//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Imminent Threat // Story: Ace Combat: The Equestrian War // by PolishValsion //------------------------------// Frustrated by constant losses, the enemy begins an assault. A single encounter brings nightmares back. Driven by vengeance, they clash in a duel. Yet her foe's motive remains unknown. Chapter 7 "Imminent Threat” January 16th, 2019 0600 hrs Gryphus, Griffin Palace Black Star was traversing the corridors, his mind focused on recent events. Slight boredom was present on the soldier’s face; almost a complete opposite when compared to the ones Black Star knew and spoke with through a radio. More than once the newly formed pegasus squadron proved to be a thorn in their side. He was especially concerned about the pink pegasus that was leading them. As much as he tried to keep his emotions submerged, all he could do was just walk back and forth. Red Cyclone came to him and saw his anxiety.         “You’re an early bird. Something bothering you?” he asked. Black Star turned around and spoke in a quiet monotone. It made him sound like he hadn’t had a rest in days and continuously stood on guard.         “I can’t sleep. I’ve been thinking...”         “Let me guess,” Red Cyclone interrupted. “You’ve been thinking about that squadron of pegasi ponies that keeps ruining our plans?” The dark griffon didn’t responded at first. But his silence pretty much answered positively to the question. He then looked at his companion.         “Is it that obvious?”         “Well, duh. But I feel your pain. I’m bothered by this as well. We’ve tried every tactic we could’ve think of to lower the ponies’ morale. But instead, they keep fighting. And they seem to be getting better, too. How is that possible?” Red Cyclone was clearly frustrated. He scratched the floor with his left claw. Black Star tried to point out that they were not dealing with harmless opponents. He knew about psychological parts of the war, not just the battles.         “It would seem we have underestimated them. They are actually quite resourceful.” But that angered the crimson griffin even further. He started walking around, barely restraining himself from yelling and waking up every single soldier in the palace.         “I’m not ready to believe that! I always knew ponies were weak! And now you’re telling me my judgment was wrong all this time?!” he exclaimed, spreading his wings. Black Star tried to reason with him, even though he himself was quite anxious about the result of this war. Not only were their actions not as effective as they hoped, the ponies were also surprisingly determined to defend their homeland.         “I’m merely showing you some cold logic. Whatever trick we play against them, it backfires on us. Instead of forcing them to give up by capturing fillies, which, if you ask me, was already a ridiculous idea to begin with...!”         “DON’T REMIND ME!” Red Cyclone shouted. “I know that I screwed up... But I’m not going to make the same mistake again! Besides, it’s about time this little game came to an end.” Black Star looked at him with precaution. He wasn’t certain what his companion meant, so he went deeper:         “Are you saying that...?”         “Exactly,” Red Cyclone’s eyes squinted in mad delight.         “Until now, we’ve been only testing those ponies by engaging them in single battles. Therefore, I believe we may begin the Full. Frontal. Operation.”         “So... the actual war will begin today...” Black Star wondered.         “Right. In about four hours, the general, using me as a medium, will issue an order to all squadron leaders to begin the assault. We’ll see how long these equines will last.” The dark griffon was seemingly unmoved and was about to leave.         “Do as you please. I’m not interested in joining the fight. However... I’m certain that the pegasi who recently captured our food storage bunkers will send in a supply team to recover them. So, I’m going to greet them.” Red Cyclone stared at him, trying to get the meaning of what he said.         “You will go all by yourself? You should at least get some—”         “I won’t be needing your support, Red Cyclone. You are to coordinate the main assault. Besides, I only want to meet that pink pegasus...” The crimson griffin leaned toward Black Star, as if he was trying to tease him.         “Taken fancy to her, eh?”         “Don’t be a fool. I merely have some... unfinished business with her. I’m sure she’ll recognize me when we meet. And I hope she won’t disappoint me, like last time...” He hanged his voice.         “What happened? Care to tell a companion?” Red Cyclone asked. Black Star spread his wings, about to fly away. He looked from behind at the crimson griffon.         “Forgive me, but I can’t tell you yet. Let’s just say it’s personal... Maybe I’ll tell you when I come back. Rest assured, this will be an important test for them.” With these words, the dark griffon flew away and departed in the direction of Equestria, leaving Red Cyclone pondering about the conversation he just had.         “Sometimes, I can’t figure him out... Whatever, I just hope he’ll give them quite a show,” he thought to himself, as he watched the sun rise. ========== 0830 hrs Equestrian airspace, en route to Gildsedale After several days of preparation and organizing, the Mirage squadron was finally given the task of opening a path for the supply team to recover the large amounts of stolen food, stored in the bunkers that were recently under griffins’ control. Firefly turned her communicator on and contacted the others:         “Alright. Let’s go over it one more time. As soon as we’re going to reach our destination, we’ll send the coordinates to Applejack and the ponies from the supply team. Once that’s done, our job is to patrol the skies and ensure that not a single griffon is going to hinder their progress. According to Applejack’s reports, there are supposedly ten bunkers. We don’t know if all of them are containing the stolen supplies and it’s highly possible the enemy knows about our plans and will try to stop us.” As she was explaining the details, others were exchanging glances. They had a feeling this would not be an easy task.         “So, in other words, this mission’s probably going to take an entire day,” Cloud Kicker’s voice was heard. “It’s a good thing we’ve been keeping up the pace until now,” she sighed a bit saying this.         “Things may be looking on our disadvantage for now, but once we recover the food, the table will turn toward us,” the pink pegasus assured.         “Besides, the training we’ve been having in the past few days did us good. We can handle anything that comes our way.” The seven pegasi were slowly approaching the plains not far from the Gildsedale, a lush and green region on the very edge of western Equestria, lying very close to the border. To their surprise, there was not a single sign of enemy in the area that belonged to them barely two weeks ago. They’ve used this opportunity to fly slower and converse stamina. At approximately 1055 hours, Firefly told the others to stop in place, as she was trying to confirm their position. But since she hadn’t visited Equestria in the past few years, she felt a little lost.         “All these plains seem identical to me. Thunder, can you tell us where we are?” Lightning Bolt pulled out a map of Equestria she was holding in her bag and begun examining it. Other pegasi came closer, so they could hear what she was saying.         “Hmmm... according to these symbols, of ancient meaning I presume, we’re somewhere... here,” the white pegasus pointed her left hoof on a map that had a plain similar to the one they were flying above. Medley managed to hold her laugh. It was obvious that Lightning was acting goofy to lighten up the mood. Unfortunately, Firefly was not amused.         “Tell me something I don’t know,” she said with a sarcastic tone. Lightning decided to play along, not sure if the pink pegasus was serious or not.         “Consuming large amounts of food may lead to indigestion problems.” This time, nopony could resist. Even Firefly roared with laughter, however true and serious the statement that Lightning Bolt made was. Once she calmed down, she spoke again:         “Tell me something I don’t know, but not that. Maybe something... relevant.” Lightning then putted the map away and turned her scanner on, trying to find the bunkers. She managed to notice several of them, lying almost in a straight line.         “Supply bunkers at 11 o’clock.”         “Shoot! It’s 1057 hours! We’ve got to hurry!” Derpy exclaimed all of a sudden. Medley and Cloud Kicker chuckled again, but Firefly merely rolled her eyes.         “Alright, we’ve had some laughs, now let’s get this operation started!” Upon hearing this order, the Mirage squadron started lowering their altitude, and within a few minutes, ground was visible to them. As Lightning mentioned, the bunkers were there. Firefly immediately went to send the coordinates to Applejack, so that the supply team could begin the recovery process. However, Firefly forgot about a certain detail that Cloud Kicker noticed the closer they were getting to the bunkers...         “Hey! Look, everypony! It seems the enemy is already lying in wait for us!” the purple pegasus pointed out. They all looked in front of them. It was true. Someone was apparently waiting for them on the ground. But to Fluttershy’s surprise, it was but a single griffon.         “He’s alone there... Um, do you think it might be trap?” she asked Rainbow Dash.         “It’s possible. Those guys are capable of the most disgusting tricks. But I’m ready for whatever dirty deeds they’re holding up their wings.”         “That’s the attitude I like, Rainbow. Everypony, descend and land!” Following Firefly’s lead, the other pegasi soon approached the mysterious dark griffon, who was either not aware of their presence or was merely thinking about something. But as soon as he heard the ponies and their hooves touching the ground, he opened his eyes. A mild smirk graced his face.         “So, you’ve come...” ========== 1100 hrs Gildsedale Plains Initially, neither the pegasi nor the griffon took any action and seemingly stared into the eyes, as if they were trying to read each other’s predicaments and thoughts. Knowing that time was not on their side, Firefly decided to persuade him to leave, being fully confident he would not be able to fight all seven of them.         “Look pal, we came here with an important mission, so you would be wise to...!” Firefly started, but she was cut short when the griffon rose his claw, interrupting her.         “I know exactly what you’re here for. And I’ve been waiting for this moment to finally meet you. You’re quite a bunch of troublemakers, I give you that. None of you is strong enough to defeat me, though.” The pegasi looked at each other, confused from this bold statement. Medley tried this time.         “You’re saying that you’re going to take on us all by yourself? It seems you have no idea who you’re dealing with. We’re—”         “The Mirage squadron, I know. I have a plausible degree of knowledge about all of you. Especially about your leader.” Saying this, he pointed his claw at Firefly.         “Really? Well, I don’t know anything about you,” she replied. The dark griffon shook his head, dissatisfied. He took a few steps toward the pegasi, who were prepared to face him in battle. They knew that the supply team would be here any minute, so time was of the essence. Just then, he extended his wings and they all saw an emblem that looked like a black star on his vest. Rainbow Dash instantly recognized it.         “That emblem! You’re one of the griffins who attacked the Wonderbolts! You’re the one who started this whole mess!” Furious, the blue pegasus tried to attack him, but the griffon soldier easily avoided her attack and retaliated with a vicious wing smash, sending Rainbow flying back to her surprised friends. The blue pegasus hit the ground hard.         “It’s useless, I told you. None of you is a match for me... except your leader. Tell me Firefly... how many years has it been? Five? Six, maybe?” The pink pegasus didn’t said a word. She was just staring at the emblem, unaware of anything else. The little black star was all that mattered to her now. All those bad memories started coming back to her mercilessly... the sight of her burning home... the charcoal bodies of her parents... and within this infernal scenery, an intimidating figure, looking at her with a piercing sight. She started trembling. Derpy noticed it and asked Firefly does she knows that griffon. She didn’t turn to them and kept staring at the black star, but her voice was clearly shaky with anger.         “Yes... I—I know him all too well. Of all the creatures in this world, he earned my hatred!” The amount of fury when she poured into the last word made Fluttershy cringe in fear. Others were shocked, too, when they heard that. Rainbow stood up, and when she came closer, she saw Firefly’s face—with tears streaming down the cheeks from her eyes.         “Black Star...! All these years... I was hoping to never see you again. I thought my pain would finally subside. That I could rest...”         “Then, you thought wrong,” Black Star interrupted with a dark monotone. “You should know that ghosts from the past are only meant to torment you.” Rainbow had no idea what he was referring to or why Firefly was so furious. She tried to talk to her about it. The pink pegasus took a few deep breaths and although her voice was still shaky from emotions, it sounded determined.         “You remember when I told you girls that I have a good reason to hate the griffins? Well, Black Star is that reason. Because... he... he...!” Firefly couldn’t bring herself to say it at first. But Lightning Bolt pushed her into saying:         “He killed my parents!” The ponies gasped. But now, they slowly started to think how Firefly felt; the person who was responsible for the death of the ones she loved the most was standing right before her. Even worse, he was acting like it was no big deal. He even confirmed it:         “Yes. It’s true. I killed Firefly’s parents. It was a part of my mission assignment. I was told to eliminate any possible traits of mutiny. Besides, her father was a very good warrior. He would grow into a threat to us, especially if he brought some other ponies under his banner.”         “But you knew that neither my mother nor father tried to stage a mutiny. And they were never a part of it! Despite that, you murdered them! Burned them to death! You’ve made me see it!!!” the pink pegasus yelled at Black Star, startling Fluttershy again. Firefly’s heartbeat was increasing and her temper kept flaring. A confrontation was imminent.         “I swore to myself that I would avenge their deaths by taking you down! So I trained myself for this day to come! You’re going to pay for all the evil you’ve caused!”         “Bold words for a little pony,” Black Star mocked her.         “But before you decide to unleash your... punishment at me, you’d be wise to remember that I merely did what I was ordered to do. You, of all ponies, should know everything about orders and how important they are. You were always being told what to do... but now, you have your own team that you give orders to. So, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.” He then reached out to his communicator and said:         “Our guests have arrived.” The griffon then turned his attention to Firefly again.         “In a short while, your mission might expect a certain... setback,” he spoke with a smirk. Firefly looked behind her, making the other ponies back away when they saw her eyes. They seemed to be burning with anger, despite the tears that already dried up in them.         “Listen up, girls. I’m going to deal with that feathered bastard on my own. Do. Not. Interfere. Understand? You are to keep the griffins away from the supply team.”         “But, Firefly, are you su—” Cloud Kicker tried to talk her out of it, but an intense glare from the pink pegasus’ eyes sealed her lips. Lightning Bolt’s scanner then started picking up numerous enemy signatures.         “There’s like ten, no, fifteen enemy units incoming! Vector 093, altitude 7,000 and decreasing! They will be here soon. What are we going to do?” she asked nervously. The ponies were clearly outnumbered and possibly overpowered. But Rainbow had no intentions of surrendering. She decided to tackle the challenge.         “I’ll tell you what to do! We must take the fight to them! Follow me, everypony!” She leaped into the sky, and others, reluctantly, followed her. Firefly and Black Star observed everything.         “I trust they won’t be getting in our way?” the griffon asked.         “No worries. They know about orders just as well as I do. Expect no mercy from me!” The battle was about to begin. Rainbow and the other pegasi knew their task, but a thought of Firefly taking on the murderer of her parents came as a real shocker. Rainbow tried to keep the spirits up, stating that Firefly is capable of handling any opponent, even though Derpy knew that anger and hatred have negative impact on the pony under their influence. In this case, their fears were understandable. ========== Soon the griffins entered the airspace. Rainbow saw some familiar faces within their ranks; two squadrons were led by Zeakros and Razor. It became clear that Black Star planned this for quite some time, as rallying this many griffins in one place would normally be a difficult endeavor. The rainbow-maned pegasus took Medley and Derpy with them, while Lightning was given Fluttershy and Cloud Kicker. Having split into two groups, the ponies flew up to meet their foes. Lightning Bolt and Cloud Kicker fought together with great synergy and managed to wound a few griffin soldiers. But as Lightning attempted to perform another Shining Spark, one of them attacked her from above, hurting her left wing. Cloud Kicker tried to support her, but three other feathered fiends began circling around her, making it difficult for the purple pegasus to focus on so many enemies at the same time. Within next few minutes, Applejack, who was leading the supply team, saw the ponies engaging the griffins. To their surprise, the feathered fighters seemed to have no intentions in stopping the ponies from recovering the food. It almost seemed like the whole reason Black Star was waiting for the Mirage squadron to show up was to trap them here, take them down with overwhelming strength and numbers, and then finish off the ponies from the supply team. Applejack shivered at those thoughts, but they seemed to be the reason behind this fight. She only prayed that Rainbow and the others would somehow make it out alive. She then started dispatching ponies to the bunkers so they could start recovering food. And even while the earth pony was helping retrieve the supplies, she still looked into the sky, fearing for her friends’ safety and cursing herself for being unable to help them.         “Ah have to trust Rainbow. Ah’m sure she’ll be able to make it back. Ah just know it,” Applejack kept telling herself. No side could gain the advantage over the other in this struggle. Despite being outnumbered, the winged equines fought with determination, often trying to gang up on one enemy or face several on their own. But the griffins were retaliating ever so often, and after exchanging heavy blows with each other in direct confrontations, both pegasi and griffins sustained several bruises. Rainbow broke through enemy formation to meet Zeakros. With a little assistance from Cloud Kicker, she managed to force him to retreat after a brief dogfight. But about eight other griffins refused to go back and were ready to fight to the bitter end. Razor commended on ponies’ courage, but showed them they were on the losing side. Fluttershy was extremely exhausted, Derpy’s back was injured and Lightning was having more and more trouble with flying normally, due to her left wing being damaged by Razor’s attack. The ponies regrouped near Rainbow, and both sides used this as an opportunity to hold the fight and calculate the casualties.         “I must admit, you are more dangerous than we thought,” Razor spoke. “But we have the advantage in numbers and strength. It’s not too late to give up.”         “You really expect us to give up? Keep dreaming!” Rainbow exclaimed. Medley was a little worried, however. Firefly had herself focused completely on Black Star and seemed to have no idea what was happening. The pegasus ponies couldn’t count on her to help them in this battle.         “How could things get any worse?” Derpy wondered. Just then, Rainbow communicator’s started beeping. She answered the call. It was Gale and his voice was extremely nervous.         “Rainbow, listen up! I just got a report from the front lines. It seems the griffins are on their way to Manehattan. And they started to move in almost every region. Currently, there are no pegasi squadrons to protect Manehattan, as they’re mostly still engaged on the north and east borders. We need more units! Do you think you girls could—”         “No can do!” Rainbow interrupted.         “We’re having our hooves full here. And it doesn’t look good, either. But if what you say is true, then I guess nopony’s coming to help us, huh?” Gale’s voice turned somber.         “I’m afraid not. The situation is very dangerous. If the griffins take over Manehattan, they will be in perfect position to attack Cloudsdale and then...!”         “You don’t have to say anything else. I get the message. We’ll try to get out of here and regroup in Cloudsdale. It seems that we’ll have to sacrifice Manehattan, though... Dang it!”         “I know Rainbow, but this is war,” Gale reminded her. “Losses in war are inevitable. Just come back alive. We can’t win this war without you, Mirage!” His last sentence sounded a little desperate. Rainbow turned the communicator off seconds later and gave Derpy a look that pretty much said: “You just HAD to jinx it on us!” Despite the inner turmoil, she tried to think of any possible options. For the moment, she had her sight focused on Firefly fighting Black Star. Both of them were showing signs of fatigue, since the battle lasted for about three hours now. Yet, neither of them had any intentions of backing away. Firefly’s body got scratched several times, leaving a few slightly bleeding claw marks here and there, plus an awful wound on her forehead. But Black Star was beaten up, too, with his right eye having a big bruise from the pegasus’ precise hit. They just hovered in midair, trying to catch breath. Black Star smirked and started clapping with his claws.         “Bravo. You really did improved. I never expected to have so much trouble with you. However...!” He then charged toward Firefly, trying to smash into her. The blue-maned flier barely managed to dodge the attack, panting heavily.         “You still lack skills to defeat me,” the griffon finished the sentence. Firefly’s eyes were locked onto his. Her only desire was to bring down the one who destroyed everything that was peaceful in her life and threw Equestria into war.         “I should’ve known that you would be behind this whole mess. You’re one of those who live to fight the others. The more you kill, the greater bliss you experience.”         “Oh, but you are wrong, my dear. As always. I only helped in orchestrating this conflict,” said Black Star.         “You should actually thank my companion, Red Cyclone. It was mostly his desire to see Equestria engulfed in the fires of war. I merely helped him in his wish coming true.”         “You’re so full of it!” Firefly was clearly disgusted. “I’m going to shut that beak of yours once and for all!” She tried to fly at him and smash him with her hind legs, but the griffon swiftly evaded and knocked Firefly back a bit. He then said:         “I suggest you take look around. Your rage toward me might have blinded your other instincts.” Firefly looked behind and noticed the griffins were keeping Rainbow and the others on the ropes. Fluttershy and Cloud Kicker could barely keep up with the action, Medley was very exhausted, Derpy and Lightning Bolt sustained an injury and Rainbow couldn’t move as swiftly. Things were looking very bleak for the Mirage squadron... While Black Star did not see Firefly’s face, it was obvious she was worried about her friends. But there was no turning back. A smirk lightened his face up. His goal was achieved. And yet, this war rose a curtain for a new actor. One that neither side has expected... ========== Black Star was about to attack Firefly again, but suddenly, something zoomed right