Her hooves walked through the desert with a bit of a hustle, leaving deep hoofprints on the surface that were filled almost instantly by the new sand that blew the wind. She held a cape she was wearing close to her face, and put on her desert goggles, because the meteorological conditions that were currently present in this particular location didn’t quite let her walk casually with her eyes open and without covering herself.

She walked through the soldier ponies that cluttered the area alongside the MBTs and IFVs, some of the soldiers armed with an M4 rifle that were standing guard looking at her weirdly, or more with a confused stare, like if she weren’t supposed to be here, on the ground. Or perhaps it was because they’ve never seen a pilot in the ground and without an aircraft to be into, they just most likely heard the word ‘pilot’ and instantly thought of an aircraft, so obviously the sight of a pilot without one would be awkward for them. She just smiled in a friendly way towards the guarding ponies as she kept trotting, not being acquainted of the desert’s natural climate… or at least, not being acquainted to facing it without being protected inside an armored titanium bathtub flying through the skies.

The pony in question, seemingly an unicorn pilot from the US Air Force, crossed a small pathway leading towards a makeshift base, having to run a few steps when she realized she was about to get hit by a cargo truck that was going on the same path. She looked around, at the vaguely Arabic structures and dozens upon dozens of tunnel networks. Even though the structures were quite makeshift in appearance and seemed like if they were constructed in a hurry and without any kind of safety protocol, she couldn’t help but get awed that a simple guerrilla managed to build such extensive networking of buildings and tunnels with their limitations such as supplies and construction tools.

“Ah, you’re here now, glad to know” Somepony said behind her. The mild sandstorm didn’t let her see well who was talking with her, but, guided only by the direction of the voice, she looked to her left, and, as she expected, she saw a soldier uniformed with their ubiquitous digital desert camouflage attire, the barely distinguishable ranks on his uniform indicating this pony was a lieutenant, though it was extremely hard to see such a small detail with the current adverse visibility. He smiled and, with a hoof gesture, he indicated her to follow, at the same time saying “Come with me, this is where you’re needed”

The pilot just followed her silently, not daring to say any word and imagining her voice would’ve been muffled by the sandstorm that was currently punishing this part of the desert, but as she walked with the officer, the climate started to change for the better; less orangey-sand everywhere and it was clearer, augmenting the visibility available. They walked for a few minutes, and soon, it was clear enough to see something at the near distance, like a watchtower of sorts… There were also tarps and tents, oil drums and sandbags… she didn’t quite know what that was amalgamation of various structures, confusing it with a POW camp, until she walked closer

Upon further inspection, the young pilot saw a radio tower somewhere at the distance, connected by some wires to the tent she had seen earlier, there were also water tanks, tank traps and barbed wire, and a bunch of ordnance stacked nearby. It was at this time she realized what this was now… And, if the yellow stripes on the sand she was just stepping on didn’t made it obvious, a bunch of aircraft pieces in one of the hangar tents made her notice instantaneously, though her inner thoughts were briefly interrupted when she tripped on a sandbag and fell face first on the hot sand, standing up again and thanking Celestia the NCO didn’t see her blunder, then cleaning her uniform from the mess.

“Oh wow, an airstrip?!” She said, with certain mix of incredulity, disbelief, confusion and curiousness. She didn’t ever expect the GLA to have an air force, aside from a few supply aircraft reconverted for bomber duty that were occasionally shot down approaching forward posts. But an actual airfield? With aircraft that would most likely be either ground attack or fighters? That was something new for her. The lieutenant seemed to confirm her doubts and said, with a baritone voice “Yes Miss Crosshair, this is a new kind of airstrip we’ve just found while we overran this base. There was even a… well… um..” He seemed to stutter idly, not finding what word he could use to explain the information he wanted to share with the pilot, who simply stared at him in expectancy. “Er… what you guys call ‘plane ponies’… those ponies with metal wings, she…. Um… he…. They’re over there” The lieutenant said, his voice and tone sounding like if he were unsure of the terminology. The unicorn pilot alongside him just giggled in a cute way, finding the officer’s uncertainty somewhat cute.

