//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Exfiltration // Story: Skyfall: Treason // by Dusk Quill //------------------------------//         “Who are the finest soldiers in all of Equestria?”         “Royal Guards!”         “I can’t hear you!” Shining Armor shouted over the sound of the pouring rain.        “Royal Guards!” the squad of exercising soldiers shouted in typical call-and-response style.         Shining Armor nodded, his wet mane hanging down over his eyes as he scouted out each and every trooper. At his request, the weather team had provided a downpour for the day’s training. Practice in unpredictable, unpleasant, and challenging conditions was the lesson du jour.         “And who here is a Royal Guard?” the unicorn asked, pacing back and forth before the troops.         “Hooah!” everypony chanted.         Shining Armor laughed out loud. “Was that the best you’ve got? The rain is louder than you.”         “Hooah!”         “Is this my Guard, or am I at a Foal Scouts meeting?”         “HOOAH!”         “For the sun!” the Captain of the Guard sang out. “For the moon!”         “For Equestria!” The ringing shouts of the determined, hardened soldiers overpowered that of the thunder rumbling overhead.         Another nod from the Captain of the Guard. Since their training had begun three weeks ago, everypony was showing progress at or exceeding expectations. If this success kept up, they’d be ready for combat in no time.         “GRENADE!” somepony yelled.         The squad panicked, and quickly darted every which way, diving to the mud to get out of the way of the would-be explosive. Somepony screamed dramatically. Shining Armor turned around in surprised anger, glaring daggers at a mischievously grinning Midnight Dasher.         “Corporal Dasher! What was that?” he demanded, turning back to the startled squad. “Back in formation, start over. Fifty reps, begin!”         Midnight brushed her dripping indigo bangs out of her golden eyes, still laughing to herself. “I was just testing your squad’s reflexes.”         “Well I think they passed.”         “Maybe…” The bat pony grinned. “But you’ll never know until they’re actually under fire.”         The moment she finished her sentence, Midnight Dasher drew her pistol from her belt and fired two shots into the air. Again, the ponies scattered and fell to the mud. All around the training ground, ponies dropped as well. Midnight nodded in approval while Shining Armor scowled in frustration. So far, the Lunar Guards were proving to be a hoofful, despite how helpful their knowledge of hoof-to-hoof combat was.         “Satisfied? Shouldn’t you be training your squad right now?”         “The other two are handling it.” Midnight brushed off the Captain of the Guard like it was nothing. “Actually, I was looking for Fleethoof. I was hoping he’d be up for another demonstration today. Have you seen him around, or is he slacking off from teaching too?”         Shining snorted to hold back a laugh at the notion of that pegasus ever slacking off on anything. “Do you really want to get beaten again? No, Captain Fleethoof isn’t here today. Captain Stratagem has taken on his combat class for the day.”         Midnight cocked her head in confusion. “Why not? Does he melt in the rain or something?”         “No,” Shining said with a sigh, clearly losing his patience with the mare. “He had a more important task to handle.”         “Oh.” A moment of silence passed between the ponies. “What does he even do anyway? He doesn’t look like a regular Guard grunt-turned-desk-jockey.”         “He’s not.” Shining’s answer was succinct, abruptly dropping the topic.         “So what does he do?”         The unicorn rolled his eyes in absolute frustration. “Why don’t you ask him?”         “Okay, where is he?”         “Busy.”         Midnight Dasher huffed. “Thanks, that’s very helpful. Really, where is he?”         “Like I said, Corporal: busy.”         “Oh come on! What is he even doing?”         Chaos was the scene that greeted Fleethoof as he stepped out of the elevator. All around him, ponies dressed both in lab coats and technical outfits ran around ponies in suits huddled in their briefing zone. The large monitor hung on the wall displayed a topographical map of a snow-covered mountain range somewhere Fleethoof hadn’t been before.         Construction had just finished on Quarter Master’s metal abominations. Over time, the designs had come more and more together, and eventually had been relocated from the base to somewhere else. The designs had still looked strange to Fleethoof, but he put his trust in Quarter’s ingenuity.         He approached the gathering of pony officers around the briefing table at his leisure. Whatever he had been summoned for was clearly more important than ensuring the Royal Guard knew how to fight in difficult weather conditions.         “Live feed is synced, real time updates still coming in,” a Skyfall technician reported, glancing up at the television screen overhead.         “Great, perfect,” an orange, fiery-maned pegasus mare muttered, looking over reports in her hooves, only half paying attention to anything else.         