air!"
"Ha, you sure did!"
>"What do I do now? Are there more?"
>She starts bouncing on her hooves again in anticipation.
>You place a hoof on her back.
"No, but I think it's time we gave you a designation. A name, if you will."
>"Yeah?"
"I think we'll call you Juliett."
>"I like it!"
"You deserve it."
>You're glad you finally gave her a name. To you, it felt as if she earned it.
>It's not your fault that Anonymous happened to know the NATO phonetic alphabet.
>Whatever NATO was.

>It had only been a couple days since Juliett had her first flights.
>News had not gotten out that she even exists.
>Undoubtedly the gryphons know that one of their patrols was taken down.
>But they likely don't know that it was by Juliett.
>However, as of late, the programmers have made adjustments to the PLoNY-OS targeting algorithms.
>You were told that accuracy will increase on the order of 10% on average.
>And that Juliett has been updated accordingly.
>Already, small-scale production of the new PLoNYs has begun.
>And you have just finished enchanting the second model of its kind; you have already designated him Romeo.
>You flip open the back panel and take a look at the console to make sure everything is in working order.
[PLoNY-OS v0.2]
visual_sensors....R-100% L-100%
audio_sensors....R-100% L-100%
vocal_module.....100% / M
legs...................RF-100% LF-100% RB-100% LB-100%
ID_FoF...............7B4AE0DA9A5E780EB9B45DC067031DA7
MG....................100% / 0 RND
radar..................100%
>You turn him off and close it, satisfied with another job well done.
>You levitate a report that has been waiting on your desk since early this morning.
>You bring it closer to your face so that you can read it.
>You skim the paragraphs for key information.
>Thanks again to Anonymous, further advancements have been made over recent days in the fields of polymer chemistry.
>Laboratory scale production of what he calls "kevlar" has apparently begun and patches of it are currently undergoing ballistic testing.
>Laboratory reports indicate that it performs exceptionally well against small-arms fire, but is by no means perfect.
>In addition, you read about gryphons slowly taking up Equestrian technology.
>They're not ahead by any means, but they are able to hold their own on the battlefield.

>You begin reading technical specifications for Romeo.
>Design notes state that his 7.92mm ammunition capacity has been decreased to 300 in favor of larger engines.
>Slightly enlarged air intakes.
>The engines are expected to put out 12% more thrust than the prototype's.
>Other technical specifications.
>Your tiredness isn't really helping you comprehend the words on the paper.
>You put down the clipboard and rub your eyes.
>You've been up all night working on Romeo.
>You'll have him deployed alongside Juliett tomorrow.
>You decide to catch some sleep.

[PLoNY-OS v0.2]
Booting...

Aux power module starting...
Done!

DSG
Juliett

Loading drivers...
Done!

TIME
10:35

Loading inputs...
Done!

>Your vision flicks on, and you begin to hear everything around you
>You wake up in the hangar
>You look to your left and see all the ponies working
>Some moving carts filled with munitions
>Some carting crates around filled with unknown items
>Yet others just walking around staring at reports as they walk
>You look to your right
>You see Twilight Sparkle's smiling face
>You shift your attention to something behind her
>It's another PLoNY
>"Well, Juliett, this is Romeo."
>She turns to him
>"Romeo, this is Juliett."
>You take in his full form and you would be lying if you say you aren't impressed.
>He speaks up first.
>"Nice to meet you, Juliett."
>You extend a hoof, and he mirrors the action.
>You shake hooves, and Miss Sparkle speaks up.
>"There's a team coming through a nearby valley, we figure they're coming out to investigate what happened last night with the scouts."
>"They're off the radar, but we think there might be a few pegasus mercenaries with them, so be vigilant."
>You both smile at the news of your new assignment
>The hangar door opens and the location appears on the scope
>You both trot to the edge of the hangar

