Ace Combat: The Equestrian War

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
They are not Ghosts of Razgriz, but they can certainly perform great feats (from left to right: Lightning Bolt, Derpy, Rainbow Dash, Firefly, Cloud Kicker, Medley, Fluttershy.

"We’re in for a wild flight."

Ace Combat: The Equestrian War is a crossover fanfic that combines My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic with the Ace Combat series of video games. In this story, the griffins prepare an invasion on Equestria and a team of brave pegasus ponies (Firefly, Rainbow Dash, Lightning Bolt, Cloud Kicker, Fluttershy, Derpy and Medley), known as "Mirage" squadron, is attempting to protect their land and mount a comeback. While not a direct adaptation of any Ace Combat game, the fanfic uses a lot of references to the PlayStation 2 titles (Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies, Ace Combat Zero, and Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War), as well as Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation and Assault Horizon.

The story is complete with 20 chapters and an epilogue. Character sheet can be found here.

The story can be found at Fimfiction.

Tropes used in Ace Combat: The Equestrian War include:
  • Abnormal Ammo: Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo fire frozen apple pies and various other foodstuffs at the griffins.
  • Ace Fliers: Especially the Mirage squadron, The Wonderbolts and the griffin ace teams. Mobius and the Garuda team count as well.
  • Action Mom: Derpy. She takes on three griffins all by herself trying to save Dinky.
  • Adaptational Badass: Several ponies, especially the ones flying in Mirage squadron. From characters who had little screen time and next to no words spoken in the show, they're given distinct personalities and traits.
  • Air Jousting
  • Airstrike Impossible: Surprisingly subverted in chapter 10, where Rainbow Dash performs a Sonic Rainboom to break inside the Burning Talon.
  • The Alliance: Equestrian Allied Forces (EAF)
  • All Your Base Are Belong to Us: The griffins besiege Canterlot in chapter 16. Earlier, in chapter 8, they take over Cloudsdale. It remains theirs until it's recaptured in chapter 14.
  • Amazon Brigade / Badass Crew / True Companions: The Mirage squadron.
  • An Ice Pony: Colgate, as shown in chapter 4, is capable of using beams of freezing magic.
  • Back From the Brink: Things start hard for the ponies, but finally, in chapter 17, they turn the tables.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: The griffin squadron leaders, specifically Zeakros and Echo, keep reminding their wingmates that ponies are More Than Meets the Eye. And yet, 90% of the time it falls on deaf ears with dire consequences.
  • Big Badass Birds of Prey: The griffins, naturally. Even though they are only slightly bigger than the ponies.
  • Big Bad: Red Cyclone
  • Big Damn Heroes: All over the place. Lampshaded by Firefly during the first BDH moment in chapter 6:

Firefly: Seems like we've arrived in the nick of time. What does that make us, Thunder?
Lightning Bolt: Big Mane Heroines, Flash!

Fluttershy: I’m a pony that represents the Element of Kindness! But, to you... I will show no mercy!

  • Neck Snap: Several characters die this way.
  • No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Rainbow Dash is subjected into one in chapter 11, with Gilda being the pummeller.
    • In chapter 17, Night Raven does a brutal one to Fluttershy. But she manages to turn things around.
  • No, I Am Behind You: That's how Firebolt defeats Greyback in chapter 8. It also happens throughout the story at certain moments with other characters.
  • Oh Crap: Wonderbolts' reaction when the turrets open fire at them in the first chapter.
    • That's probably the best way to summarize the expressions of Lightning Bolt, Derpy, Medley and Soarin' when The Burning Talon's laser smashes the Cloudsdale gates to pieces in chapter 8.
    • The griffins have the same reaction when they see The Burning Talon being destroyed in chapter 10. May count as Ironic Echo.
    • Firefly's reaction when she notices that Scythe attempts a Suicide Attack to bomb Stalliongrad in chapter 13.
  • Original Character: All pegasi team leaders. Firebolt and Gale may also count. Same for the griffins (besides "G" (Gilda))
  • Painting the Medium: Sort of. In every chapter, save for chapter 15, there are links leading to music themes from Ace Combat series. The author was using these themes when writing the story and wanted to incorporate atmosphere into it.
  • Parental Abandonment: A particularly cruel version. Poor Firefly...
    • Pipsqueak as well.
  • Playing with Fire: The griffins do that during the scourging of Equestria, as reported by several ponies and Edge. Also, Firecracker Burst can use short-ranged fire streams as a means of offense.
  • Regional Bonus: The Polish version that can be found here is a little more detailed than the original, though most of these details were carried over to the English version after the revision.
  • Relationship Upgrade: Tornado Swirl and Overdrive.
  • The Reveal: Chapter 16 reveals that the entire conflict was orchestrated by Red Cyclone. His intentions? Enslave or kill all ponies!
  • Rousing Speech: Twilight Sparkle delivers one in chapter 17. It's epic!