Aside from the new pegasus mare and the technician, Fleethoof recognized Princess Luna amongst the group, as well as a dark gray pegasus stallion with a brilliant cyan mane, dressed in high-ranking attire. As he approached the table, Luna noticed him and smiled at the pony.         “Captain Fleethoof, thank you kindly for joining us in today’s endeavors.”         “I wouldn’t have missed it,” he remarked, looking up at the map again, and then at the files strewn across the table. “Remind me why we built our headquarters underground to hide it if we’re just going to bring everypony down here anyway?”         “They had my permission to use our facilities. Before I brief you, permit me to introduce you to our guests,” Luna said, stepping around to the orange mare. “You know of First Lieutenant Spitfire of the Wonderbolts, correct?”         “Who doesn’t?” Fleethoof chuckled, nodding to the preoccupied pony, who merely made a sound of acknowledgment to him.         “Indeed, the Wonderbolts’ reputation proceeds them,” Luna continued, moving on to the gray pegasus. “And this is Captain Black Hawk, our commanding officer for the Royal Equestrian Air Force, and chief administrator of military operations out of Cloudsdale.”         “It’s a pleasure, sir.” Fleethoof shook the captain’s hoof, who gave the operator a half-cocked smile in turn.         “Likewise, Captain Fleethoof,” he said, his voice deep and gruff, the voice of a pony who had seen his fair share of experiences.         Luna then pushed a few select papers towards Fleethoof. “This is why we are here, Captain. Spitfire’s unit has located some locations of key importance to Equestria’s security. You have been briefed on the project, yes?”         “Fireteam Union, yes, I’m aware of them…” he said as he skimmed over the reports. “They’ve resurfaced? What have they found?”         “Weapons caches, being sold by black market dealers to all sorts of shady characters,” Black Hawk answered. “We’ve only got bits and pieces of intel on the dealers themselves, but a source gave us the location for their depots, and Union is investigating now.”         Fleethoof nodded slowly. “And how reliable was the source?”         “He got reliable.” Black Hawk chuckled deeply.         The captain gave a half smirk. He knew not to press the issue any further. Union had slipped off Canterlot’s radar, working strictly on a need-to-know basis. Reports had come in less frequently, until they completely stopped. If they were resurfacing now, this had to be the real deal.         “Where is Union right now?”         Fleethoof’s question was answered as Black Hawk zoomed the map out on the screen. The Black Ice Mountains, up in The Frozen North. A shiver ran down the pegasus’ spine just imagining how Union must be feeling up there. It was a good hiding spot for a weapons cache though. Unlike some of the other mountains in the north, the Black Ice range was steep, remote, and dangerous. Tourists and vacationers avoided that place for more favorable terrain.         “ETA?”         “Roughly an hour, give or take,” said Black Hawk. “We’re awaiting the first transmissions from them.”         Realization dawned on Fleethoof. “So that’s why you’ve commandeered my base. You needed the equipment for overwatch.”         Luna nodded. “Correct. But there is more to this mission.”         He cocked his head sideways. “What’s that, your majesty?”         “You’re going to provide backup for Union on their operation. This is dangerous territory, and I’m not about to make the same mistake my sister did and underestimate the North.”         For a moment, Fleethoof didn’t know what to say. He didn’t even know if all of Skyfall Team was still present in Canterlot to offer assistance. But another, more pressing question lingered in his mind.         “Princess Luna, it’s nearly a three hour train ride up to Snowdrift Outpost, and then however long on hoof to where they are,” Fleethoof pointed out, worry in his voice. “We would never make it there in time.”         Luna’s bemused smirk did little to assuage Fleethoof’s concern, but certainly peaked his curiosity.         “That’s why you aren’t taking a train.”         “What the fuck is that?”         Sharp Shot’s question was one everypony was thinking of as they stood out on the tarmac of the Canterlot Airfield. The airfield had been mostly unused since the air force had been relocated to Cloudsdale years ago, but with the recent addition of pegasi back into Canterlot Company and Quarter Master’s newest masterpieces, it served a purpose once more.         Before the ponies sat two metal aircraft, shining in the afternoon sunlight from the hole in the storm clouds punched through by the weather team. One was a long, smooth looking design while the other was more bulbous, and looked lighter and thinner. The framework on each had been covered in a sleek black metal hull on both models with glass windshields at the front. Long, metal blades sat atop each creation, fanning out in four and six directions, like a cross and star respectively.         