Fallen Eagle

Chapter 63: The Final Piece to my Past

Welcome back, my faithful readers. This time around, we have something a little special: A Flashback chapter! And one for Ivan nonetheless! I'm really trying to get better at posting chapters in a more timely manner, but I'm glad this one didn't take the usual three weeks to come out.

axelialea: Oh don't worry, I don't plan for anything like that to happen. In fact, if you read this chapter, you'll find out that that's an impossibility!

caleb200888: Eh, I'm trying to build on Glock and Celestia's relationship since I did really just spring it up at the Gala. You know, giving them scenes like that, or Celestia teasing him, or just talking about him to her friends/sister.

Nostalgia Cop: Can't be worse than a RariJack story

headreviewer mk2: Don't forget that he can fly, but then again with how frustrated Tia was from being interrupted with her happy time, she might've also super glued Bat Fang's wings to his torso :P

WarHusky2000: Thank you :) That really does mean a lot to me. Heck, I've been watching movie reviewers for so long on YouTube that I've been trying to get subtle foreshadowing down so it's not too obvious, and something doesn't just pop out of nowhere. Like my clues that indicated that Luna was pregnant before the big reveal.

Chipmunkfanatic: Well, they are indeed selfish, and cowards. Don't forget that one that pleaded for his life when Celestia was kicking the shit out of him. /)

Sassymouse: Like I said back when I was writing the Draconia arc, once I saw Ember in The Gauntlet of Fire, I couldn't let her character go to waste! She's too damn cool not to use, and I knew I couldn't just allow the discover she and her father made die off like nothing happened. As for Bat Fang, I love using him when I can, especially since the bat ponies don't get a lot of love in the show. And yes, I couldn't pass up the opportunity for a little banter between he and Ember for her besting him so easily in Draconia. And as for Flash, my biggest thrill is actually getting to write him and Twily together. I never thought writing Twilight Sparkle of all ponies in a relationship could be fun! Especially because in most stories that involve Flash, he's an asshole, bland, or an abuser...But I do also enjoy expanding the family part between he, Twilight, and Spike.

OBSERVOR01: It's always nice to see Ember! And you know what? I really love writing Celestia in these normal pony-type settings instead of her just being regal all the time. She's still a mare with needs, wants, and feelings, and just wants to take a load off every once in awhile.

No more dilly-dallying! On with the Flashback!

---

(A month and a half later; Ivan's POV)

I couldn't breathe nor blink. I should've been asleep, or at the very least comfortable and at peace with Applejack snuggled up to me. Normally, her soft whinnies as she snored would've lulled me to sleep, but at that moment, as I stared at the clock on my phone, waiting for the time to change, I felt like a kid in the doctor's office preparing for a shot. I just wanted the anticipation to be over. And no, this wasn't excitement…..this was pure dread.

A few days after Luna and Checkered's wedding, Twilight and Flash summoned the lot of us over to discuss some disturbing news. None of us had a single clue as to what to expect from that vague description, but it was still shocking nonetheless. Twilight even had a surprise waiting for us in the form of Ember from Draconia, who was here to relay the news herself. It turns out that Garble and his cronies were dead by hanging in King Horntail's dungeon, apparently to keep quiet about their motives and how they stole Luna from the safety of her own chambers in her and Celestia's castle. What was sickening, however, was the fact that Horntail, Ember, and Celestia suspected that the four guilty reptiles were actually murdered by someone on the outside…possibly a treasonous citizen of Equestria who couldn't afford one of the quartet to sing. Twilight and Ember brought up a good point that only strengthened this theory: How else could Garble have known about Luna's dream walking ability?

And yet, even though that information was disheartening to say the least, and put us all on high alert to keep our eyes and ears peeled for anything, that wasn't the reason I was feeling distraught. My heart about stopped when my dry eyes regained the ability to blink and I saw the time on my phone change from 23:59 to the quadruple zeroes, midnight. A soft whimper escaped my mouth as I finally remembered to breathe, and a new day was born. May 21st to be exact, also known as one year. It had now officially been one year to the day when my life on Earth was literally shot down. I didn't have any doubts that Pinkie would probably throw some sort of party to celebrate the fact that everyone here had been friends with me for a whole year. While I was completely thankful for that….there was something important I've kept from my friends ever since that fateful day. And I couldn't let them celebrate our friendship with this dark cloud hanging over my head. I needed to at least tell someone so I wouldn't bring down everyone's mood, if there was a party or at least some sort of celebration.

I hated knowing what I had to do, but I knew I should've spoken with someone about it by now. With a sigh, I gently placed my phone on the nightstand next to Applejack's bed and looked at her sleeping form. It helped bring a smile to my face just knowing how beautiful she was and how much I loved her. Yet, I had to go through with this, especially since my love was the embodiment of honesty, and I trusted her with anything. "AJ?" I whispered gently, brushing my thumb against her cheek. The mare stirred slightly, but continued her slumber. I moved my hand down to her shoulder, and bent my head down, kissing her forehead and shaking her shoulder as softly as I could. "Applejack? Hun?"

"Heh?" Came a snort from the slumbering pony. I removed my lips from her forehead but kept my hand in place. She took her hoof off my shoulder and rubbed her emerald eyes, squinting them in my direction. "I-Ivan?" She asked sleepily, yawning. Still feeling a little guilty for having to wake her up so late, I kept my mouth shut and waited for her to shake off her sleep. "What time is it?" Applejack's voice started to return to normal as she peered over at the alarm clock on her nightstand.

"It's midnight, hun," I quickly replied. "Look, I'm sorry for waking you, AJ, but-"

"Is everythin' all right, Sugarcube?" She got right to the point. AJ understood that I wouldn't wake her up if it wasn't important, so I was glad she wasn't ticked off at me, which she would have every right to be.

"I love you," I just blurted out. It wasn't getting to the point like my girlfriend wanted, but I just wanted to ease her into what I wanted to talk about. The mare blinked twice before flatting her eyebrows.

"Uh, that's nice Ivan, 'n Ah love ya too, but did ya have ta wake me ta tell me that?"

"It's not just that," I took her hoof in my hand and gently massaged it. "Please…I need to talk to you," I begged. I didn't mean to sound so dejected, but the anxiety I felt coupled with the weight of the year old memory, I couldn't help but look at her sadly. Thankfully though, she could tell that what was wrong was important. With her curiosity piqued, Applejack sat up on her left foreleg, her eyebrows raised back up at my solemn tone as she looked at me with genuine concern.