"Ya ready to go?"
>"Hell yeah, let's go!"
>You both laugh and take off
>As before, you soar into the sky in the company of a wingman
ALT 2000m
>You level off and maintain altitude
>You're flying above the clouds.
>It looks far different during the day, and every bit as beautiful.
>You see a few mountaintops rising above the sea of cloud cover.
>You bank and head west towards the valley
>You couldn't really think of anything to say to your wingman
>Oh, well.
>"So, when were you built?"
>Well, then.
"It was a few days ago,"
"They updated the targeting algorithms since then."
>"Oh?"
>"How are they now compared to then?"
"Well, I dunno. Haven't been able to try it yet."
>"Hmm."
>You continue your flight wordlessly.
>Suddenly, the clouds make way for a sight of the valley below.
>HQ radios in.
>"They should be arriving within minutes. I suggest you take up ambush positions."
>The radio flicks off
>"You hear that?"
"Yeah, we'll perch up on those mountains."
>"Go on..."
"I take the west, you take the east."
>"Got it."
>He retracts his wings and makes his way down to the mountain
>You look back and see him perch up on the mountain, keeping watch.
>You make a dive yourself
>You extend your wings again and slow your descent to land
>You perch on a convenient cliff face overlooking the valley just to the east.
>Not much time to admire the view and the vegetation below.

>Only a couple minutes pass without incident
>Three blips appear on the scope
>You turn on your radio
"Here they come. Come up from behind at low engine power."
>"Roger."
>You engage your engines and leap off the cliff's edge
>You see Romeo do the same.
>Both of you maneuver into a position side-by-side to one another.
>500 meters to target
>You see two gryphons accompanied by a pegasus flying in formation
"Fire!"
>A burst from each of your machine guns
MG....................100% / 392 RND
>The gryphons fall out of the sky, bloodied.
>The pegasus circles back
>Romeo maneuvers to intercept as the pegasus charges towards both of you
>Gunfire is exchanged from both sides
Romeo - MG......100% / 268 RND
>You flip yourself around to help when two more blips appear on the radar
>You look down to see two pegasi rushing towards you from the trees
>You get hit twice
audio_sensors....R-0% L-100%
legs...................RF-73% LF-100% RB-100% LB-100%
>All you can hear in your right ear is static
>You cut off input
>You growl in anger
>You pull up into a loop
>More gunfire
>This time it's from Romeo
Romeo - MG......100% / 277 RND
>One blip disappears
>You point yourself downwards and max out the throttle
>You focus all your rage on one pegasus
>You see the look of pure terror on his face when you pulverize his ribcage with your left hoof and fling him back into the trees a hundred meters below

>The other pegasus tackles you in mid-air.
>You struggle to stay aloft as he tries to ready his gun.
>Romeo sees you in danger and flies just above you.
>He pulls his wings in and positions himself just so in a way that his engines are pointing at you.
>He fuel dumps onto the pegasus on your back and ignites the afterburners.
>The pegasus is absolutely engulfed in flames.
>He lets go.
>You are as well, though to a lesser extent.
>Your engines flame out for a few seconds as the fuel on your back uses up nearby oxygen.
>The flames go out on their own as the fuel is consumed.
>You reignite your engines and regain control not too far above the tree canopy.
>You flip around to see the pegasus still flailing, being consumed by flames.
>One short burst from your MG.
>All five shots land and spray blood out of the pegasus's back.
>He tumbles unceremoniously to the ground.
MG....................100% / 387 RND
>You climb up to Romeo's altitude.
>You and Romeo fly together above the clouds on your way back to the hangar.
>You report your status and request a technician wait for you when you return.

>You cut the throttle.
>You collide with the floor of the hangar.
>Your front right leg gives out under your weight.
>You careen to the back of the hangar in a shower of sparks.
>Ponies jump out of the way.
>Romeo, who landed successfuly, runs to your aid.
>He helps you up, helping you balance yourself.
>The technician pony from a couple days ago runs up to you.
>"Don't worry, I'll take it from here."
>Romeo replies to his assurance.
>"Are you sure?"
>"Yeah, we'll take her in for repairs."
>"Follow me, Juliett."
>You limp with him to the repair bay.
>You look back at Romeo, who is still in the hangar, and silently motion a thank you.
>"So what happened up there?"
"They must've been expecting us,"
"Two of them came out of the trees, one of them shot me twice."
>You stop and point to your front right leg and to your right ear.
>You explain the rest of what happened on your way to repairs.
>You arrive in the repair bay.
>Various things were undergoing repairs and construction there, from small weapons for base personnel to scout cars.
>You see ponies moving items back and forth, it feels a lot like the hangar.
>You even spot two PLoNY frames sitting on a rack in the back.
>"Okay, just lay out on this table and we'll take care of the rest."
>You do as instructed, and he opens the back panel.
>He flips a switch and everything goes black.