“Oh? So that’s the aircraft I should see? Wilco my lieutenant” She said, smiling and giving him a energetic nod, the officer just looking at her with a worried stare “Be careful… the GLA is known for many underhanded tactics, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s another one of their plans…” the officer said gravely, looking at the place where the plane pony was found “For now, we’re treating her… ugh… whatever gender it is, as a possible enemy, so proceed with caution”

“Will do my lieutenant, now, if you excuse me” The pilot said curtly and politely, proceeding to leave the lieutenant and trot slightly towards the place she was pointed to. The officer just looking at her and hoping she’s alright, before being distracted by a recruit who was informing him of something on the outer perimeter.

The unicorn pilot just walked through the sand again, looking around for the plane pony she was informed about. Internally, she thought how she wasn’t able to see the pony yet, considering that plane ponies tended to veer towards humongous sizes compared to small pones. But shortly afterwards, that thought was quickly shot down as she saw a big creature some meters in front of her, the figure being blocked by a large tarp and a antennae housing that were in the way. She approached the creature carefully and slowly, and when she got closer, she could hear it was making some kind of noises… They sounded like… sobbing? She couldn’t help but feel sad herself, as she approached the plone, who had both forehooves on her face while she wept, tears falling from her face to the sand, dampening it.

“Um… hi?” The unicorn said, with a notable amount of fear in her voice, despite how sad they looked, they were still an enemy, and she had to be careful herself, since the GLA was a fanatic of cheap tricks and subterfuge. “Are you the GLAs plane pony?… W-what’s your name?” She asked, stammering lightly, as she went around the plane pony to be at her front. Said gigantic plone, upon noticing they were being watched crying, put both forehooves on the ground and tried to hold back their tears, having to look behind themselves to see a differently uniformed micro pony rounding them and afterwards sitting some meters in front of them. They felt fearful of replying themselves, worried that whatever they might say could be used against them, so the micro pony had to gently encourage and comfort them by saying a soft and kind “I-it’s okay, I won’t hurt you… W-what’s your name?” (Even though, by all standards, the one most likely being hurt would’ve been the unicorn pilot, in any case, how such a small pony could physically hurt a giant plane pony?)

This seemed to make the plane pony more courageous, as they finally spoke in a soft and slightly glitchy voice. “T-they call me… um… Interceptor…” They said, looking at the tiny pony with some little ‘egg eyes’, or watery eyes, proceeding to use one of her hooves to wipe the tears from one of them. The pilot, feeling the plane pony trusted her a bit more, tried to be the gentlest she could. “Oh? And… what’s your gender and age?” She asked, for future interactions to not mess up. The crying plane pony pondered the question for a few seconds, and shortly afterwards they spoke. “I’m… a boy… I think… And… I don’t know… some years?” He said, with uncertainty in his voice that indicated the notions of ‘Male and female’ were not quite on his grasp, aside from a few superficial things, and also that he didn’t quite know his age either.

“Are you… going to scrap me?…” The plane pony suddenly asked before the pilot could say something else, looking at her with sad eyes. This question went through the unicorn like an APDSFS shell, feeling like if her heart had been just broken. “N-no!” The pilot said vehemently, trying to make the plane pony feel calmer, yet still leaving some distance between them. “W-we’re not going to… We’re going to find you a… new home” She said… she wasn’t quite sure how the procedure would go for this plane pony, but as far as she knew, he would most likely go somewhere else safer.

The plone didn’t quite believe her, which was further demonstrated when he said, with a slow and soft shy voice “B-but… Everyone… fears me… they fear me” He pointed out with his head towards a bunch of soldiers that surrounded him, keeping their guns loaded just in case. “Y-you fear me…” he finished, tears falling from his cheeks to the ground as he resumed crying, being heartbroken because everypony feared him, looking at the micro who still stayed a reasonable distance from her.