Twilight Sparkle: We have to stand together once more, but this time, not as earth ponies. Not as unicorns. Or pegasi. We must stand together as the ponies of Equestria! It’s true that, on the outside, each of us is different. We live in different parts of Equestria, we have different names, we look differently. But... we have fought, suffered and died together! Deep inside, in our hearts and souls, we are all children of this land! We cannot ignore the time when our land is in danger. We must fight! We must have courage! I don’t know if you will decide to follow me or not, but I want to live in Equestria with my friends! That’s why I will keep fighting! To the bitter end, if it must be! [...] Everypony, we’re gonna take back Canterlot today! Let us make haste! The sun and the moon will lead our way to victory! Know that this is not the day we will surrender! This is not the day we fall! This day we fight! FOR EQUESTRIA!!!

  • Rule of Cool
  • Sadistic Choice: In chapter 11, Rainbow Dash faces one: either she could try to stop Gilda which would most likely end in Medley's death or abandon her friends and Equestria to join forces with Gilda. Being the Element of Loyalty, she choses the former. And Medley survives, although with temporarily broken wings.
    • In chapter 13, Lightning Bolt is torn between saving Cloud Kicker from being killed by two griffins and trying to stop another griffon from bombing the Eastern Sector of Stalliongrad. Though she chose the latter at first, the Garuda team's Big Damn Heroes moment made her go and help Cloud Kicker.
  • Say My Name: "RAINBOW DASH!!!" "FLUTTERSHY!" "CLOUD KICKER!!!" "Applejaaack!" " CARROT TOP!"
  • Schizo-Tech: There are communicators and radars, the griffins have access to laser technology, but there are no missiles or fighter jets.
  • Screw the War, We're Partying: At least in chapter 9, thanks to Pinkie Pie (actually, it was the idea of Princess Celestia).
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Defied with the rookie griffon Slip: he almost deserts, but decides to keep fighting because he knows he'll be executed for deserting. Not to say he's really brave, though, or a good fighter, as he's killed in battle with very little effort. Night Raven did him in.
  • Shout-Out: Numerous shout outs to Ace Combat series. Justified, considering it's a crossover. They include, but are not limited to:
    • The Burning Talon is a combination of Excalibur from Ace Combat Zero and Stonehenge from Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
    • Mobius to Mobius 1, the player character from Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies. He even uses the same callsign. There are also Talisman and Shamrock, the two leading protagonists of Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation. Finally, Sky Eye. The two latter characters even mention (though it is not explicitly stated) the respective wars they took part in - Usean Continental War and Operation "Katina" (Mobius, Sky Eye) as well as Anean Continental War (Shamrock and Talisman).
    • Also, the EAF logo is modeled after the ISAF logo.
    • At the end of chapter 9, the ponies sing "Gotta Stay Fly" from Ace Combat: Assault Horizon , though with slightly altered lyrics.
    • The Gult squadron ("Yellow" in Romanian). For that matter, majority of squadrons names are derived from different Ace Combat games.
    • Likewise, most chapters have their titles derived from various mission names in different Ace Combat games.
    • Chapter 18 has Lightning Bolt reading a book about four pegasi ponies who fought in a conflict together and disappeared after said conflict ended. The book's title? The Unsung War.
  • Sobriquet: The pegasi from Mirage squadron are dubbed "Angels of Equestria" by Cheerilee and the fillies in chapter 9. She calls them like this again, word-for-word, in chapter 16, though this time, it's the Cutie Mark Crusaders who do the "Angels!" chanting.
    • Echo refers to a certain pegasus as a Heavenly Ribbon.
  • Sole Survivor: Tornado Swirl and Overdrive are the only original members of their teams who survive the assault on Canterlot. Before her Cruel and Unusual Death, Blueberry.
  • Time Skip: There's a two-month break between chapters 10 and 11 (due to a temporal armistice)
  • The Power of Friendship: Twilight and Pinkie put it best in chapter 13, when speaking with Rainbow Dash.

Twilight Sparkle: No matter how far away you would be or how badly things may turn out to be, Rainbow, we’ll always be there for you.
Pinkie Pie: Yeah! That’s what friends are for, right?

Firefly: Because... he... he...! He killed my parents!

    • From chapter 16, when Edge tells Firefly that Black Star has a message for her:

Black Star: I feel regret for killing her parents. Let her know that.

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