"'Course Ah'll listen Ivan," the mare said sweetly. "What's wrong, Sugarcube?" She reached over with her other hoof and put it back on my chest, rubbing it in the way she knew relaxed me.

"I just- I know I have to be honest with you Applejack; I love you," I repeated, "and you deserve to know this." I couldn't dive into it just yet, though. I had to set everything just right so she could really understand where I was coming from. "Do you know what today is, Applejack?"

"The 21st?" She asked after thinking about it for a minute. I nodded to confirm she was correct. "What about the- oh!" Her eyes lit up.

"I met you all a year ago," a sad smile spread across my face. My hand gained a mind of its own and gingerly cupped Applejack's cheek. "Believe me, I have more than one reason to be happy about meeting you," I kissed her nose lovingly. "But, not everything about today is a happy occasion."

"Ah know," she nodded. "Di-did you wanna talk about yer other friends?" Unsurprisingly, I puzzled her with a simple shake of my head. "Th-then what do ya need ta talk about?"

"I should've told you this a long time ago," I confessed shamefully, letting my head droop down a bit. Luckily, I had my girlfriend there to raise it back up with her hoof.

"Only if ya feel yer ready, Sugarcube," she gave me a loving smile. Although it was easy to tell she was still tired, the amount of trust in her eyes just made my heart swell. And, without even thinking, I rested my forehead upon her own so I could be as close to that trust as possible.

"Well," I tried to smile in return, but the quivering of my lower lip prevented that. "I think it's been long enough, and I love and trust you enough to help me," I recalled our chat in the infirmary shower about my scar. "But..."

"But what Ivan?"

"I'm afraid, Applejack," came a pathetic sigh. I wasn't trying to stall or anything. Waking her up this late at night was hard enough for me as it was, so I wasn't going to waste her time purposefully. In fact, I was all right with spilling my feelings to her as I should have a long time ago, but there was something else I was fearing. My forehead gently slipped off hers, but I tenderly laid my head against her shoulder for comfort, almost like a reversal of when she admitted she loved me back on Christmas Eve.

"Sugarcube," she replied in a comforting tone, resting her chin on my head and running her hooves along my bare back. "Ya don't have ta be afraid; it's just me here, 'n ya know Ah won't judge ya. Ah want ta help."

"I can't help it, AJ," I continued, nuzzling her soft fur. "It's not that I'm afraid of telling you because I do want to." The mare lifted her chin from my head and even stopped massaging my back, yet she kept her hooves in place.

"Then tell me what yer afraid of, Ivan." She actually said it in a simplified tone as if she were a school teacher talking to a timid first grader. With no other choice, I raised my head from her shoulder, making sure to look her in the eye so she knew I was being serious.

"I-I really wouldn't blame you," I exhaled in a shaky voice. "But I'm just scared that after I tell you…..you won't love me anymore," I confessed. The mare immediately gasped, pulling back away from me like I told her I cheated on her.

"Ivan Pearson!" She sneered quietly, avoiding waking up the rest of Ponyville. "How could you say somethin' like that?" She frowned, glaring at what I had said. I only felt more guilty by pissing her off, but I expected something of a reaction like this. "Yer the only one Ah've ever loved as much as Ah love ya. Whatever ya have ta say can't change that!" She growled.

"Applejack," I weakly put a hand to her cheek, rubbing my thumb across her freckles. "Do you remember how I went overboard on Filthy Rich and Trenderhoof? And how I quickly volunteered to go with Celestia's rescue team?"

"Y-yeah?"

Before I could continue, I tenderly crashed my lips into hers, taking in how soft they were, and the sparks I felt within my chest in case this was the last time she'd allow me to be this remotely close to her. I took her by surprise, but she didn't hesitate to kiss me back. We sat there for about a minute, moving only our mouths together while the rest of our bodies stayed motionless. "I-It all started with my country's leader, our president," I whispered as we parted for air, only for me to hug her tightly. "Six months before I crashed into your life….."

(18 Months Ago; Washington D.C.)

Sometimes going outside of the base, other than for flight missions, had its advantages. Just taking a stroll with my squad mates, CO, and a couple of Secret Service agents through the White House, soaking in all the history decorated within its walls was enough to make the patriot within me feel like a kid at Disney Land. I wasn't showing it as much as my friends, however. "Come on Ivan!" Adam grabbed ahold of my arm, yanking me away from the middle of the hallway toward a wall of portraits. "Get a picture with me and the president's portrait!" He exclaimed.

"The kids wanted pictures, huh?" I jerked my arm back from my friend's grasp, a smirk appearing on my face.

"They've never been to the White House, Ivan," he replied impatiently. "When I told them where we were going, I promised them pictures and a few souvenirs. You know, a little something for New Year's?" The man had been taking pictures on his phone non-stop since the Secret Service drove the six of us to Pennsylvania Avenue, and it looked like he might use up the rest of his phone's storage before the day was out.

"Should've just made it a surprise, Adam," I crossed my arms.

"Which reminds me, we've gotta stop by the gift shop on our way out," he clicked his tongue. "Now hurry up before our group gets too separated." Adam motioned for me to stand next to him, right in front of President Reagan's portrait. Rolling my eyes, I slung my arm around his shoulder, trying to mimic Reagan's look as Adam took the picture.

"Cougar, Reaper!" Stinger's old but still powerful voice boomed from the end of the hallway. "You'll have time to play vacation later, now get your butts back to the group!" He ordered. Adam nervously chuckled, jamming his phone back in his pocket before the two of us jogged side by side down the hallway.

"Sorry sir," I apologized, saluting our longtime commanding officer once we reached his spot.

"I hope to God you had a little more composure when you met with the queen last week," Stinger grumbled. He meant well, but since we were in the White House, the commander was doing everything in power to keep us in line.

"Other than Grizz choking on a cucumber sandwich, everything was fine," Adam shrugged.

"Just get moving," Stinger smacked us the back of the head. Needless to say, we booked it until we caught up with the rest of our squad whom was standing in front of a large metal door guarded by a few MPs. My eyes lit up, however, when I realized who was waiting for us at the door.

"Ah, there's the rest of your squad now," a man in a dark blue suit grinned, politely moving past Tex with his hand outstretched toward me and Adam. "Nice to meet you two."

"Mr. Vice President!" Adam said in astonishment, eagerly grabbing his hand and shaking it. "It's such an honor sir; I voted for you and your boss!" Vice President Fredrickson grimaced at my friend's Terminator-like grip, but continued to grin.