The bulbous one had two small wing-like appendages attached to its sides, machine guns and pods filled with rockets attached to each. It looked as if it could seat about two ponies, with about six passengers seated on the rails on the sides. It was clearly meant more for combat than for transport.         The larger of the two looked more fearsome and intimidating. The hulking black frame was made even more formidable by the two large machine guns pointed out of the open spaced cabin. Including the two seats in the cockpit, the entire vehicle looked as if it could carry many more ponies. Fleethoof estimated up to a dozen soldiers.         “Gentlecolts,” Quarter Master announced with a tone of glee in his voice and pride beaming on his face. “Say hello to your new friends: the Black Hawk and Little Bird, the first military aerial vehicles in all of Equestria! I call them helicopters. No longer are hot air balloons the only way to traverse the skies!”         “Quarter Master, what…” was all Fleethoof was able to murmur out, still gawking in amazement at the feats of pony engineering sitting before his eyes, bathed in Celestia’s golden sunlight.         “Faster than trains too, both of them! The Black Hawk features multiple troop transport, a reinforced hull, and all the radar and radio equipment we have set up in our HQ. I aptly named it after our powerhouse commander of the air force,” the enraptured unicorn continued. “The Little Bird is our swift, agile attack helicopter. Twin high caliber miniguns and dual rocket pods loaded with high explosive projectiles. A little slower than the Black Hawk and with less space and armor, but what it lacks there it makes up for in firepower. It’s meant to provide fast-acting aerial support to ground troops.”         “What the fuck…” Sharp Shot repeated, shaking his head, eyes wide with a mixture of shock and pure terror.         “This is what you’ve been working on day and night for the past month?”         “Yes indeed, Captain!”         “Approximately how much faster are they?” Fleethoof asked.         “Twice as fast at top speeds.”         Fleethoof nodded. “Fast is good.”         “That’s great and all. I love speed as much as the next pony,” Sharp quipped, sarcasm dripping from his lips. “But who’s gonna fly it?”         “Oh, don’t worry about that.” Quarter Master motioned to two ponies approaching them from one of the hangars. “Meet Sergeant Silver Wings and Airpony First Class Blue Yonder, the only ponies so far to have successfully completed the new flight training at the Wonderbolt Academy.”         The two pegasus ponies stepped forward and saluted Skyfall Team. “Ready to fly, sir!”         “Oh… Great… Fantastic…” the sniper muttered despondently.         “Are you sure they’re ready?” Fleethoof cast an apprehensive look over his shoulder to Quarter Master. "They've only had a month of theoretical training."         “As ready as simulations can prepare them.” Quarter Master stepped in between the two pegasi. “These prototypes are brand new, this will be their maiden flight—for both helicopter and pilot.”         “This is awfully risky, boss…” Sharp Shot warned.         “I know…” Fleethoof took a deep breath. “But it’s our only way to get to Union in time.”         Quarter Master clopped his hooves together happily, a wide grin spreading across his face. “Well then, Captain Fleethoof, which one of my babies will you be breaking in today?”         The inside of the helicopter wasn’t nearly as noisy as Fleethoof had imagined it would be. Then again, with the noise dampening radio headsets each pony wore, it was slightly difficult to make out anything other than the dull thumping of the rotors in the air. For its size, the Black Hawk flew smoothly through the air, like an eagle gliding on the wind.         It was fast, too. Quarter Master hadn’t been exaggerating on the speed. By the time the first radio transmission came from Union, the helicopter had just flown over the border between Equestria and The Frozen North. It put them at just under an hour out from their AO.         When they had boarded the aircraft, Fleethoof had been trepidatious at best. The Black Hawk, while seemingly safe, reliable, and sturdy, still smelled of newness. It had not been tested or proven in use yet. They were the guinea pigs. Quite literally, anything could go wrong with it.         But they had no other alternative. If they didn’t go, Union would be without support, and may be eradicated.         He and Valiant had gotten on board, with a suspicious Blue Shield climbing up next. Sharp Shot had held out till last, adamantly refusing to board the helicopter until both Valiant and Fleethoof had pulled him on against his wishes. The doors shut, and the pilots made their last minute checks.         And then they were airborne, lifting up off the tarmac.         Fleethoof had to hand it to them, for green pilots, both Silver Wings and Blue Yonder were handling themselves very well. They took off without a hitch and had made it past the halfway point without so much as an issue. They continued to bounce back and forth off of one another, making sure every system was green and good. It calmed Fleethoof’s nerves to see the training had paid off, even with a lack of hooves-on practice.         