[PLoNY-OS v0.2]
>The usual booting sequence.

Loading drivers...
Done!

TIME
18:32

>You check.

audio_sensors....R-100% L-100%

legs...................RF-N/A LF-100% RB-100% LB-100%

>The last part troubles you immensely.
>You look to your right to see (or rather, to not see) your right leg.
>It is completely missing.
>"Okay, testing, testing, testing."
>A moment.
>You notice something is plugged into you.
>"Okay, the audio sensors are both working at full capacity. We'll replace the leg tomorrow, eh?"
>You don't know what's happening.
>A flip of the switch and all goes black again.

[PLoNY-OS v0.2]
>Another booting sequence.

Loading drivers...
Done!

TIME
9:57

audio_sensors....R-100% L-100%

legs...................RF-100% LF-100% RB-100% LB-100%

>You open your eyes, and the technician seems happy to see that you're awake.
"What happened?"
>He looks down at his clipboard.
>"Well, we made basic hull repairs... we replaced your right audio sensor, and your front right leg.
>"It still requires calibration, however."
>You are hooked up to some kind of computer.
>"So, could you move your new leg for me? Try to point at the opposite side of the room."
"Yeah."
>You try to do so, but all you end up doing is jerking your new leg all the way upwards.
>"Mmhmm."
>He types something into the computer.
>"Could you try again?"
>You do so, this time barely able to lift it halfway
>He looks back at his computer and types some more.
>"Again."
>You do so successfully this time, and the new leg feels just like all the others.
>"Alright, everything seems to be functioning just as before. Thank you."
>He goes to the back panel, and everything goes dark.

[PLoNY-OS v0.2]
Booting...

Aux power module starting...
Done!

DSG
Romeo

Loading drivers...
Done!

TIME
2:15

Loading inputs...
Done!
...
>Text flashes into your vision

[NOTE]
Report to Cloudsdale Air Base under cover of night.
Altitude maximum 150m.
You are being relocated.

>The destination's GPS position is loaded into memory.
>You wake up next to Juliett in the hangar.
>Nopony else seems to be here.
>"You get the order, too?"
"Yeah."
>The hangar door automatically opens, as if it knew.
"Well, let's not wait."
>She agrees and you both step to the edge of the hangar.
>You fire up your engines and leap into the air with her.
>You make it a point not to turn the throttle up too much.
>You notice something different.
>Something is off.
>Your engines are much quieter than you remember.
>Hers, too.
"Wait... let's go to full throttle."
>Your engines spool up further
>You notice that your engines and hers are making relatively little noise.
>As it turns out, your engines are putting out about as much noise as they used to on low throttle.
>She points out the change in engine geometry as she flies slightly behind you
>"Your engines look different!"
"Really?"
>You look back, and so do hers.
>More text flashes into your vision
[NOTE]
We have made a change in engine geometry to reduce noise.
You should see no change in performance except for lower detectability.
-EWR Engineering Division
>Neat.
>You look up at the moon and the occasional cloud
>This is your first time seeing the night.
>You look down.
>The darkened trees whiz by, the whistle-hum of your engines being the soundtrack to the whole spectacle.
>The rest of the flight continues without incident as you fly just above the trees all the way to Cloudsdale.

