//------------------------------// // Safe Return // Story: Skylanders X MLP // by Skylander545 //------------------------------// The destruction of Archelon Fortress caught the attention of the world as various news sources tried to speculate on what caused the base to explode. There have been many speculations from experts of the cause of the explosion, but most of it fell to a possible attack on the island. Rich Industries declined to comment on the events of Archelon despite the fact that they owned the island. The various footage that was shown revealed that a large ship was vacating the area as six aircraft flew out of the exhaust shaft as the base blew up. As for Artemis as he watched from his hideout, he knew for a fact that Archelon’s destruction was justified from the information gathered by both squadrons as he looked it over, “Kidnapping men, women and children for either slave labor or melting them down to fuel that robot. The amount of evidence in the works of that island suggests that the Cult of Malefor have been doing this ever since the first Golem was destroyed and they were doing this while under the company's payroll.” The informant/thief set the folder down as he looked over the dossiers and after-action reports on both squadrons. Each performed exceptionally well despite the pressing conditions of grublins and armed cultists, but what really got his attention was when he looked at the after-action report on Spike. When he looked over the events of what transpired, he typed in a few commands as the image of the battle against the Mecha-Golem where Spike was flying around in a specialized mech suit - one which Artemis himself recognized, “He reached out with Traptanium and summoned it?” He chuckled, “I know the Doc is going to be surprised when she finds out that her prototype is linked to a male pilot and even fuming when that pilot is an Echo.” Soon enough, the image cut to when Spike burst from the water with glowing eyes and hair as he directed his Tesla energy to the golem and destroyed it. Artemis was surprised by this as he realized, “Spike must’ve triggered his Dragon Spirit and used an electrical discharge, combined with his natural ability to wield the elements of the Purple Dragon to destroy the robot...he's progressing well in his abilities.” That's when he thought of something as he reached into a filing cabinet and pulled out a dossier, but this one was not of any of the squadron, but instead, it was a school file for a girl around Spike’s age. Artemis figured, “Hard to believe that I’m looking over this again. But from the way things are heading, the time of darkness is coming, but the ray of hope lies within the squadron and anyone who will fight for them, even you who spent 16 years living a different life.” As the waves hit the coast, six aircraft were seen flying towards their destination, Sonata narrated, “We’ve set off for the East Coast to rendezvous. This place was paradise compared to what's further ahead. Beyond our destination lies the ruined city known as The Craters.” It flashed back to several explosions as fireballs fell from the skies as the siren continued, “Fifteen Years ago, my sisters and I witnessed dozens of shooting stars racing across the heavens. It was brought upon when a hollow asteroid shattered into millions of pieces due to entering the atmosphere, streaking meteors across the skies and crashing into various locations. That bit of history was more of a lesson for us all.” Soon enough, the array of craters as well as ruined buildings caused by that event were shown, “Some of the city structures in the initial impact were destroyed and reconstruction efforts are still ongoing.” We soon see the Echo Squadron touching down on the runway that leads down into the outpost, starting with Spike's XFA-33, “Our landing point was at an outpost looking out towards the ocean which included a submarine dock for the Striker. Looking at it again and how my sisters and I watched, I could tell that that the ocean gave us a bit of peace. Outpost Charlie is our rendezvous point once the mission was complete and it was one of the first outposts that went active along with Alpha.” At the outpost, several survivors were rushing to hear the tales from the squadron while passing a newspaper article about Echo Squadron with the dragon skull on the front page, “On the base, we were surrounded by the survivors from both the fortress and the sub, eager to hear stories about us. A newspaper article on the Battle over the Shores made it here faster than we did.” Camo was then telling the survivors their stories as they looked at them with intrigue as the squadron itself figured it would be nice to share their adventures, “Since Equestria Shores, we’ve become the most talked about squadron in public eyes. Our operations, our morals and our heroics made us the most elite and independent squadron that was highly skilled and legendary. Us. A bunch of students with unique origins.” Afterwards, the squadron is back in the air with Spike’s Talon in the lead while Spy’s Apalis was flying number 2 on his wing. The squadron was surrounded by three C-1’s from the Striker and one Gyrocopter as the Wings of Freedom followed behind. “We were directed to take the survivors back to their homes when we returned.” Spy realized, “I realized that we should thank Artemis for this.” Dro pulled his Lone Eagle next to him, “Why's that?” “Because he's the guy that gave the information on Archelon. There's no doubt that the many families of those people would be grateful for bringing them back safely.” “‘You said it.’ These survivors have been through a lot at that island, much less the conditions that they had to endure. So we made sure that they were well cared for during the flight, no one should ever suffer under those cultists.” As the air convoy flew up the coast, Spike stated, “Blaster-Tron, have you sent the message?” The robot stated, “Affirmative, a message has been sent out to the various cities which the survivors hail from. The Wolf Family of New Salem has also been notified of their youngest daughter’s rescue and her school’s headmistress has also been informed.” Sonata realized where they were going, “A stop at New Salem? Huh, it's been so long since I've been there.” Spy apologized, “There won't be any time to sightsee while we're there. We need to drop off the other survivors before we head for our last stop in Paris.” Camo asked, “Does anyone notice that Wallflower is actually sticking around?” Spike sighed, “Yes, she insisted that she stuck with us rather than get dropped off at Canterlot City.” “She is a bit shy, you know, but during club hours, I did show her my way of gardening up to the point when I did my usual grind and watering trick with my skateboard, she did let out a chuckle - after I lost balance.” Ter chuckled, “First time I heard of you wiping out.” Dro stated, “We all wipe out sometimes.” Camo chuckled slightly, “There's something about her and for some reason, she's kind of drawn to me...despite my relationship with Fluttershy...kinda like Rarity and Lemon with Spike.” Spike sighed, “Gloriosa kissed me on the lips back at the camp, stating that she waited six years to do that.” “Heh, I guess that's another girl to your herd.” Spitfire called out, “Save those discussions for when we're not in the air. We're entering New Salem airspace.” The Gyrocopter spoke, “Omega 4 here, my passenger is relieved that we're entering the airspace.” The lead C-1 spoke, “Omega 1 to Echo Squadron, Snap can go with you guys to New Salem. Dagi and Aria are with me, we're going to split off and head for the home cities of our passengers. Once they've disembarked, Omega Squadron will head for the ocean where the Striker would meet us.” Echo Squadron acknowledged this as the three C-1s split off in different directions. As Spike looked at the town below, the team could see how different it was, aside from the regular buildings, there was a monster theme to it as well. But they also spotted the monster school that Sonata mentioned back at Archelon before the clouds blocked their view. But when seeing it, a series of images flashed in his head, one of a hooded man giving a baby girl to someone, a girl around his age and both him and the girl side-by-side. He soon shook it off until he heard a robotic female voice, “Your heart rate levels were rising, are you in distress, Pilot?” Spike looked around until he heard that voice again, “I am on your right wrist.” He saw that bracelet from when he summoned that mech suit as he muted his radio before asking, “Did you just call me pilot?” The voice stated, “When you summoned me at Archelon, we linked in the midst of battle, as of now you are my pilot. My designation is ‘Prototype: X2’ or Dragon’s Breath.” Spike figured, “Right, I’ll just call you X2.” The voice of the mech went back to its original question regarding his heart rate, which he replies, “Memory flashes and clues to my past.” X2 stated, “Understandable, your blood also contains traces of purple dragon blood.” The Trap Ranger sighed, “That's nothing new.” That wasn't until he realized, “How did you know about what my blood has?” “When we linked, a sample of your blood was stored while in ‘Off-Mode’ which would recognize a linked pilot. Although it is rare for a unit to link with a male pilot, let alone a member of the Legendary Echo Squadron.” Spike was curious about this, “How is a male pilot rare?” “Most pilots of units like myself are female, it was speculated that linking a male pilot was never successful...until now.” Spike remembered that they still have a job to do, “I want to ask you more questions, but I’ll save it when you meet the squadron.” X2 stated, “Understood pilot.” Soon enough, the other five aircraft formed up on