Sharp Shot, on the other hoof, was still clutching tight to the edge of his seat, his rifle grasped firmly between his legs. The pony looked absolutely mortified, and ready to throw up at a moment’s notice. Valiant remained cool as ever, staring out the windows as they soared over the white, snow-blanketed ground. Blue Shield sat still in his seat, his eyes closed either in sleep or silent inflection.         Fleethoof stood beside the cockpit, close enough to keep an eye on the pilots and watch his team. He didn’t know how many members of Union were on the ground, but judging by the size of the cabin, they had more than enough room. Hell, all of Skyfall and Union could have fit in.         It felt alien, wearing all of his gear, but knowing they weren’t actually being deployed into the field. His Kevlar vest felt like an unnecessary luxury. Skyfall was strictly acting as a protection detail, a glorified chauffer of sorts. Fleethoof didn’t know how to feel about that. But, in all fairness, this wasn’t their op. It was Union’s time in the spotlight, and he had to practice what he had preached to his team in the briefing room.         In some regards, Union was like their little brother, and they had to look out for them.         The helicopter rocked to and fro as it swerved through the air. Across the cabin, Sharp Shot dry-heaved a few times. Blue Shield leaned away from the stallion, just in case.         “You okay, Sharp?” he asked the sniper through his headset.         The unicorn looked up at his officer for a moment, and then just bowed his head, taking deep breaths to steady himself.         “Unicorns were not meant to fly,” he remarked. “This was supposed to be your deal, not mine.”         Fleethoof chuckled. He would have never pegged Sharp Shot for one squeamish of flying. He silently wondered how Cupcake and Lightning Flash would take it.         “It’ll be over soon,” he said back, hoping to calm the nauseous looking pony. “Just a quick fly in, extract, and get back home. Easy.”         The sniper nodded a few times in short succession, but didn’t speak again. He was too afraid that if he opened his mouth again, the contents of the salad he had for lunch would end up all over the floor of the copter.         “HQ to Blackbird One, come in. Over.”         The voice of Spitfire coming through the ponies’ headsets was unmistakable. The pilots answered first:         “Blackbird One copies. Over.” “Have you reached the site yet? Over.”         “Negative, HQ. We are still en route to the AO. ETA thirty minutes.” “Better hustle, Blackbird One. We’ve just received our first transmission from Union. They are on site. Over.”         Fleethoof pursed his lips. Fireteam Union was moving already. They were behind schedule. If they completed their mission too quickly or ran into any trouble, they’d be on their own for a little while. Hopefully, that wouldn’t be the case.         “Patch us into the network,” he ordered the pilots.         Blue Yonder adjusted the radio momentarily, and with a crackle of static, more voices began to come through their headsets. At first, Fleethoof didn't recognize them. But as he listened to the chatter, he quickly began to realize he was listening to Union.         “Keep us updated on any movement, HQ,” Fleethoof asked. “Blackbird One out.”         He turned to the pilots again. “We need to get there faster.”         “Sir, we can only fly so fast,” Silver Wings said, not taking his eyes off the landscape before them. “We’re going as fast as we can, but it’ll take some time.”         “Just do your best. We’re counting on you.” Fleethoof didn't want to pressure the new pilots too much. “And so are they.”         Minutes passed by slowly like hours. Tense anxiety gripped the ponies watching the map, watching and waiting for something to happen.         Across the table from the two mares, Black Hawk was the picture of cool. He reclined back in his seat with his hooves folded over his chest, staring at the screen as if he were watching his favorite play. No expression painted his face. His eyes were calm and calculating.         Spitfire was silent as ever, too busy reading over the reports and intel again, and looking between the papers and the screen. These were her ponies on the ground, her operation, her reputation on the line. She was nervous.         And then the radio crackled to life, echoing around the room with a burst of static. “Alpha, I’ve found two operators…”         The first transmission. Everypony in the room went tense, listening closely to what came next. Spitfire pressed a hoof gently to the headset she wore, listening closely to anything else that happened. Black Hawk licked his dry lips, tapping a hoof softly on the floor.         Spitfire picked up her headset, setting atop her head and adjusting the frequency to match that of the Black Hawk.         “HQ to Blackbird One, come in. Over.”         A moment of pause passed.         