"Well, that's very kind, Lt. Jones," he finally was able to pull his hand back, shaking it. He gave me an uneasy look after enduring Adam's eagerness, but still politely offered me his hand.

"Don't worry Mr. Vice President," I assured him, gently shaking his hand. "I won't send you to the hospital," I winked.

"Thank you, Lt. Pearson," he sighed before turning to the pair of MPs standing guard. "At ease men." The two guards stepped aside simultaneously, allowing the Vice President to enter in a key code, the door opening like one from Star Trek. "This way, gentlemen," he announced somewhat proudly, giving us an inviting grin. We naturally stood aside and allowed Stinger to enter before doing so ourselves.

"Kiss ass," I heard Boa mutter to Adam, who just scoffed in reply. The large metal door shut behind us with a deep thud, locking back in place with beeps and metal clicks. The room before us was modeled almost exactly like any White House strategic room from movies, but even so, it was impressive. The entire back wall was covered with large monitors displaying maps of the world, surveillance videos from various cities, and several monitors with updated information pouring in by the second. Dozens of staff members worked down below on the floor, sitting in front of numerous computers, their hands dancing across keyboards as they spoke into headsets. I braced my hands against a metal railing, taking in the sight we'd been granted permission to see.

A large table with about two dozen chairs and microphones sat empty in the middle of the room with a perfect view of the largest screen on the wall. "Not as hot in here as you might think!" Someone greeted us. I turned to see who it was, only to grip the railing so hard my knuckles popped and turned white!

"Mr. President!" Stinger exclaimed, saluting our Commander in Chief. All five of us pilots copied him.

"At ease boys," the president laughed, gladly shaking all of our hands down the line we were standing in. "You're that group that just got back from working with the RAF, right?" He asked when he reached me.

"Yes sir! The queen told us to say hi for her," Tex replied in his usual booming voice.

"Glad to hear she's doing okay," the president concluded after I shook his hand. "I'm also happy to see that all of you could make it here on such short notice and this close to New Year's," he said apologetically. "But, can I get any of you something to snack on or drink?"

"No sir, we're just here for what you needed us for," I replied. Adam frowned and slapped his hand onto my shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"Come on, Ivan! Loosen up a little; we all deserve a little break from that stint in the UK."

"Meeting with the queen and the royal family afterwards was a break enough, Adam," I brushed his hand off my shoulder. "If the president called for us personally, I'm sure it's a serious matter."

"Actually," the Vice President intervened, "Chad and I invited you over to congratulate you on your campaign in Britain," he corrected.

"And just to take a look at our Naval operations just south of Florida," President Chad Walker chimed in. "Right Andrew?" He looked back over at the Vice President.

"Even though we're in the Air Force?" Stinger asked, puzzled.

"Well, since you were already here, and you're some of the most elite fliers in the American Military, we thought you might be interested in taking a little peek," President Walker explained. "Now then, any snack or drink you want, just ask!" He grinned, motioning us to follow him down to what I assumed to be the large table below.

"There, see?" Adam lightly punched my shoulder. "Just lighten up a little and soak in a once in a lifetime chance, bro," he pleaded. I sighed in defeat, knowing that no one else except possibly Stinger would be going into this as serious as I was. But I didn't let it bother me; the boys really did deserve a nice respite, and if spending an afternoon with the President and Vice President was it, then I'd join in for a little bit of fun with them.

With the two leaders of the nation guiding us, we ventured down the metal staircase to the pit below. Much to my surprise, the volume of analysts working at the computers didn't increase all that much; I could still hear a few of my squad mates chatting with one another. "Fresca?!" Boa barked toward Tex in a bit of disgust. "The president says we can have anything we want to drink or snack on, and you choose Fresca?"

"I plan to relax a little, not get drunk in front of the leader of the free world," Tex replied flatly, smacking his RIO in the back of the head as we sat down. Most wouldn't think they'd work well together at all if this was any indication, but once the duo strapped into their T-38, they were matched as perfectly as chocolate and milk.

"It's no issue Commander," President Walker chuckled at Stinger's disapproving glare to Tex and Boa. "In fact, our chef just completed a large batch of buffalo wings if anyone is interested," he offered. No one objected to the idea, so the president sent a few staff members to the kitchen area for the wings and a few variety of drinks. Yet, no matter how much I wanted to relax a little like all my friends were, one thing kept my mind down. A few weeks ago, our military satellites picked up some increased activities in Cuba. Nothing had caused a panic just yet, but it appeared that they were stockpiling surface to air missiles at their military bases, just like they had done in the 60s when Kennedy was president. The only evidence intel had gathered for the military and the White House is that they either wanted to do what they couldn't nearly sixty years ago, or they just wanted to fuck with us to cause even more friction between our two nations. Needless to say, it had a few people on the edge of their seat, my squad and myself included.

"What's on your mind, son?" The Vice President suddenly turned to me.

"Hmm?" I looked up to find most everyone looking in my direction. In fact, I had been so deep in thought that I hadn't noticed the trays of buffalo wings arriving. "Oh, it…it's nothing," I shook my head and reached for a wing. I really didn't want to bring up anything negative and spoil the guys' good time.

"Nonsense," Vice President Fredrickson assured me. "We'd like to make your visit as relaxing as possible."

"Of course!" Walker exclaimed. "Tell us what's bothering you, Lt. Pearson," he requested politely, almost grandfather-like.

"Ehh," I uncomfortably set my wing on the plate before me, wiping my fingers on a napkin. "It's really not important, Mr. President," I replied with a few clicks of my tongue. I could feel the rest of the guys, Stinger, and the Vice President looking at me questionably.

One look, however, in my CO's direction changed my mind. Years of being under his command granted me the ability to somewhat understand his body language, and he did not look happy that I was denying a simple request. "Please Lieutenant, call me Chad," the president asked of me before I could reply.

"All right, Chad," I replied awkwardly. "Since you mentioned what the Navy's doing down south, I'm just a little concerned with everything that's happening with Cuba." Both Chad and Andrew nodded at my confession. "I hate to bring up something negative here," I added apologetically.

"Understandable," Andrew said, leaning back in his chair but drumming his fingers on the table. "Well, we did want to show your squad just what we've got planned so far," he reminded us. "Would you folks like to see how the Navy's handling this?" He offered. A huge weight seemed to lift off of me as Stinger, Tex, Boa, Grizz, and Adam all agreed without complaint.

"If it's just to put your mind at ease, son," Chad smirked. "This is a celebratory occasion after all!" The president leaned over in his chair, whispering something to one of the secret service agents behind him who then said something into the radio in his ear. Chad stood up after his little chat and announced, "Could we please get the location of the fleet near Cuba on screen?"