his F/A-37 with the Wings of Freedom to their right and Snap’s Gyrocopter in front of the squadron. He announced, “We're right above the city!” Sonata felt nostalgic, “It's been a long time since I was here.” Camo realized, “I hope no one discovers that I can turn werewolf.” Dark Snap Shot spoke, “My passenger heard that.” Soon enough, there was a new transmission from Snap’s craft as a female voice asked, “Can I use this? Hey Echo Squadron, I just want to thank you again for the rescue and...if not for you…” Spy stated, “It was a close call, but we managed to get you outta there.” The wolf girl stated, “But from the way you handled those guys...that was clawsome! As for your gardener, I kinda sniffed out that he's part-werewolf back at the fortress.” Camo sighed, “Right, werewolves can sniff out other werewolves although I am part-plant, part-dragon and human.” Ter stated, “You tend to goof around as a werewolf sometimes.”  “I don't go through transformations all the time!” Dro figured, “I already have several recordings of your transformations.” Spy, not wanting to waste time stated, “Save Camo’s embarrassing wolf stories for another time.” Spike, since he's leading the squadron looked over at the team and then at the transport. He ordered the squadron, “Check your instruments.” Spy stated, “I’m fine.” Dro went second, “All systems go.” Ter was next, “Everything is good.” Camo stated, “All systems green.” Sonata stated, “I’m okay.” The copter began its descent into the city as Spike stated, “Let's go down and introduce ourselves. LET’S ROCK AND ROLL!” Soon enough, the six aircraft did a roll before descending into New Salem with Spike performing a loop before closing the wings and diving through the clouds. He did a downward spiral before pulling up and opened the wings. After descending through the clouds, Echo Squadron formed up as they flew over the town and got a better look. New Salem was basically a regular looking town, but with one difference - there was a monster community as well and the wolf girl they rescued was from that community. Monster communities were basically communities where monsters wish to live in peace. There were tensions between the two communities, specifically anti-monster crimes widely considered problematic.  Spike figured, “The cult is going to be a real problem since they're kidnapping people, both man and monster. We need Echo Squadron to build a reputation in these communities. We’ve already built it up back at Equestria Shores and Camp Everfree…” Drago spoke, “From their reactions back at Archelon, the squadron was already a rumor.” “But if we do enough, we’ll gain support.” Spike figured, “Gaining support with a monster community starts with bringing our New Salem wolf girl home.” He soon contacted Snap, “Okay, we need to find a nice spot for you to land.” Dark Snap Shot maintained a good altitude above the buildings while scanning his eyes around the town, looking for a nice spot of land to use as a runway. That wasn't until his passenger pointed out, “Land in the field right by my school. I’m sure the headmistress wouldn't mind.” “Are you sure they wouldn't mind if an Arkeyan Gyrocopter landed in their sports field?” The wolf girl figured, “Well, unless you explain the situation for landing.” After hearing this, a first impression was important for Echo Squadron to gain support from New Salem’s monster community. Spike decided,  “Blaster-Tron, I need you to send a message to the school, let them know that we have arrived with their missing student and we need a place for the transport to land.” Blaster-Tron stated, “Message Sent.” Dro spoke, “Spike, once the transport lands, you should go down there yourself and represent the squadron. Don't worry about overshooting the determined landing zone, that plane you're flying is actually a new prototype variation of your F/A-37. That's the new B-Model Talon and it has a different functionality that would improve its performance, there are two levers near the panel, pull them when you're close to the ground.” Spike had a feeling that his plane was much more different than usual. It was much more clear that Dro built a new model Talon while at Outpost Charlie, like when he heard that Spitfire built the B-Model of his Lone Eagle back on the island from under his nose, just for her and the mechanic to take a morning flight over the island. But Spike wondered, ‘What was the function that differs his current plane from the A-Model?’ That wasn't until Blaster-Tron spoke, “The Headmistress has sent the coordinates for landing. A soccer field has already been cleared, allowing Omega 4 to land.” Dark Snap Shot spoke, “That's a pretty good runway there.” He soon turned to his passenger while speaking like an airline pilot, “Please fasten your seatbelt, Ms. Wolf, we are beginning to land and thank you for flying with Echo/Omega Airlines, we rescue people in distress and blow up fortresses of evil men on a daily basis. Welcome to New Salem!” As the copter descended towards the field, Spike’s Talon was following behind as the transport lowered its landing gear. He kept his plane at a steady speed as he eyed the two levers near the panel, he was half-tempted to pull them, but he kept himself from doing that. As the copter got close enough, he switched to hover mode as the rear landing gear made contact with the ground with the forward wheel following as the nose came down with the momentum from jet-mode. As soon as the transport came to a stop, Spike decided now was the time and pulled the levers as Blaster-Tron stated, “Walker Functionality Engaged.” When that was said, the F/A-37b’s fuselage split apart as the cockpit adjusted itself as a head with a neck while the engines turned into legs with the afterburners acting as feet. The wings folded and were tucked away on the back of the Talon as the vehicle did a somersault after transforming before landing on the field just a few feet behind the copter. Blaster-Tron described it, “The F/A-37b’s Walker Mode allows for more maneuverability in confined spaces.” Spike saw the vehicle displayed on the panel as he went through that transformation. He noticed that his twin machine guns were put as secondary while a small cannon appeared under the ‘head’ of the walker. His afterburners served as legs and feet as well as an additional hover function while in Walker Mode, two smaller afterburners were installed for a boost of speed so the Walker can sprint. Spike chuckled, “He took the walker function from the old Gyrocopters and applied it to a new Talon.” X2 decided to speak, “Your mechanic has a very unique aspect when it comes to technology. Someone being able to assemble a new aircraft in the allotted time of our stay at Outpost Charlie.” “Well, Tech is his element since Dro is quick with his hands as well as his intelligence and when he's working, he gets at least 15 minutes of sleep.” The bracelet was in awe, “My creator would be amazed by his talent and I would suspect that she knows of our link.” Spike figured that they would cross that bridge if they ever meet X2’s creator. But right now, they're here to make a good impression for the locals. As he took up the controls, he guided his Walker to make a stop next to the transport as some of the student body began to approach the landing site. While most of his friends know his identity, Spike didn't need to let the students know about him yet, so he and Drago merged and as the cockpit opened, Megaman Ranger had hopped out the F/A-37b and landed on the field. Meanwhile right above the field, the remaining five members of Echo Squadron conducted a patrol over the airspace until the drop off was complete. Although, something didn't feel right for Legendary Spyro since he remembered the horrible things that were done at that island. He sighed, “Something doesn't feel right.” Dro asked, “Is it about Archelon?” “Yeah, the rumors surrounding the island, what we saw there and what was nearly unleashed. But let's not forget that eerie voice that spoke through the possessed soldiers that we encountered.” Ter remembered, “I remember those pods that were being fed to that robot husk. Our friend down there was nearly turned into an organic milkshake if we didn't save her.” Dro sighed, “Rich Industries was mostly involved with technological advancements and real estate. Now they're building weapons for a cult bent on destroying the world and Sentry Island looked like it was prepped for war.” Sonata stated, “And we all know that The Cult of Malefor was involved. But I still can't get what that voice said out of my head, that 'our transgressions have their full attention.'” Spitfire soon chimed in, “If I had to guess, they would try to come after us. The Wings of Freedom and the Striker are only two ships with a squadron each.” Blaster-Tron stated, “Analysis of the Submarine Aircraft Cruiser Striker’s aircraft capacity suggests that the Alicorn Class Submarines were designed to carry a maximum of 20-30 aircraft.” Camo figured, “She was designed to stage air operations like a carrier and the large amount of aircraft would mean one thing.” Spy figured, “We’re going to need pilots for those planes on the sub.” “We could train a few mabu to pilot those planes and Jack is the only Imaginator of the Pilot Class - but still it won't be enough.” Sonata asked, “What about Mercenary Pilots? They can help fill the empty planes on the submarine.” Ter was suspicious, “How would we know that these pilots wouldn't turn on us when offered a better deal?” The siren smiled, “Let's just say I know a good fellow from a group of PMCs that has plenty of pilots.” Spy figured, “It may not be much, but if we could contact these pilots, we could build up our aerial forces.” Soon enough, Spike contacted them, “Guys, first impression