Then came the response, “Blackbird One copies. Over.”         “Have you reached the site yet?” Spitfire asked, almost belaying radio protocol in her impatience. “Over.” “Negative, HQ. We are still en route to the AO. ETA thirty minutes.”         Thirty minutes. That was way too long if Union was starting their operation now. Spitfire wanted the backup there now.         “Better hustle, Blackbird One. We’ve just received our first transmission from Union. They are on site. Over.”         Silence came in response from the helicopter. Spitfire didn’t know what to make of it, but Black Hawk and Luna didn’t seem troubled by it. A female voice came through the radio this time, clearly Harp Strings, codenamed Alpha. She sounded hesitant, cautious… “Are you scared?”         “No, but are you sure this is safe?”         Definitely reluctant to advance. Protecting your ponies was a good quality in a leader, but this was beyond that. There was hesitating in response to any threat of danger. There was more than just watching her teammate’s back.         “Keep us updated on any movement, HQ,” came the voice of Captain Fleethoof through the radio. “Blackbird One out.”         The radio went silent again. Empty static filled the room with white noise. Suddenly, a small dot began to approach one of the cabins on screen, shortly followed by a couple others. Fireteam Union was on the move. Everything went still for the longest time. Nothing came through the radio at all, and the visual on Union had been lost.         Unbeknownst to them, everypony in the briefing room had been unconsciously holding their breath, waiting on the edge of their seats. Spitfire was inclined towards the monitor, eagerly watching for anything. “Well there’s nothing here.”         The disappointing message allowed the three ponies a moment to breathe. The tension was almost too much to take. “It ain’t over till the fat mare sings.”         Harp Strings was right. They still had another cabin to check. Perhaps their ‘reliable’ source was shockingly less than reliable when under duress. The ponies watched as the dots moved across the expanse of snow and approached the next target building. Spitfire didn’t hold high hopes for success from this mission. The sound of a door being kicked in came through the radio, followed by the cries of… ponies?         Ponies that hadn’t spoken before. Union must have interrupted a couple on a vacation retreat.         “Oh Celestia, this is a nightmare…” Spitfire muttered to herself. Her cheeks flushed red, avoiding eye contact with her superiors as she set her headset on the table.         But then the report came through that Union had discovered weapons within the house, and everypony looked up in shock. There had been a weapons cache in the mountains after all. Spitfire grinned widely and nodded triumphantly. Her team had proven themselves. Now she could call them back.         Just then, the sounds of fighting and struggling came through the radio. Everypony froze. A few gunshots came through the airwaves, and then a few more broke through the static, and silence fell again.         Spitfire scrambled for her headset, desperate to find out what had happened. She heard a Union member’s voice. The ponies had won the struggle. Spitfire collapsed across the table, sighing with relief as Black Hawk subtly nodded his head up and down approvingly. Luna simply seemed enthralled in the entire event, taking each second in stride.         And then gunfire started up over the radio again. Spitfire’s eyes snapped back to the monitor, watching as three dots fled from the cabin – with several more dots closing in behind them. It was an ambush.         “Oh dang! Lightning, pass me a gun!” “Suppressing fire!”         A volley of gunshots filled the room. The sight on the screen confirmed their fears. Union clustered together as the swarm of hostiles descended upon them. Flashes could be seen around the ponies as they fought tooth and nail just for survival. Things had gotten very bad, very fast. “Move, we’ve got to go. Now!” “Union Actual, copy?”         Spitfire scrambled for her headset again, setting it lopsidedly upon her head and grabbing the microphone.         “Union Actual copies. What’s the problem?” “We’ve been ambushed! We need immediate evac.”         Spitfire looked to Princess Luna and Captain Black Hawk. Luna did and said nothing. Black Hawk just gave a shrug. This was her operation, and she was solely responsible. The call was hers. But they still hadn’t heard back from the helicopter. It hadn’t arrived yet.         “Evac granted. Skyfall is in your AO,” Spitfire said back to the ponies on the ground, fudging the details a bit. “You’re welcome. Union Actual out.”         Furious, Spitfire turned her attention back to the missing helicopter. “Blackbird One, where the hell are you?!” she all but shouted at empty air.         And then the message she couldn’t have wanted any more finally came through. “Blackbird One is on site.”         