The giant digital map of the world whirred to life, blinking several different colors before a pair of vertical lines and a pair of horizontal lines dispersed from the edge of the screen. The four lines then converged in a blinking red square south of Florida, zooming in on the screen that held numerous dots just north of Cuba. "Ahem," President Walker cleared his throat, grabbing a laser pointer from his suit. "As you can see here, we've got an aircraft carrier, several destroyers, and a few submarines that can destroy surface to air missiles before they reach their target at the ready," the red light from the pointer danced around the screen.

"Nothing's really happened yet," Andrew chimed in, "but we'd like to be a bit more ahead of the game than the boys were in the 60s."

"So this is just our way of showing what we've got waiting for the Cubans if they choose to fire, sir?" Adam questioned, sounding about as interested as I was. The president nodded proudly, turning his attention back to the screen and circling the largest object on screen.

"If anything happens, God forbid, we'll launch about half a dozen F-18s equipped with bombs and air to surface missiles to take out the rest of the Cuban's payload, plus a few EMP bombs to disable them completely."

"Luckily we'll never have to go there with the Navy ready to kick some ass," Adam whispered in my ear. I couldn't help but chuckle, knowing he was right. Though, I wouldn't mind going through a joint-op with the Navy after our successful mission with the RAF.

"Wait a minute," I noticed something up on the screen that made me stand from my seat.

"Lt. Pearson?" The Vice President asked.

"Did the carrier just launch a pair of F-18s?"

"That's odd," Andrew scratched the side of his head. On the screen, two bright green squares appeared on the large rectangular shape of the carrier before blinking their way across the shape and over the ocean. "Chad?"

"Don't worry, don't worry," he reassured the lot of us. "I ordered Commander Lance Parker of the USS Roosevelt to launch a few jets as an extra precaution," he explained.

"Not to question you sir, but is that really such a safe idea?"

"I have to agree with my pilot, Chad," Stinger stood up as well. "With how close the fleet is to Cuban waters, launching jets is pretty damn risky," he leaned forward with his palms on the table. "What if they take it as a threat?"

"I assure you all that nothing will happen. They'll just perform a few flybys before returning to deck. Just a few drills to make sure they can be up in the air as soon as the Cubans launch their missiles. Which again, God forbid."

"Listen Chad-" Andrew began before the president rolled his eyes and held up his hand.

"Comms, patch me in to Hornet 1," he ordered. "We'll even get a word from the lead aviator that everything is fine." I still didn't feel good about this. A chicken should never strut too close to the fence when a coyote is licking his chops from the other side. Setting up a small fleet is one thing, and having jets on standby is another. But having them fly about is damn near teasing the enemy.

BEEEEEEEEEEP

A long sustained high pitched beep crackled over the speakers within the strategy room, silencing everyone, even the analysts at the computers. "That's a fucking missile lock!" Grizz suddenly cursed, jumping up so fast he knocked his drink over on the table. My heart began racing while I scanned the entire area on the map, searching for any objects that could represent any enemy jets or missiles.

"Hornet 1, Hornet 1!" Walker wasted no time. "What's happening up there?"

"Mayday, mayday! Something's got a lock on us, but we can't figure out what! Nothing's showing up on radar!" Came a panicked cry. "Hornet 2?!"

"Same thing on our end, but my radar's jamming up!" The second pilot shouted. We could hear something being pounded from the end of his radio, possibly the pilot hitting the radar to see if it was malfunctioning. "Come on you piece of shit!"

"Pull them back!" Stinger ordered sharply, not caring that he was talking that way to the president. "Order them to land, sir!" President Walker, however, didn't listen. Instead he turned to what I could only guess was the senior analyst of the room.

"See if you can trace that missile lock. We need to know exactly where it's coming from."

"Sir," I intervened, "with all due respect, tell them to land! Having them flying blind is bad enough, let alone when the enemy has a clear lock on!"

"Hornet 1," the president ignored me. "Tell us if you can see anything out of the ordinary; we don't see anything peculiar on our end."

"Chad, please!" The Vice President begged. "These men are pilots! I think you should heed their word!"

"Those aviators are on our side of the boundary," Walker explained, never sound irritated or out of patience. "The Cuban military wouldn't dare to shoot at any of our men or women without thinking of the repercussions."

"Don't you understand that their leader is just as nuts and ruthless as his father was?!" Tex exclaimed. "If they can't see what's targeting their backs, the best thing to do is get them the hell outta there!"

"I will call them back once we've traced the missile lock."

"Give us another two minutes sir," an analyst reported as the two squares on screen turned 180 degrees to perform another flyby. Even though they were on our side of the boundary, I never doubted an enemy. I couldn't even remember the last time I blinked as my eyes were glued to the screen.

"Two minutes is too long!" Adam shouted. Without warning, two long rectangular objects emerged from the shape of Cuba on the map, curving and winding in the direction of the jets.

"THEY'VE FIRED! PULL THEM BACK!" I yelled, leaping across the table and snatching the president's microphone from his grasp. "Hornet 1, Hornet 2! You've got two surface to air missiles heading straight for you!" The president didn't even try to wrangle the microphone from my grip. Instead he placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and placed an order into the audio device.

"Men, I order you to pull back immediately! I repeat pull back and get as far away as you can! Subs, fire when ready!"

"Wh-where are they?!" The aviator from Hornet 2 demanded. "I can't see anything! Hornet 1, you got visual?"

"Negative Hornet 2!"

"Evade and continue north!" Walker repeated. "We'll have the subs take care of the missiles!"

We could only sit and watch in horror, praying that the two F-18 aviators could get far enough way for the patriot missiles to intercept the Cuban's missiles in time. I nervously released the president's microphone from my hand and slinked back across the table, a shiver traveling up my spine with each heartbeat. Everyone sat in silence while the radio transmissions from the jets were left on. Eventually, two more missiles showed up on our screen, a whoop of joy from the floor staff indicating that they were indeed the subs' missiles.

"They won't get there in time…." Stinger mumbled, his chair creaking as he slowly sat up. "EJECT THEM!" He bellowed toward the president. Little by little, Stinger was right, for the pair of Cuban weapons were closing the gap between them and the F-18s.

"Hornet 1, has your radar become functional again?"

"Fuck the radar, Chad!" Andrew cursed. "Tell them to eject!"

"Wait! I-I've got a clear- SHI-!" The aviator's radio was cut off mid sentence, the macabre sound of dead silence filling its place.