was successful and our friend’s older sister extends her thanks as well as asking for Camo’s phone number.” The gardener sighed, “Do I have a sign around my neck saying, ‘I’m part werewolf’ right now?” Blaster-Tron chimed in, “A large sum has been transferred to the account.” Spy figured, “Well it was a morally just mission, but it was a job well done.” Soon enough, the student body took a step back as Snap closed the cockpit of the copter as the rotors began to spin. It took a while until the copter lifted off the ground, switched to jet-mode and took to the skies. Spike’s F/A-37b soon jogged down the field until it jumped off the ground, did a front flip as it transformed back into a plane and went to rejoin the rest of the squadron. Dark Snap Shot was relieved, “I don't know what to think about this place, the fact that it exists or the look that most of the female body was giving me.” Spike stated, “We're in the same boat since my dragon wings were a giveaway.” Spike sighed at the looks that they gave them, but among them was her - the girl from his memory flash. She didn't possess a look of shock and infatuation, more like curiosity and familiarity like she's seen him before. It was confusing since they never met, but there was still something about her that he couldn't put his finger on. But that would have to wait since they still have a mission to do as they rejoined the team with the Talon taking the lead as Spike stated, “We're heading out. All aircraft report!” Spy stated, “No problems while you were down there.” Dro was confident, “Everything's peachy for me.” Ter added, “I’m fine.” Camo replied, “It's nice to at least fly around when no one's shooting at us.” Sonata sighed, “It's a shame we couldn't stay longer, I know some nice spots to hang out.” Snap sighed, “Maybe next time.” He soon diverted his craft towards the ocean, “I’m heading for the rendezvous with the Striker.” Spike acknowledged, “Alright, we'll continue on to Paris and meet up with you at Outpost Bravo.” After that was said and done, all six aircraft sped towards the Wings of Freedom’s docking bay as the Zeppelin went full speed. Once the team landed, they were going to prepare themselves for their arrival in Paris. Leg. Spyro ordered Spitfire and Blaster-Tron to prepare for a Rift Jump with the offset point being just off the English Channel where the ship will fly across the French countryside on the way to Paris. While on the bridge, Spike, Dro and Leg. Spyro were prepping for the jump until Dro looked up from his terminal towards Spike and asked, “Spike, do you have time to talk?” The Trap Ranger nodded, “I was just finishing our flight path once we exit Rift Space. So what’s on your mind?” The mechanic stated, “Ok, but first, how was the Walker?” “It was good and I was really lucky that I didn't eat since it flips while transforming, but I do like to test it in combat someday.” Dro understood this since he built the F/A-37b in the first place. Soon enough, he asked,  “I remember you telling us that you summoned a mech suit back at Archelon. Could you summon it again?” Spike was about to speak until the right bracelet blinked as it spoke, “Dro, Echo Squadron's Number 2, Mechanic and Inventor, I am always with my Pilot even in Off-Mode.” Dro nearly jumped at this as, “Wait, it's still with you?” Spike stated, “Apparently since X2 and I are linked, she's technically by my side since she's a bracelet on my arm.” He turned to the mentioned bracelet, “And X2, you didn't need to make him jump.” “My apologies, Pilot.” Spike chuckled, “I kind of wanted to introduce her to the team, but we need an open space so I can turn her to on-mode.” Leg. Spyro turned from his terminal, apparently overhearing their conversation, “We could use the platform in the hangar since it's meant to transfer selected planes to the launch bay.” Spitfire looked up from her desk and said, “This I gotta see.” Soon enough, the team including Jack and Spitfire had gathered in the hangar with Spike standing on the elevator platform to the launch bay. Spy stated, “Okay Spike, this is open enough as it is for you to activate the suit.” Sonata stated, “Wallflower and I saw it before it turned into the dragon bracelet, it's unlike anything we’ve ever seen.” Dro figured, “I would like to see it for myself since it was used as a Traptanium Summon.” Ter figured, “Let's see the mech you used to kick that golem's butt!” Camo waited anxiously, “Let's see what it can do!” Spike, knowing what he has to do, spoke to the bracelet, “X2, you ready?” X2 stated, “I’m always ready. Shifting to On-Mode!” Upon saying this, Spike’s form shifted as his body rose up as armor pieces attached to his torso while the mech arms and legs formed around his limbs, making him taller. His left arm possessed that dragon-themed buster while the war axe was on his left hip while a heavy cannon was strapped to his back. But