The mountain range loomed in front of the helicopter as it zipped through the air parallel to the cliffs. So far, they couldn’t see any sign of Fireteam Union, but they were still a few hundred meters out. The white consumed everything in sight. Further up along the mountain, two cabins could be seen, nestled amongst the blanket of snow. These must have been the targets Union was investigating.         “Where are they?” Valiant called out, looking out the windows on his side of the Black Hawk.         “I don’t know,” Fleethoof muttered, shaking his head as he scanned the snowy ground below.         “Ponies, twelve o’clock!” Silver Wings said and brought the helicopter around to bear.         Down on the ground, the figures of ponies running against the snow could be seen further down the slope. Several other figures were in close pursuit, and the sound of gunfire could be faintly heard. Muzzle flashes lit up between the two parties. Union was under fire.         “Bring us back around,” Fleethoof ordered as the copter came back around for another pass.         “Wilco.”         The helicopter flew back around over the cliff face, swinging wide to make another pass. Suddenly, a large explosion shook the mountain, sending a shockwave through the air. The Black Hawk lurched and shook in midair, tumbling the ponies around inside. Out the windows, Fleethoof watched as the cabins disappeared in a massive fireball—and then snow began to cascade down the slopes, right towards Union.         “Ooooh shit…” Sharp Shot murmured, staring in awe.         “Get us down there now!” the captain all but shouted, patching in to Union’s frequency as fast as he could. “Union, this is Fleethoof, CO of Skyfall. Get down to the cliffs, we’re here to save you.”         The helicopter turned and made its way back towards the edge of the cliffside. Fleethoof chambered the first round in his rifle and flipped the safety off. Valiant had unsnapped his harness and was getting out of his seat. Sharp Shot looked too horrified to even breathe.         “Open the doors!”         Valiant followed his officer’s ordered, and pulled the side door open with Blue Shield’s help. Cold, arctic air rushed into the cabin like a gale, chilling the ponies inside and nearly blowing Valiant back. With the cabin suddenly open in midair, Fleethoof felt very vulnerable. Poor Sharp Shot looked like he was going to pass out.         “Stay with me, Sharp,” said the pegasus. “Focus. Just forget about where you are.”         The sniper swallowed hard, uneasily rising from his seat as he clutched tight to his gun for dear life. The helicopter came back around alongside the mountain, gliding right at the edge like a bird of prey.         “Fleethoof?” one of Union’s members radioed back. “You fought that terrorist organization. The Double Edged Sword, or something like that?”         The captain rolled his eyes. This was not the time for publicity.         “Yeah, now run towards the chopper!”         “The what?”         With a loud thrumming of the rotors, the Black Hawk turned back into sight of the pony team and slowed to a hover right in front of Union’s projected path. The mass of Equestrian technology loomed over the mountain, coming as close to the edge of the crag as they could safely get. Behind the fleeing ponies, several enemies continued to pursue them, and behind them came the deadly rush of snow. This was getting too close.         “Sharp, give them some breathing room.”         The unicorn licked his lips and took a deep breath as he crouched beside the open door, staring through the scope of his rifle. He looked positively green, but the fresh air and lack of movement helped soothe his stomach a little.         “Our benevolent alicorn above, hallowed be thy name,” Sharp Shot murmured softly in prayer, firing a shot out the door and striking his target in the leg, watching him tumble into the snow and get swallowed up in the white abyss.         “Our love and devotion to your kin… the sun and the moon… As we give our lives to your glory… Preserve us in your world…” Another shot went off, kicking up snow in front of another pursuer.         Fleethoof crouched down beside the door as well, resting his rifle on his forelegs. He squeezed off a few rounds, keeping the chasers at bay and knocking a few of them down into the powdery snow. Union was getting closer. They were going to make it.         Sharp Shot killed one final enemy with a well placed shot just as Union reached the helicopter. They had mere seconds. Fleethoof and Valiant helped pull the ponies on board one by one until just one remained, lingering back in either shock or awe.         “Like it?” Fleethoof remarked sarcastically, waving his hoof to the pegasus. “Now get on, quick!”         Finally, he grabbed the pony’s hoof and tugged him on board just before the helicopter pulled away from the cliff’s side. The avalanche of snow came surging down moments later, carrying charred debris, bodies, and trees down the edge of the precipice and down into oblivion. Fleethoof shielded his face and helped Valiant pull the heavy metal door shut, sealing out the frigid air while the Black Hawk turned back towards Equestria, its crew safely on board.         Mission accomplished.