"HORNE-!" The second aviator was cut off. The two jets and two missiles vanished off screen, leaving two patriot missiles empty in the sky. The next thing we heard was the feedback of Walker's mic as it fell from his loose grip onto the table.

"This is the USS Roosevelt….we're sending a chopper to their location, Mr. President," the commander of the aircraft carrier solemnly announced. President Walker sat down roughly in his chair, covering his eyes with his hands.

"Sir? It's confirmed….the lock on came from a Cuban Naval Base," one of the analysts said in a shaky voice. Vice President Fredrickson, however, was more angered than the rest of us.

-X-

I wanted to throw up. Nearly two and a half hours had come and gone since the events in the White House strategy room had occurred. And ever since the two aviators' radios were cut off by the missiles, I had been sick to my stomach. President Walker and Vice President Fredrickson apologized for what we had to see and hear before granting us full permission to head back to our hotel while they got everything under control. They even dispatched a pair of Secret Service agents to accompany us if we needed anything. War was not a matter of if anymore, but when now that our military had been attacked in U.S. waters. Though when we would declare war on Cuba was still on the table.

None of us could really blame the president. He didn't send those poor pilots over the boundary or have them fire in the island nation's direction. Sure, we all agreed that he could've had them pull back sooner, but no one knew at the time what had locked onto their F-18s. What if a whole squad of Cuban pilots locked onto them and had followed them back to the carrier and lit it up?

"All right, if no one will say it, I will!" Boa barked after stomping around our hotel suite for about forty-five minutes, muttering to himself. "I say we get about fifty A-10s, fly back over to Cuba with the Navy and sink the fuckers right into the Atlantic!"

"And just walk right into a trap? What if shooting down those two jets was just bait?" Grizz asked from his chair with his arms crossed. "Don't you think we should get some recon on their air bases first before going in like Schwarzenegger?"

"Or what if they were just waiting for us to get close enough, take out a few of our own, and then blow up all of southern Florida while we're trying to figure out what the hell's going on?!"

"Calm down, Boa," Stinger remarked from the doorway to the mini bar. "Letting off a little steam is one thing, but you're talking about suicide here! You wanna be responsible for the loss of nearly five dozen more American lives?" Boa snorted and glared toward our CO, kicking at the foot of his bed.

"Well, I sure as hell don't want to sit here and wait for millions of innocent civilian lives in Florida to be lost!"

"And you think just launching us in there like kamikazes will scare them enough to surrender?" Tex joined in, pointing a finger at his RIO. "Stupid shit like this is exactly why Stinger made me the pilot!" He snarled. Boa suddenly pushed Tex back into a wall, huffing and puffing like Michael Myers.

"Knock it off!" Stinger bolted over to the pair, shoving them apart like a hockey ref. "You two won't see the cockpit of a jet for a month if you keep this up!" He threatened. Tex and Boa just gave each other dirty looks before the former stepped back and kicked the foot of his bed again, flopping down on the bed.

"Hey Ivan, you doing all right?" Adam sat at the foot of my own bed while everyone else let out their frustrations. I'd just been staring up at the ceiling ever since we got back, not having moved an inch. "Come on man." I exhaled slowly, lazily shifting my gaze over to my best friend. "You know it freaks me out when you're like this."

"Freaks you out?" I replied for the first time since our return to the hotel. Grunting, I pushed myself up and rested my back against the headboard, legs crossed and elbows resting on the sides of my knees.

"You know," Adam narrowed his eyes, "when you give the whole damn planet the silent treatment and just stare into an abyss? You've been doing it a lot more lately, and it's not healthy."

"Don't give me that psychobabble shit."

"Ivan, needing some down time to decompress is fine, but you become an emotionless zombie whenever something like this happens. You even do it when when something happens that we don't even have a hand in!"

"Well, you see what they're doing!" I jabbed my thumb in Tex and Boa's direction. "Someone around here needs to keep a level head-"

"Don't give me that bullshit excuse, Ivan!" Adam rose his voice at me, but the others didn't stop their arguing to se what was going on over here. "Please," he sighed, putting a hand on my shoulder, "as your brother, you need to stop blaming yourself whenever shit like this happens."

"Why? I have the capabilities and the will to protect people. If I'm breathing, I have a job to do; if I can't perform that job, then it's my fault!" I snapped, slapping Adam's hand off my shoulder.

"Really? Then tell me what more could you have done to help those F-18 pilots, Ivan," my friend demanded. "If it was your job to help them, then what could you have done?" I opened my mouth to answer him, but nothing came out. Shamefully, I closed my mouth and looked away from Adam, glaring at the wall. "See? You're beating yourself up over something out of your control!" Adam sighed. The man patted my back, "Look, I don't blame you for wanting to do good and defend people. That's noble enough, but you need to remember that you can't save everyone."

"I can sure as hell try," I swallowed, still not turning to look at him.

"Then how can you enjoy life if that's all you think about? Opening up to your friends and letting them help you doesn't make you a burden. We're all here to help each other; trust me, you'll feel a lot better when you stop moping to yourself and just talk to us." Adam quickly moved his arm around my shoulder and gave me a tight hug, patting my back once again.

"Thanks bro," I turned to him, offering my adopted brother a weak smile and returned the hug.

"And you know, finding the right-" he tried to add before a knock at the door interrupted him. The rest of the room went silent as we heard the electronic beep of the door lock, and a Secret Service agent poked his head through the now partially opened door.

"I hate to bother you, men, but the Vice President is here for a visit," he announced. All of us with the exception of Stinger let off a chorus of confused responses as our CO invited Fredrickson into our room.

"Let him in," Stinger responded, standing at attention. The rest of us stood up as the Vice President very briskly entered the room with his two personal bodyguards and the pair of agents assigned to us followed, shutting the door. "What brings you here, sir?"

"Please, please, no need or time for that," he forcibly yanked Boa's saluting arm down.

"Sir?" Boa took a step back.

"Do you have more info on….you know?" Adam questioned. Andrew looked over at us before blinking hard and roughly rubbing the side of his head.

"In a way, yes," he growled. "I wish I had come here with positive news for you, but we've discovered something…..haunting." The way he said it chilled at least me to the bone, almost like a combination of afraid and sickened.

"Well, is the president on his way or coming up with a plan to get back at those bastards?" Grizz sneered.

"No, in fact, Chad has no clue I'm here," the VP admitted. "The only ones that know I'm here are you six, my bodyguards and the two agents I dispatched for you all."