TIME
6:12

DSG
Juliett

>The sun is just on the horizon.
>You look up to see a giant mass of fluffy white clouds.
>The GPS suggests that Cloudsdale is here.
>You're not sure what you expected, really.
>You and Romeo fly up and towards the GPS destination.
>You see the air base.
>Once the Wonderbolts Academy, the air base is a bustling hub of military activity.
>You see a large, winged machine parked to the side of the air strip, and pegasi unloading various boxes and munitions racks
>You come in to land at the air strip.
>Your hooves contact the ground, and you hit the ground running.
>You slow yourself down and look up just in time to see the great winged machine departing.
>Its engines, once facing downward, were now tilting forward.
>You see it fly away in the direction you came just as another is coming in.
>A strange pegasus runs up to you as you're taking in the sights
>He is dressed in sky blue fatigues
>"Welcome to Cloudsdale, we've been expecting you."
>"Follow me."
>You and Romeo follow this new pony to what you assume will be your commanding officer.
>You walk into an office to be greeted by a yellow pegasus mare sitting at a desk, wearing sunglasses.
>The nameplate on her desk suggests that her name is Spitfire.
>Col. Spitfire.
>"Welcome. This is your new home from now on. Any questions?"
>You both speak simultaneously.
"No, ma'am."
>"You will be deployed alongside other pegasi and provide support."
>She goes into further detail explaining your combat role.
>You realize the implications of flying with actual pegasi.
>You may be faster, tougher, more heavily armoured.
>However, pegasi don't require fuel. In addition, they can hover in place and change direction with ease.
>These things you can manage but not with nearly the grace that a regular pegasus can.
>You're eagerly anticipating for your first such deployment.

[PLoNY-OS v0.2]
Booting...

Aux power module starting...
Done!

DSG
Juliett

Loading drivers...
Done!

TIME
7:38

LAST ACTIVATION
961221 sec

Loading inputs...
>Your eyes open.
>Gradually, you begin hearing everypony and the activity around the hangar.
>All are going about their business.
>It has been some time since you were last activated.
>The hangar technician who turned you on mentions what happened while you were out as he makes sure everything is in working order.
>"So..."
>He flips open the back panel panel for a cursory check.
>"How long has it been? About 11 days or so?"
"Yeah, why?"
>"Some stuff happened while you were out."
"Like what?"
>"Well, for one, you missed Hearth's Warming Eve,"
>He pauses for a second and you wonder what Hearth's Warming Eve is.
>"Oh! And there was a cease-fire; no fighting. We're back on now, though."
>Why was there a cease-fire? What was Hearth's Warming Eve?
>You decide to speak up.
"Why was there a cease-fire?"
>Good enough.
>"Because of the holiday."
"Why would they stop fighting for the holiday?"
>"They just stopped fighting and started singing, burying their dead and exchanging greetings. Nopony ordered it. It just kinda... happened."
>"From what I heard, the cease-fire is some kind of monkey tradition or something,"
>He explains in-depth as to what Hearth's Warming Eve is and its meaning.
>A couple minutes later, checks are completed and you are enlightened on the subject of this newfound holiday.
>"The Colonel's gonna explain everything you need to do. They're on the airstrip, waiting."
>Not one to keep anypony waiting, you trot off to yet another flight.

>You walk into the frigid air that lies just outside the hangar.
>The pegasi have been keeping the weather away from the air base, so the ground is still dry.
>Col. Spitfire appears to be waiting, along with a group of eight pegasi near the end of the airstrip.
>You join the rest of the group, among them is Romeo.
>"So glad that you could join us," she says to you.
>You walk closer and take a spot standing next to him.
>Next to Spitfire stands a map, on which various points of interested have been highlighted.
>She goes on to quickly run over the details.
>"Intelligence suggests that the gryphons will be launching an attack on Canterlot soon. Our job is to gain air superiority."
>"They will be moving down south, we will be getting them before they reach the forest here." Spitfire points to a spot on the map just north of Canterlot.
>"We're relying on the element of surprise here."
>She points a hoof at you and Romeo.
>"These two will lead the way and help you navigate to the area, but in each of your saddlebags are navigational tools that will work in their absence."
>"Once you're there, there will be additional air forces, with ground forces close behind."
>"The Princesses have been relocated to an undisclosed location, but that's beside the point. Royal guards as we speak are fortifying the city and readying their defenses."
>"Any questions?"
>Pause.
>"No? Okay, then move out!"
>Everypony gets up and starts running.
>They fling themselves off the edge of the runway and begin flying in the general direction of Canterlot.
>You do the same and spool up your engines, jumping off of the runway alongside Romeo.
>Before you know it, you and Romeo are ahead of the rest, and you both slow down to accommodate their pace.
>A long flight ahead awaits you.

Source: https://archive.moe/mlp/thread/21037430/#21078394