the one crucial detail were the large mechanical dragon wings that sprouted from his back as his head was concealed in a full helmet with the exception of his green hair sticking out the back, like his Megaman helmet. The team with the exception of Sonata were shocked by this, but Dro was more surprised as he said, “No...that can't be…” Spy noticed how surprised he was and asked, “Dro, you know something about this?” “That’s...an Infinite Stratos…” The team was a bit confused about the name as Spy asked, “Infinite Stratos?” Dro tapped a few buttons on his gauntlet as the image of a japanese woman appeared, giving a sideways peace sign in front of a similar suit, “An exoskeleton developed by Tabane Shinonono, mostly seen around Japan...as for the pilots…” Spike guessed, “All female?” The mechanic asked, “X2 told you about it?” The Trap Ranger only nodded as Camo realized, “Wait, if this thing is mostly meant for girls, why did it link with him when he summoned it? X2 chimed in, “It is rare for a male pilot to link to a unit and after being summoned by Spike, we linked out of necessity in the midst of battle. And already our Combat Effectiveness is well documented in my database, we fought as one against that abomination.” Spike added, “She was also a prototype called ‘Dragon’s Breath’ when we first linked.” Jack asked, “Why was she a prototype?” X2 stated, "I was programmed with this platform as an artificial intelligence system with the personality matrix of Houki Shinonono, Tabane's younger sister. Most units around Japan would grant power to their pilots in their time of need, but I was given the ability to choose my pilot, many candidates tried to link with me, but none have succeeded.” Jack figured, “With Spike summoning you at Archelon, you chose him as your pilot because you felt his neural and physical signature when he summoned you as well as his act of desperation considering that the Mecha-Golem was tearing up the place while fortress' reactor was close to meltdown, which made you realize that he was the perfect pilot for you.” “Your assessment of how we linked is correct, Imaginator Cooper. As for her reaction, truthfully, she was always aware of your squadron's existence and was looking for a means to contact you due to your technology. She also heard rumors of the members of the squadron being part-dragon and used it as my core design.” Ter figured, “It makes sense because of the dragon-like features which also looks like you linked while Spike was Megaman.” “Your observation is correct, Terrafin since he was already in the form of the warrior known as Megaman when we linked. Dro looked at the various aspects of the exoskeleton and was amazed, “Well, this is the chance of a lifetime to study an Infinite Stratos…” “There was no need for excitement since you have already developed a great many things despite your age. You have developed a new functionality to Spike’s F/A-37 as well as use your advanced knowledge to modify your own arsenal for combat and we should not forget that you built Blaster-Tron. Your achievements are something that Shinonono would be impressed at, despite her being a child prodigy, you have excelled in creating a downtime for yourself while working.” Dro felt a bit flattered when the AI complimented on his achievements, but sighed, “If only she knew of our origins…” Dro thought back to the Creation Event after CHS which led to their ‘birth’ since his intelligence came from his dragon counterpart. Jack soon approached the mech suit, “X2, I was working on a project of my own and I was looking to add an AI system to it...so…” “You would like a copy of my code for you to modify and add to your project?” “Umm...yeah, it's just something that I need to work on.” “Understandable, the coding has already been sent to your terminal as a gesture of trust to a group of honorable heroes.” As the introductions between the team and their newest member finished, Spike moved X2 over by his F/A-37 at her request as she went inactive allowing Spike to detach himself from the mech suit as his modified Megaman armor reverted back to his regular clothes while Dro began to do some tests on X2. The Destruction of Archelon Fortress not only cut off the supplies of weapons to the Cult, but an act of desperation against a super weapon landed themselves a new weapon and companion for their Trap Ranger. Soon enough, the intercom announced that the Wings of Freedom was ready for Rift Jump. To those who were watching from down below, saw a portal appear in front of the nose as the Zeppelin itself sped through the portal as it closed behind it. Meanwhile in an undisclosed forest, a van was seen driving down a dirt road, it was black with the emblem of a dragon breathing fire while the windows were tinted from the outside. As the van came towards the end of the dirt road, it began to slow to a stop as the driver hopped out, the driver’s face was obscured by a dark blue hood while a breastplate covered his upper body, the lower half was a pair of dark gray pants as he wore armored gauntlets and boots.  