"Then, why are you here sir?" I took a step forward, squinting my eyes to try and figure out what the hell was going on. The depression and anger I'd felt for the past two hours quickly morphed into concern.

"Because," Andrew gulped, "I need your help," his eyes darting over between the six of us. My eyes increased back to their normal size, the concern now being joined by confusion.

"Our help?" Stinger had his arms crossed, but was staring at the vice president like Clint Eastwood.

"Yes. You see, Commander, I had my suspicions over what transpired in the strategy room, so I had a little chat with Chad about it in the Oval Office."

"What were you suspicious about?" Even one of his own bodyguards didn't know what he was getting at. Andrew put the side of his fist to his mouth, exhaling into it.

"Gentlemen, I'm sorry to say, but our president isn't the man he led you to believe."

"What?" I said in a hush.

"I asked him why he didn't order those men to land the moment there was a missile lock imposed on their planes. Chad at first tried to deny it, but we've worked together for so long in politics I can tell when he's full of shit. Eventually I broke him down and got him to admit what he did…our president used those innocent pilots as pawns to jumpstart a war with Cuba."

"No!" Adam exclaimed.

"He told me that he saw an opportunity to get Cuba to cooperate and bring democracy to their nation, even at the cost of two American lives. He waited for those missiles to launch so he'd have an excuse to declare war and have the whole of the U.S. backing his decision. He claims that the pilots wouldn't have died in vain, but I can tell he doesn't care. All he gives a damn about is his legacy: The president that brought democracy to Cuba, and peace between them and America. Which is why we have to stop him from addressing the nation so we can stop what he's started before more innocent American and innocent Cuban lives are lost."

The silence that followed was deafening. Stinger clutched the edge of the table he was standing next to before slowly collapsing onto a chair, staring at the ground in horror. Adam was frozen, unable to move at the news that the man he voted for had betrayed the entire country, a quiet whine emitting from his open mouth. The four secret service agents behind the vice president removed their sunglasses, their faces as pale as a ghost. I myself was shaking in my spot, feeling about as sickened, shocked, and lost as Luke Skywalker in his first confrontation with Darth Vader. "I know this is difficult to process, but we haven't much time," Andrew said after giving us a moment.

"W-what can we do to help sir?" Boa's usual brash attitude had completely vanished. He sounded truly frightened that fellow pilots had been essentially murdered by the president, and I can't blame him.

"Well, I came to all of you because if I went to the CIA or practically anyone else with the Secret Service, they'd talk to Chad about it and he'd just deny it and erase the audio tapes from the Oval Office. Besides, he'd also have a room full of analysts to back him up that he tried to do everything he could to save the pilots."

"So what's your plan?" Stinger mustered up the courage to talk.

"Before the day went to shit, Chad was talking about taking you all out to dinner for meeting up with us today. One of you could ride in the back of his limo on the ride over with him, and arrest him once we get to the restaurant. I'll even have one of them ride up front with the driver to verify why you're arresting the president so it doesn't look like an assassination attempt," Andrew explained, gesturing to one of the secret service agents who nodded in agreement. "And I can have two others ride with me and the rest of you in my limo, while the other two go back to the Oval Office and secure those tapes and the surveillance footage before anyone can get to them as evidence."

Everyone silently but surely agreed to the plan, knowing what was at stake, and that we were but a few that had the opportunity to prevent an all out war.

"When do we leave?" I snarled.

-X-

The plans for the evening definitely changed from what the vice president had told us back at the hotel. Only moments after he gave us the grim news, room service appeared at our door with an entire feast at the ready, all courtesy of the president himself. Andrew and his two bodyguards left as soon as we found out who'd sent the dinner to our room, having to get back to the White House before President Walker knew where he had been.

We also discovered through a phone call from Walker that he personally wanted to fly our whole squad plus Stinger home on Air Force One as an 'extended apology for what we had to witness.' It took Stinger his whole will power to not blow up at the commander in chief over the phone, but he persevered even though he demanded a few shots of scotch from the mini bar afterwards.

Luckily though, one of the agents dispatched to us in our room confirmed that the vice president would be joining the president on the flight, so the original plan to get the surveillance and audio tapes from the Oval Office could stay somewhat intact. The only thing now is we had a more private opportunity to arrest the president and give the incriminating evidence over to the head of the Secret Service, at least before we took off from the White House's private airfield outside of D.C.

"Lt. Pearson, are you sure you're all right?" The president asked of me. I had been hand picked by Walker to accompany him in the back of his presidential limo for the ride to the airfield while everyone else was in the vice president's limo. I didn't have the slightest clue why he chose me, but we couldn't afford acting suspiciously around him, so I went without question.

"As much as I can be," I replied, looking out the window at the cold winter's sunset.

"I really can't apologize enough for what you, your men, and your commander had to see, Lieutenant." My knuckles felt like they were going to blow out right through my skin from how tight I was clenching my fists, turning as white as the snow on the sides of the road. "Would some music help?" Walker suggested after I didn't respond to his faux apology. Maybe he did feel sorry we had to personally witness two naval aviators dying, but I didn't give a fuck about his feelings anymore. One of the agents that had been with us at the hotel flipped on the radio in the back of the limo to a classic rock station, allowing music to fill the car.

Cause you're living on a paper sun

Blind to all the damage done

Living on a paper sun

Waiting for the tide to turn

Living on a paper sun

You can't hide and you can't run

All your dreams have come and gone

Living on a paper sun

"You know, I've always found this to be an underrated song," the president continued as the bridge of the song hit.

"The feeling's mutual, sir," I finally replied once we entered a tunnel, the concrete walls blocking the view of the sunset. Anger and dread swelled within my chest with each passing foot the limo traveled. It was protocol for the president to enter Air Force One after a pair of armed agents, and since I would enter with him…..I would be the one to initiate his arrest with the agent in our limo assisting me and the rest of my squad following suit. What really terrified me, however, was I didn't know how far we would get, even with a few members of the Secret Service on our side. Would any of my squad mates be shot? Would I be shot? Would the vice president hold back the president's guards so we could arrest the president? But, we still couldn't act until we knew the footage and audio tapes had been secured.

"You know, Ivan," Walker called me by name for the first time. I couldn't help but feel and look a little stunned towards the leader of the free world. "Our business near Cuba is a naval operation?" The president cracked open a bottle of brandy, pouring into a glass.

"Yes…sir?"

"Well, I for one think it would be a shame or even a crime to allow the skills and talents of the Ghostrider Squadron to go waste simply because you are apart of the Air Force and not the Navy," he began, sipping his brandy as if we were discussing the upcoming Super Bowl.