before their eyes. Surprised, they tried to find out who could be this fast, but couldn't see anyone. As the griffins were surrounding the pegasi ponies, one of them got hit hard and fell down to the ground lifelessly. The assailants were caught off-guard. Rainbow used this opening to break free and attack another griffon. Razor had no idea what was happening until he noticed that a new pegasus has entered the airspace. Everyone stopped dead right where they were, seeing the mysterious winged stallion appearing before them, with sun shining down on his silhouette. One of the griffins tried to attack him, but the pegasus flew directly at him and smashed him in the face, sending the feathered soldier plummeting down. Neither of the sides knew the identity of this pegasus, until Black Star noticed his cutie mark. Echo saw it, too... A cold shiver ran down his spine. He knew it well. A blue and black ribbon! Everyone could get a better glimpse on the unknown flier now. His coat was dark blue, almost blending him with the darkened sky. When a gust of wind blew, his silver mane scattered on it. This mysterious pegasus looked on both griffins and ponies, as if he was analyzing which side he should aid. Another griffon got impatient and flew toward him, but the pegasus reacted immediately by flying overhead and getting behind his attacker. Before he could react, a swift kick in the back sent him downward. Razor shouted to the others:         “Stay on your positions!” He then slowly approached the mysterious stallion and said: “Identify yourself.” The pegasus did not respond, but kept staring his silver eyes into Razor’s. The griffon felt intimidated, even though they were about equal in size and retreated to other soldiers a few seconds later, unable to comprehend why he felt such dread! The ponies had no idea what was going on either, but felt somewhat more confident when they looked at this stranger.         “Wow... Did he just took out three griffins all by himself?” Cloud Kicker asked in awe.         “And he did it with a single attack. Whoever he is, he’s got some skills,” Rainbow Dash added, staring at the stallion’s cutie mark. “I wonder what that ribbon means... Who could he be? Maybe Firefly would know something...” No one knew what to do. The pegasus’ sole presence seemed to have put a stop to fighting. Even the ponies on the ground halted the recovery of supplies when they noticed a new player on the field. Seconds languished. Echo’s voice then broke the silence.         “I order all griffins to return to Gryphus! At this rate, you’ll be wiped out.” The feathered soldiers were trying to go against that order. They believed that by ganging up on the pegasus they could take him down easily, but Razor wasn’t sure. The fact he got intimidated just by looking into his eyes for a few seconds didn’t helped.         “I agree with Echo. We were not prepared to face this kind of opponent. We must retreat. Anyone who disobeys will join those three who fell down!” This forced the griffins to use cold logic. This pegasus was different than Mirage squadron. He was stronger and faster and could easily fight multiple enemies at once. They had to follow the orders and leave the airspace. When Black Star was about to leave, Firefly tried to stop him:         “Running away, coward?”         “Call it a tactical retreat,” Black Star remarked, visibly disappointed. “Perhaps you should worry about that stallion over there, too. He’s a living demon...” Firefly had no idea what Black Star meant. He flew away with the others, leaving the battered pegasus behind. The battle was over. With the timely arrival of the mysterious pegasus, the griffins fled the airspace. But the pegasi didn’t knew if they could trust this stranger. Firefly rejoined her wingmares, checking their condition. The pink pegasus’ forehead was bleeding a little. Lightning Bolt had a damaged wing and Derpy’s back was badly scratched, but their injuries could be tendered easily and were not life-threatening. Fluttershy and Medley could barely fly, so Rainbow and Derpy helped them keep the balance. Firefly then approached the unknown stallion.         “Hey... thanks for saving our flanks. Could you tell us your name?” she asked. To their disappointment, the pegasus did not answer and flew away before they could say another word. He disappeared almost as quick as he showed up, leaving them dumbfounded. They descended to the ground where the ponies from the supply team were sending words of congratulations and gratitude for protecting them. Applejack approached Rainbow Dash.         “Whoa, that was some intense flyin’ there, pardner. Ya alright?”         “Yeah, I’ll manage,” Rainbow replied.         “I just wonder who could it be... I don’t remember seeing a pegasus like him in Equestria. Firefly, do you...?” She tried to ask her about the stranger, but the pink pegasus was too busy speaking through the communicator with Gale. Others came closer and entered the same frequency to hear everything.         “Stop shaking, Gale. We’ve taken a few hits, but we’re fine and alive,” Firefly assured him. She was pressing a bandage on her forehead, stopping the bleeding.         “Oh, what a relief. So, are the supplies recovered, then?”         “Uh-huh. They’ve just finished loading the last few wagons up,” Rainbow Dash joined in.         “I don’t know how you gals are doing this. You were up against one of the best soldiers the Griffin Kingdom could display! That’s an exceptional feat!” Gale couldn’t hold his excitement.         “Actually...” Fluttershy tried to speak coherently. “It wasn’t entirely our success. We... um... it would’ve been much harder for us... if a new pegasus wouldn’t have showed up to help us. He... defeated three griffins completely alone.”         “And each with just a single hit. That was so awesome!” Rainbow sounded a little aroused, yet she remembered what Gale told her about the lack of reinforcements. “But I thought you said we couldn’t count on anypony’s help.” Hearing about the new pegasus, Gale tried to learn something about him. He asked the pegasi for any specific traits he had. Medley mentioned his silver eyes and mane, Cloud Kicker spoke of his exceptional speed, while Derpy brought out his dark blue coat color. But even with this data, Gale was unable to find any pegasus who could match the description. When asked about the cutie mark, though, Firefly told him about the blue and black ribbon he bared when he spread his wings. This detail struck Gale deeply.         “You say... his cutie mark was a... ribbon?”         “Yeah, so? What about it?” Firefly asked. For a few seconds, the pegasi couldn’t understand Gale. He sounded like he was mumbling to himself. Medley and Lightning Bolt caught only single words, such as “phantom”, “reaper” or “legend”. That last word prompted Rainbow Dash to push the conversation further.         “So do you know who he is, or you don’t? Where’s he from? Can we trust him?” she kept on asking. Gale finally calmed down and said:         “If those traits are correct, then we’re in great luck. Girls... that pegasus was a living legend. That pegasus is... Mobius, the Ribbon Fighter.” Nopony ever heard that name before, so they wanted to know something more. Having found his flight record, Gale stated that Mobius has never been shot down during missions he took and have rose from the position of rookie to top ace in less than twelve months. His number of victories is the highest ever achieved by a single pegasus. In the past, he was a key factor in helping a certain nation overcome an invasion and mount a comeback, where he single-hoofedly managed to defeat all members of the supposedly invincible squadron, including clashing with and finishing off their leader. The ponies’ eyes widened in respect. If such pegasus would fly for Equestria, they would be one step closer to saving their homeland... But Mobius’ place of birth and origin were unknown, and he apparently wasn’t from Equestria, but a completely different land. Gale also added that Manehattan was unfortunately overrun by the griffins and now the Mirage squadron is being called back to Cloudsdale to recover and help defend the city from the impending attack. The pegasi parted ways with Applejack and the supply team as they headed back in their directions. Rainbow’s mind was on Mobius through the whole way. ========== 1903 hrs Gryphus, Griffin Palace Black Star returned, seeing several griffins beaten up by ponies and knowing he lost three soldiers because of Mobius’ appearance. Echo told him a few details about him, but didn’t mentioned where he got these informations. Red Cyclone was waiting for him in the shadows.         “Hey, you’re finally back. Took you long enough. So, did your plan worked?”         “Yes, but only partially,” Black Star answered. “I’ve met someone else besides Firefly. A pegasus I never thought to see even in my greatest nightmares.”         “What the hell are you babbling about?” He then told Red Cyclone about Mobius and how he wreaked havoc in the griffin ranks. Naturally, he shrugged it off, saying it would be impossible for a pony to inflict such terror upon the proud soldiers of the Griffin Kingdom.         “He simply had luck on his side this time. If he shows up again, we’ll tear him apart!” Black Star left that statement without a comment and resumed talking about Firefly.         “She improved greatly. Now that the war has finally begun, we’re likely to run into each other again.” Letting out a loud sigh, as if to show both relief and exhaustion, he spoke to Red Cyclone again:         “I’m going to write the report about today’s confrontation. You coming?”         “I’ll pass. You know I hate paperwork,” Red Cyclone replied. Although, when Black Star left the corridor, he started thinking about this mysterious pegasus. Sooner or later, he would become a great threat to him...