He crouched down as he approached the clearing to see a large compound with watchtowers, searchlights, a fence surrounding it and a building in the middle. The figure asked, “Artemis here, I found the location of Filthy's beacon.” A female voice on the comm spoke, “Full Moon copies...but the signal is coming from Nightmare Prison.” Artemis mused, “Nightmare Prison, they call it the Best Prison from Canterlot City to Whitetail Woods. But if he's in there, it could be further evidence that he was silently ousted in a corporate coup and sent here.” Full Moon stated, “Which is a better reason to get him out of there.” Artemis chuckled, “It's time for a jailbreak, but the first thing I need to do is to find a way in that prison.” “I’ve marked down a supply convoy heading for the prison, if you can hide in the last truck, you’ll be able to slip past the checkpoint.” “Got it, I’m heading to…” “ARTEMIS-SAN, YOU OWE ME AN EXPLANATION!” The informant sighed at this since he recognized this voice, “Let me guess, your prototype is linked to a member of the Echo Squadron and it happens to be a boy. Right, Doc?” The voice stated, “I worked on it for months, tried so many times to link it to a pilot and the AI rejected my candidates, only to find that it disappeared from my lab, taken by a strange energy that only you would know. Soon enough, X2 sent its signal to my lab terminal which included its new pilot, who happens to be a boy and its location being none other than the Echo Squadron's Airship.” He told her the identity of this pilot, “His name is Spike, 16, his element is Magic, he’s a Trap Ranger, one of the leaders of the Trap Team and the sixth member of the Echo Squadron.” The Doc was amused, “Oh, the boy with amnesia trying to find his past? You told me all about him when the incident at Everfree occurred.” Artemis sighed, “He’s discovered that he wasn't born a dog and with the stop at New Salem, he's probably experienced more flashes during his visit.” The Doc was curious until the reason behind their stop, she soon looked a bit sad, “You know that his flashes are not going to be coincidence when it comes to New Salem. He will go back there to figure it out and find out what you hid. The fact that you're taking action means that you are coming out of hiding, Uncle.” Artemis sighed at that nickname, “You gave me that name when I saved you and your sister from Strykore's minions, you both saw me as family through spirit.” “But what of YOUR family, Uncle? You've been in hiding for 16 years and the Light of Your Eyes still waits for you. At some point you need to come out of the shadows, out of your codename and return home, return to her.” Artemis got into position as he spotted the convoy, “Maybe I could...maybe after this mission.” Soon enough, he turned to me - The Writer, “I think you might as well cut to the victory flyover and arrival in Paris, this chapter is about the Echo Squadron’s victory after all.” (Okay, fine. But I’m going to need some hammer and nails for the wall again and here I thought Pinkie and Filly-Second were the ones that could see me.) Soon enough, near the beaches of Normandy, the rift opened as the Wings of Freedom exited Rift Space. After the rift closed, six aircraft launched from the ship, but instead of it being six different planes, all planes were F/A-37 Talons as they escorted the zeppelin as it passed through the beaches and over the French countryside. As the planes took up formation around the airship, the planes were specifically marked. The first two planes flew in the front of the ship as the first plane had a pair of blue and yellow dragon wings painted on the switchblade wings while the second plane had a more tech-based wing pattern painted on the wings. The second pair of Talon planes flew alongside the ship's port side with the first plane of this pair having a paint design to look rough, tough and represent the roughness of the earth. The second plane was a complete opposite since the wings were painted with a more decorative design of vines, thorns and fruits to give the impression of life. The third pair flew alongside the ship's starboard side while doing a series of barrel rolls as the pair’s first plane having a more elegant design with a music note emblem on the wings as the painted water looked as if it was splashed on. As for the second plane, it possessed purple and green dragon wings that were painted on, but half of the wings were painted light blue as the Emerald Fire emblem was emblazoned on its wing. But to those who managed to catch a glimpse of these six planes would find the one thing they had in common - All of them possessed the Dragon Skull Emblem on the stabilizer as French citizens would stop what they were doing to look up in awe of the massive airship flying over them as the sun reflected off the ship’s own emblem on the vertical stabilizer.  