"….And you want us to work alongside the Navy?" I swallowed, trying to keep everything in check. Walker offered me a glass of my own, but I rejected it.

"Of course! And maybe since you boys helped the RAF, perhaps they'll lend us a helping hand?" He suggested. "Naturally, your planes won't be able to be parked on the Roosevelt, but I don't think relocating your squad to a Florida Air Base should be too much of a problem."

"I'd have to check to see what Stinger and the boys think of that first," I put on a fake smile. "I mean with so much that's happened in the past few weeks, we may need a little breather to think about it," I turned my attention back to the window, frowning.

"Ah, well that's to be expected for how much work your squad puts in to keep our skies safe," the president polished off his drink with a pleased groan, setting the glass into a cup holder. "But do take my offer into consideration, Lt. Pearson. After all, isn't this why you and your adoptive brother dropped out of school to join?" My eyes blew open, and my head snapped around to face President Walker. "Heh, heh," he chuckled at my reaction.

"You knew?"

"Yes, I'm well aware of the little fib you and Lt. Jones cooked up when you were seventeen in order to enlist," Walker grinned. He interrupted me before I could even think of answering, "The government always knows, Lieutenant. Rest assured that many people within the government, myself included, have no qualms with what you two did. In fact, our military could use more men like the you and Lt. Jones, true patriots to your country," he praised.

"Are we now?" I raised my eyebrow.

"Mhmm," Walker nodded, putting his hand on my shoulder. "There's just one thing I have to ask of you."

"What's that, Mr. President?" I stole a quick glance at his hand before returning my gaze to his.

"Keep doing what you can for the good of the nation, son. Protect it as best as you can from anything that threatens it and your fellow citizens." I couldn't help but narrow my eyes toward President Walker as a confident smirk spread across my face.

"Don't worry sir, I plan to," I swore.

"Good man!" The president pulled his hand back, adjusting his tie. I suddenly felt the limo begin to lose momentum and make a wide turn, making me, the president, and the secret service agent lean a little bit. "Ah good, we're here." I took a look out the window to see the large blue and white 747 that was Air Force One with what appeared to be a few dozen security personnel littered around the plane. "Don't worry about your luggage," Walker patted my back before stepping outside of the limo. One look through the back window allowed me to see the vice president's limo parked directly behind us with my squad exiting the vehicle.

"Lieutenant," the agent whispered to me just as I was about to step out as well. He didn't say another word to me, opting instead to gesture to his ear piece, giving me a thumbs up. It took but a second before the sense of dread felt like an elephant weighing down my shoulders. I slowly pointed out the open limo door toward the president, raising my eyebrows at the agent. He simply nodded and tossed a pistol over to me like we had planned before the president arrived at our hotel. He then held up a pair of handcuffs, dangling them towards me and then hid them behind his back.

"Pearson! You lose something in there?" Walker poked his head back in.

"Uh, no sir! It's just a little cramped in here," I lied, jamming the pistol into a pocket on the inside of my jacket.

"Well you're definitely not alone on that thought," he rolled his eyes. "Oh well, come on," he offered me his hand. The president stood there, bent over with his hand reaching out to me, but I just sat down, refusing to move an inch. Behind the president, Andrew's guards and our squad were waiting, blocking any other security agents from getting to the president. The trap had been set. "Lieutenant?"

"Mr. President," I growled, grabbing his wrist with my free hand and yanking him forward. The man fell onto his knees into the limo, grunting.

"Pearson! Wh-what's the meaning of this?" He demanded, trying to yank his hand away. The serviceman sitting next to me produced the pair of handcuffs, inching closer to the president.

"As an American citizen, I place you under arrest for the murder of two American aviators and for conspiring to start a war!" I declared, pulling the pistol from my jacket pocket. However, right as I pointed the gun at the president, he instead yanked me toward him. Caught off guard, I was pulled forward where the president's free hand punched across my cheek. My hand that was grasped around his wrist let go as I fell to the floor of the limo in a daze from the force of the punch.

In a blur, I could see the president scrambling to me to get the gun while the serviceman intercepted him, the two coming together like a pair of WWE stars, punching and clawing at one another. "Stand down, the two of you!" The president sneered. "Or I'll have you sent to Guantanamo for this!"

"Sir, what you've done is unforgivable!" The serviceman retorted, dropping his pair of handcuffs to fight the president. I could hear voices on the outside demanding what was happening. If we didn't act fast, our whole plan would be undone! I tried to wriggle out from underneath the two men, only to have the president elbow me in the gut, forcing an ungodly choking sound to emit from my mouth. "Make it easy on yourself, sir. You'll get a fair trial!" The serviceman pleaded.

"You two have no idea how hard that decision was to make!" the president snarled. Right hooking the serviceman. Groaning, I pulled myself up and onto the couch while the president was momentarily distracted, reaching for something.

SMASH

"GAHHH!" The secret service agent screamed in pain as the president grabbed the empty brandy glass and smashed it into the serviceman's face. I held back from throwing up as streaks of blood formed all over the poor man's face, even his eye. The president huffed, grabbed the pair of hand cuffs and wrapped them around the agent's throat, pulling back as hard as he could. The look on the president's face as he strangled the injured man was inhuman.

I cocked the hammer of the pistol back, pointing it right at the president's head. "Walker, let him go," I ordered, still trying not to lose my dinner at the scarred face of the agent. Walker snarled, glaring over at me.

"Andrew's always been the do-gooder. No leader in the history of the world ever had clean hands," he said through his teeth. "He told you everything didn't he?" I said nothing, but pointed the gun closer to him, resting my index finger on the trigger. "I knew it. I'll just have to send him with you and your squad to Guantanamo."

"No offering me a chance to get out?" I asked through my teeth as well, breathing heavily.

"Of course not," Walker rolled his eyes while the agent flailed his hands back, trying to claw at the president. "You'll just take me down the instant I- YAHH!" He cut himself off and lunged forward, grasping one hand around the barrel of the pistol and pushing me against the mini bar of the limo. "GIVE ME THAT GUN!" He screamed, punching at me with his free hand while we wrestled for the gun.

I tried yelling back, but Walker wrapped his fingers around my throat, squeezing it tight. All of a sudden, the secret serviceman leapt from behind the president, curling his arms around the president's chest, pulling him back. The president, however, kept his hand tight around the barrel of the gun, holding onto it. I yanked it back as hard as I could and-

BANG

The gun went off, momentarily deafening me as I felt something warm and wet dripping on my hands. Shaking my head clear, an image of the president with a look of shock on his face entered my field of vision. "Huh?" I exclaimed when I saw a large dark red hole in the president's chest that was growing redder by the second. I looked down to see splatters of blood on my hands and a few specks on the matte finish of the firearm.