The pilot couldn’t help but feel awful now, somehow managing to forget entirely of the warning the lieutenant mere minutes ago and slowly approaching the plane pony. “That’s not true” She said first, then afterwards correcting herself “Well… not entirely true…” She got a bit closer to the plane pony, step by step “You… seem friendly… and nice… I don’t think you would hurt me… So I don’t fear you…” She said, slowly approaching her, hilariously enough, the plane pony seemed to recede from her advancing. “Also… I have experience with plane ponies…” She said, at this point, being so close to the plane pony that she could touch his hoof, and, actually, she leaned forward and hugged what she could of the underhoof, the nearest part she had. This seemed to shock the plane pony, who looked back at her with a surprised and stunned stare amidst her crying, a small tint of red erupting on her sand-colored cheeks. “So please… calm down… Everything’s fine…” She cooed gently and motherly, gently rubbing with one hoof as she had to crane her neck upwards to look at him straight in the face. One of the teardrops falling on her head and damping her lightly, but she didn’t mind.

The plane pony stood silent for a few seconds, starting to calm down and stop crying. A loud silence engulfed the two ponies as the rest of the spectators seemed to be commoved by their actions. And then, suddenly, the plane pony darted a forehoof towards the pony, but stopped when she was about to touch her. “C-can… I hug you?” He asked, unsure and not wanting to do something mean. The military around the plone and micro being alarmed by his sudden movement but stopping after realizing he just wanted to make an affectionate gesture. The tiny pilot just smiled at him, then said “Of course”. And soon, the plane pony nodded weakly and ever so kindly and gently picked her up with her forehoof, the pilot letting herself be grabbed by the plone as he slowly brought her towards his fluffy chest and pressed her lightly, not wanting to let her fall but neither wanting to squeeze her between her hoof and chest fluff… atleast, not yet…

“Thank you…” The plane pony said, some tears falling from his face, but those ones being tears of joy, as the plane pony smiled lightly, a little fang being visible on her mouth. He stopped hugging the micro pony after a few instants and brought her to his eye-level, looking at her. “You’re nice… I like you more than my previous owners… and you have a pretty mane” He said, a sentence which made the unicorn blush out of sudden as she looked aside.

Nearby, there was the lieutenant, sitting down on the gunner seat of a Humvee as he looked at the wholesome scene that developed itself in front of his very eyes… “Can we keep it?! Please, please!” Said his adjutant, sitting on the co-pilot’s seat, as he couldn’t help but feel giddy at the cute plane pony “Pleaseeeee”

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Drawing I did of a certain aircraft from a game called C&C Generals (In this case with the mod Rise of The Reds, which I frankly recommend if you like RTS a la C&C~), here it showcases ‘Interceptor’ (That’s literally their only name in the game; the ‘Hyena Interceptor’ is a model latter in the game development which scrapped this ||Tho I wish this one was left ;-;||. Although I’ve searched around and the overall design seems to be named ‘Venom Interceptor’), a little cute plane pony that seems to have been made in the wrong place and it’s completely innocent, cute, fluffy and sand-colored xp. I decided to draw him fluffy (Like I draw everything it seems :v) even though he’s technically made of scrap metal and anything that could fit, because it’s adorbs.

The symbol on his butt (His ‘Cutie-Mark’) is actually the GLA symbol… well… one of the many GLA symbols I’ve seen ;-;. I drew it because it’s the symbol the original aircraft has on the wings and wanted to add it somewhere in the drawing _{~And was too lazy to actually do it on the wings}~, I guess it’s kinda how some plane ponies have the roundels as the Cutie Mark. And the little thingy on the cheek is most likely an automatic cannon sticking out.

I based the background on how the airstrip looks in the mod, with a wooden watchtower, tents for aircraft, oil drums around, some large water tank kind of thing, sandbags and tank traps (Czech hedgehogs, though they’re awfully smol xD), and some antennae on the left side.

Ah, and a picture of the aircraft, just so you guys know how they look; they’re medium sized, you can open them on another tab to see them full sized.

(Why all my stories end with cuddling or hugging >.<’. I’m such a cuddle-obsessed writer! XD)