After passing through the countryside, the Wings of Freedom arrived at their destination - Paris, the City of Love and the Capital of France. As soon as the Wings of Freedom was in the city limits, a squadron of French Rafales flew in formation as they passed above the ship trailing the colors of the French flag. The citizens looked up as the airship flew over their heads as several locals noticed the dragon skull on the tail as they knew for certain that the Echo Squadron was real. Once it reached the center of Paris, Blaster-Tron activated the airship's gravity anchors as the ship descended in front of the Eiffel Tower. In front of the Palais Bourbon, the five members of Echo Squadron were supercharged while the sixth member was in his Trap Ranger form to appear presentable as they walked down the red carpet towards the podium where they were greeted by both the French President and the Mayor of Paris, considering that his daughter was among the survivors from Archelon. It was a huge crowd, almost like their arrival caught the attention of the whole city since there were a whole lot of people for this. As they approached the two important figures in both the country and the city, the French President stated, “Echo Squadron, nous vous en sommes redevables! (Echo Squadron, we are in your debt.)” The Mayor asked, “Il y a une place pour toi dans ma ville, si tu la veux. (There's a place for you in my city, if you want it.)" Spy just said in French, “Nous y reviendrons plus tard, Monsieur le maire, mais nous n'avons pas l'intention de rester longtemps, même si nous aimons offrir un cadeau à la ville, grâce à notre escadron. (We'll look into it later, Mayor, but we don't intend on staying for long, although we do like to give the city a gift, courtesy of our squadron.)” He motioned to Dro as the mechanic pulled out a package bearing the squadron's emblem as he handed it to the Mayor and before they could see him open it, a beeping noise appeared on the squadron comm as Blaster-Tron chimed in, “The Wings of Freedom is ready for takeoff.” Even the little robot, Direct-I chimed in, “Ready for takeoff!” Spy turned off the comm as he looked at the Mayor, “Il est temps pour nous de partir.(It's time for us to go.)” He looked at the others, “Echo Squadron, Move Out!” After that, they turned around and ran out the way they came. The citizens of the French capital watched as the Squadron ran down the streets of the city with their F/A-37s in Walker Mode. Although some of the narrow streets required a straight line formation, the wider streets leading along the Seine allowed them to be in triangle formation. There were news helicopters following the walkers to watch them go and they did notice that one of the walkers was falling out of formation. Sonata was struggling with her Talon since it was nothing like her Wyvern since it did not have a Walker Mode. Spike chimed in, “Sonata, you're falling behind.” The siren stated, “I’m having a little trouble with the Talon...I can't get it to go fast enough.” “Disengage the dampener on the secondary exhaust engines and hit the throttle. That should allow you to catch up.” She did what Spike told her to do and soon enough, the secondary engines kicked in as her walker sprinted back into formation just as a Rift Portal opened up in the Seine River itself as the Wings of Freedom rose up from the portal and into the sky with its engines at full power. To the news reporters in the helicopters as well as people watching at home, it was an awe inspiring sight to see the airship rising up into the skies while the squadron continued running. But as soon as the rift portal closed and the zeppelin was fully airborne, the walkers did something surprising, one by one they jumped into the air, did a backflip and transformed into aircraft as they took to the skies. The Wings of Freedom flew off into the sunset with the six Talons following behind, three by three on each side of the ship as the citizens watched as the legendary squadron soared away from the city. As the squadron left, there was one bystander who was curious about them, a young bluenette girl who watched the airship disappear over the horizon from her balcony. To her, the appearance of the Echo Squadron was a bit surprising since she once thought that they were a myth until she saw that ship, although she did find something peculiar before they arrived - a light blue crystal. She didn't know what was going on, but as she turned to a nearby flagpole in front of her school, she noticed that the French flag was being raised with a new flag accompanying it. As the new flag unfurled, it became very clear what they gave to the city... A Flag bearing the dragon skull - The Emblem of the Echo Squadron.