"Lieutenant? Are you all right?" The serviceman asked as he sat the president down on one of the seats. I could see where the bullet had been stopped by the vest he'd been wearing under his suit.

"THE PRESIDENT'S BEEN SHOT!" I could hear someone on the outside shout. My hands started to shake in horror at what had happened. I'd been angry at what Walker had done, but not this angry.

"Pearson," the serviceman shook my shoulder. "I'll be your witness, I swear," he promised me as the doors to the limo ripped open.

"Ivan?" I could hear Adam's voice underneath the shouts of everyone else. I shut my eyes in shame and allowed my entire body to shake like a leaf.

-X-

(Flashback over)

"They took the president to a private government hospital, but it was too late for him," I continued my story as hot tears streamed down my face. "Andrew took over as the president and turned the evidence over to the FBI, CIA, every government facility necessary to prove what Walker had done….."

Applejack gaped, her face stuck like that since the second third of my story. "Ivan-"

"I'm a murderer….." I choked, squeezing more tears out of my eyes.

"No, no you aren't, Sugarcube," AJ gently put her hoof on my cheek, wiping at my cascading tears.

"But," I held her hoof in my hand loosely, still allowing her to wipe my tears, "Applejack, I killed him. H-he was unarmed."

"Well, so what, Ivan?" The mare scooted closer to me, cuddling up and wrapping both her forelegs around my torso. She even laid her cheek against my shoulder, nuzzling it lovingly. "He attacked both that secret service guy 'n you," she countered. "An' he definitely wasn't an innocent man."

"I-I know, but all we wanted to do was arrest him and let the Supreme Court decide what to do," I turned away from her, believing I wasn't worthy of cuddling this close to AJ. That didn't stop her, however, from pulling me back, squeezing me tighter.

"Ivan, Ah know ya don't feel too proud 'o yerself right now, but tell me one thing."

"What's that?" I sniffled.

"Y'all didn't go ta jail now did ya?" Applejack held my cheek with her hoof so I wouldn't be able to turn away.

"W-well no. The FBI looked at the security tape of the limo and the serviceman testified in favor of me," I admitted. "They ruled it an accident because we were wrestling for the gun."

"Uh-huh," AJ smiled warmly. "An' y'all didn't mean ta do it, right?"

"Of course not!" I sobbed. "It was supposed to just make him comply and go into custody. I'd never kill someone who's unarmed purposefully."

"Sugarcube, that's all Ah need ta hear," she moved a hoof down onto my chest, massaging it in circles.

"But still-" I tried to counter argue.

"But…nothin'!" AJ exclaimed. "Ah understand yer not happy with the outcome, Ivan, but the fact 'o the matter is y'all have nothin' ta be ashamed of. So what if he was unarmed? He allowed two 'o yer fellow pilots ta die fer selfish reasons and put countless other lives at risk. Them poor boys couldn't fight against those missiles, especially when the president just sat there 'n led them ta their deaths. Far as Ah'm concerned hun, yer president signed away his life the moment he fought back against ya. He made ya pull that trigger; you didn't do it on purpose."

"That night, AJ," I continued after a moment of silence, laying my cheek on Applejack's shoulder, my tears matting her orange fur. "I vowed to do whatever I could to exterminate as much evil as I physically could, and that if I had a chance to save someone, I'd do it. That's why I was so eager to go to Draconia to save Luna. So I could atone for ending a man's life when it wasn't my job to. Did he deserve it? Probably…..but it shouldn't have been me holding the-" I was cut off by Applejack wrapping her forelegs around my neck and slamming her mouth onto mine, kissing me ferociously.

"Sugarcube," she huffed after I finally stopped trying to talk. "Y'all stop right now," she ordered me. "It was an accident plain 'n simple. Ah don't love ya any less fer somethin' that was outta yer control. The past year my friends an Ah've known ya, you've proven how loyal, sweet, selfless, carin', honest, 'n just an all around good man you are. Ya might've been rough around the edges at first, but you've grown so much 'n learned how ta open up ta yer friends, but more importantly how ta trust yerself. In fact, Ah love ya even more now that you've worked up the courage ta tell me this. You. Are. A. Good. Man, Ivan, 'n Ah'm never lettin' ya go!" She snuggled her head into my chest, yanking me back down onto the bed where she squeezed me as hard as she could, holding me close. "Ah love you," she added, resting her chin upon my chest and giving me the most reassuring smile I've ever seen. "Please, don't feel sorry fer yerself, don't feel like ya have somethin' ta make up fer. Just keep bein' the man ya are; that's all Ah could ever ask o' ya," she pleaded.

"…I love you," my voice cracked as I threw the blanket back over us and wrapped my arms around her in return. She raised her head slightly, allowing me to bend mine down and to connect our lips. She still loved me, even after what I thought would be a deal breaker, Applejack wouldn't let me go. "Thanks for listening," I added, my tears beginning to dry up, but not before they turned from sadness to happiness.

"Shh," she moved her hoof up to my lips. "Just let me hold ya, hun." Applejack said softly before resting her head back down on my chest with her ear right above my heart. "Ah'm always here fer ya, Ivan."

If I could tell Applejack what'd happened and feel like a great weight had lifted off me, then I could tell my other friends no problem. Sure, I still felt a twinge of guilt every time I thought back to that night, but I was positive that as time went on, the guilt would whither away. And with my status as a knight, I could still help those who needed it, and stop evil from spreading. The best part was I had a whole slew of friends and a loving girlfriend to go to whenever I needed it; nothing could make my life better…..except maybe one thing.

End Chapter 63

---

So, here's just a little tidbit of trivia for you readers. I gave the president in my story the last name of Walker after the governor of my state, Alaska, Bill Walker. This is just to get back at him for taking half of the dividends from every citizen of Alaska to pay for our state being unable to handle a damn budget.

Also, this obviously isn't the final chapter, I have SO much more left, but this really is the last piece to Ivan's backstory, and I hope it explained a lot of his earlier behavior in the story, and why he was so eager to volunteer to help rescue Luna. Plus, yeah, I threw in a ton of CouJack at the end.

And yes, the use of Paper Sun in the president's limo was a hint of irony for him. If you're interested, the song is called Paper Sun and was written and performed by Def Leppard. It's on YouTube, but there was a special reason why it was written that you can research in Google.

Don't forget to review!