//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Agony Flame // Story: Ace Combat: Wings of Unity // by PolishValsion //------------------------------// As the sun rises, the ponies prepare for battle. They fight with determination and confidence. But the war shall take its toll, Some sacrifices have to be made. Chapter 6 Agony Flame June 16th, 2021 0730 hrs Canterlot Castle Soon after the pegasi from Mirage squadron woke up, they noticed the sun was already shining outside. They left their base and made their way toward the Briefing Room in the castle. On their way, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy met their friends: the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Applejack was more than eager for another battle. Rarity seemed to be concerned about her vests that were worn by the pegasi. She noticed that the material was still holding strong and hoped she wouldn’t have make any further adjustments. Pinkie Pie wasn’t in a good mood.         “All we got for breakfast was only a bowl of shareable cupcakes and a milkshake,” the pink pony whined. Applejack looked at her with a frown.         “Sorry, Pinkie, but the situation forces us to be more careful about distributing rations between the troops. ‘Sides, it’s better than not getting anythin’.”         “Sigh… Good point, I guess,” Pinkie agreed. “Tell ya what: If we’ll keep those Exile baddies out of Canterlot, I’ll be sure to throw a huge party for everypony.” Rainbow smiled a bit, hearing those words.         “She’s still the same Pinkie Pie… I hope she’ll never change,” she thought. Twilight Sparkle already recovered from the minor wounds she sustained during the last battle. She and Firecracker Burst were going to lead the unicorns again. Twilight shared her predictions with Rainbow and Fluttershy, while the other Mirage fliers listened to her, too.         “Most ponies think the battle will not take place in the city itself. While Canterlot is well fortified, it’s highly likely that all action is going to occur on the plains on its outskirts. It is the only terrain big enough for both armies to have an open confrontation. And it doesn’t have any forms of additional environmental protection, save for a few hills.” Rainbow nodded in silence. This information didn’t made her feel uncertain. In fact, she felt that she had bigger chance of taking out enemy fliers in wide open spaces. She preferred a direct approach rather than hiding in between buildings and waiting for a chance to strike. Firefly also felt more confident when fighting in such circumstances. Others had varied opinions; Medley had no problems with a strategy that would involve tricking an enemy and leading him to a trap, using buildings as cover. Fluttershy argued that the enemy could use the same tactics as well, while Lightning Bolt stated that the radar will probably eliminate this kind of cover and allow the Exiles to track their movements anyway. As the ponies were getting closer to the Briefing Room, Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie and Rarity parted ways with the pegasi, as they were going to hear briefings for their own units, held in different part of the castle. Derpy peeked through the window. She saw that some of the pegasus squadron leaders, including Blackberry, were already present, waiting for Gale to come. The seven Mirage fliers entered the room as well. They were greeted by others. When Fluttershy’s sight met with Blackberry, she only said a dry “Hello,” without even pulling out a hoof to shake. Fluttershy imagined that she probably had a hard time sleeping as well, and didn’t feel up for a conversation. Gale came inside the Briefing Room at exactly 8 AM, as scheduled, along with a few other pegasus leaders. The sight of all gathered ponies and the Mirage squadron brought a little smile on his face.         “You’re very punctual, everypony. I trust you are ready for what is to come. Let’s get this briefing started.” The crimson pegasus turned the monitors on. One displayed a digitized map of Canterlot, while the other one showed a map of the region with a big blue circle around the city.         “Here’s the current situation,” Gale begun. “According to recent scouting reports, the Exiles are about 2-3 hours away from Canterlot. All ponies rounded up behind the walls are ready to support us if necessary. However, our ammo and weapon supply is limited. Most of them are being held in Stalliongrad and several of its factories. In fact, the city itself is still putting up heavy resistance to any Exile divisions who try to invade it. They have not seen any dragon either. Aurora most likely wants to focus her attention on the capital.”         “So, what’s the plan?” Rainbow Dash asked, feeling slightly impatient.         “While we can fight the enemy in the city itself, it could bring danger upon the civilians. We want to avoid that, so we will meet the Exiles in an open field — on the plains away from Canterlot.” “It’s just as Twilight Sparkle said,” Firefly thought. “Works for me.” Rainbow glanced at her, and a single look on her face told the blue pegasus she looked forward to this kind of battle. Rainbow felt the same way after all.         “We will need unyielding cooperation between the pegasus squadrons and the ground forces,” Gale continued. “Though we’ve got about 2,000 soldiers on our side, and, if we count the civilians, that number is almost doubled, our only advantage is the familiar terrain. The enemy is superior in terms of firepower and technology. While the main job for the pegasi will be to fight the enemy squadrons and provide air support for the unicorns and earth ponies, we’ll need to keep our eyes open. If things will get out of control for Aurora, she could call a dragon or two to aid the Exiles.” Cloud Kicker raised a hoof.         “Question, sir. If she wants to conquer Canterlot so badly, why won’t she just send all of her forces at us at once?”         “Because she’s no ordinary strategist or rebel,” Gale answered. “Princess Celestia claims she knows how Aurora thinks. Even if she could use all of her forces against us, it would leave her vulnerable for any possible counter attack. As I said, Stalliongrad, as well as Manehattan, are still offering solid resistance, and they pose a significant threat to her operations. Unfortunately, we can’t receive supplies or reinforcements from any other region, so we are on our own this time.”         “We still got enough to take them down,” Flare Star spoke.         “Let’s hope you’re correct, Flare Star. Now, over to squadron distribution… Since the area where the battle will take place is quite big, we’ll divide it to four ‘sectors’...” Saying this, Gale pressed a few buttons on the keyboard and the digitized map of Canterlot region had been split by four green, glowing lines. They had been marked with letters  “A,” “B,” “C” and “D.”         “Sector B is the largest one. If the enemy breaks through it, they will get to Canterlot, too. That’s why it we’ll send about 40% of our forces there to defend it. This sector will be under the surveillance of the following squadrons: Mirage, Dragon, Phoenix, Burner, Racer and Cygnus. You’ll be accompanied by twenty or so divisions of earth ponies and unicorns.” Rainbow Dash, Flare Star, Sunburst, Tornado Swirl, Overdrive and Blackberry each stood up and saluted, claiming their readiness for upcoming battle The rest of Mirage flight responded the same way. Fluttershy glanced briefly at Blackberry, but she did not look at her.         “Sector A will be surveyed by the Wonderbolts. They will be supported by Hornet, Falcon and Sorcerer squadrons. This sector will mostly be occupied by artillery units. You’ll need to keep an eye on them.” Spitfire, Thunderlane, Rainbowshine and the leader of Hornet squadron, Steam Tinker, were ready. Soarin’ and Firebolt reported readiness as well.         “Sector C is located south of Sector “B.” Units stationed there will have to keep their eyes on possible side attacks. I doubt all of the Exiles will just charge straight on… This sector will have Sweeper, Lancer and Swallow squadrons as air support for the earth pony forces.” Quick Chaser and Thunder Flicker stood up along with a third pony, a bright pink mare wearing a short, dark yellow mane. Her name was Honey Rays.         “Finally,” Gale concluded. “Sector D is situated in area around Canterlot, as well as in  the city itself. You may call it a position for our support forces. We’ll have some ponies from Medical Corps to help in case anypony will get injured. Because this sector is mostly away from possible combat zones, there won’t be any squadrons watching over it. Still, we’ll keep a division or two of earth ponies to watch over them. Is everything clear so far?” All pegasi present in the room responded with “Yes, sir!” Gale was just about to go to explain another part of the briefing, but Lightning Bolt focused her attention on the map of Canterlot instead and felt an urge to ask a question.         “Sir, about that laser cannon you have mentioned yesterday… the one for Project Atmos… where is it located exactly?”         “I’m glad you asked. Right here.” Gale pressed some more buttons, zooming in the image of one of the castle towers. The intersection on the tower showed a metallic barrel hidden in it, complete with mechanism that could move it.         “That looks like some pretty advanced technology…” said Lightning.         “True. It took our engineers three months to conceal it. Those griffon constructors from Grunder Industries and GR made some fine war tools… If the need will arise, the cannon will be allowed to be operated. But it’s best if we keep it a secret to the Exiles for as long as possible. The laser cannon, codenamed Meson, will not be initialized unless a dragon appears to attack the city.” Firefly looked at the screen with scepticism.         “So, you actually believe this cannon can take a dragon down, Gale?”         “Absolutely. We ran a virtual simulation of that laser in a weapon facility at Stalliongrad a couple of weeks ago. Its beam is strong enough to pierce through any known material known to us, including dragon scales.”         “Good to know,” Firefly commented.         “You guys plan on building more techno-wonders like this?” Quick Chaser wondered. Gale shook head in response.         “Not really. The other turrets, if we’ll be able to complete Project Atmos in the future, will be smaller and mostly situated around the castle, not within the towers. Also, the cannon that is operational now will drain a lot of power. It will need about 5-10 minutes to recharge before it can fire again. When Project Atmos will be completed, this problem will be eliminated, thanks to the energy generators.”         “Well, as long as it helps keep the city safe from other attacks…” Rainbow Dash muttered.         “For now, we have to focus on what is to come. By now, unicorns and earth ponies are having their own briefings as well. They are also aware of how difficult the upcoming battle will be. We must put everything we’ve got to protect the capital.” All pegasi were prepared for the battle. Gale told them to go and gather their teammates and meet with the rest of pony troops outside the castle, so the distribution of the forces could occur. As the Mirage fliers were leaving, Blackberry suddenly tapped Fluttershy on her back.         “Fluttershy, can we have a word in private?”         “Well… alright.” The yellow pegasus followed her through the corridor. When they were away from the others, Blackberry turned to her and looked into her eyes.         “Listen, let’s make some things clear. We may be undergoing this mission together, but I don’t want you to babysit neither me nor anyone from my squad. Mind your own business.” Fluttershy’s eyes widened a bit when she heard these words from Blackberry’s mouth.         “But… I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she stammered.         “Don’t play dumb!” Blackberry exclaimed. “You know what I’m talking about! You were following me yesterday, did you not?” Feeling confused and cornered, Fluttershy tried to find a proper response.         “But… how…? How did you… You knew?”         “Not initially. But when I was going back inside the castle, I noticed a strain of pink hair lying on the ground,” said Blackberry. “I figured that it must’ve been you.”         “Blackberry, please, listen to me… I didn’t mean to follow you. Honest. I was just—”         “Don’t bother with explanation!” Blackberry’s face turned angry. Fluttershy backed away a few steps as she came closer, hammering harsh words into yellow mare’s ears.         “I hope you will keep everything you’ve heard in the Garden to yourself… for your own sake. I don’t need your protection or your sympathy. I can take care of myself. Do you understand me, Fluttershy?” Fluttershy could feel Blackberry piercing sight on her.         “Yes… I—I’m sorry…” With her ears flopped, Fluttershy walked away, feeling really bad. Blackberry waited for her to leave and was about to go and rejoin her teammates. Then, something struck her in her mind. Only now she realized how she treated Fluttershy, who truly wanted to help her. “What am I doing…?” Blackberry thought to herself. “I shouldn’t have…”         “Hey, Blackberry, move it!” Spitfire called her. “You and your teammates should go see Rarity. She’s got protective vests waiting for you!”         “Y—Yes, ma’am, I’m coming.” As she trotted through the corridors outside the castle, thought kept swirling in her mind.         “I guess I was too harsh on her… Maybe I should apologize to her by first possible chance.” ========== 0900 hrs Canterlot Castle Grounds Blackberry managed to find Rarity among hundreds of soldiers stationed outside the castle, preparing themselves for the upcoming battle. Rarity had just given four vests to her wingmates and waved to the purple mare to come closer. The vest Blackberry received was reinforced to give additional protection against ballistic attacks. It was colored white and, aside from EAF symbol on the right, as every vest had it, Blackberry’s had another one on the left - a cerulean colored silhouette of a cygnus, representing her squadron.         “I hope it will serve you well,” Rarity said to her as she handed the vest to Blackberry.         “T—Thank you…” Her sheepish reaction worried Rarity a bit.         “Is something wrong? You seem troubled, dear.”         “It’s nothing,” Blackberry replied initially, but quickly added: “No, actually… yes, I am worried. My mind feels so blurry. I’m anxious… Tell me, Rarity, how are you able to provide every soldier with such fine uniforms while upholding your duties? Isn’t it exhausting?” Rarity sighed.         “True, it is. But, if I have to be honest with you, I’m not really a high ranking officer or commander, like Twilight is. I still lead my own company, though and I need to take care of them. It takes a lot of determination and devotion, but if it helps protecting Equestria, it is worth it. Besides… working on uniforms is the least of my problems.”         “How so?” Blackberry asked.         “Well… Most of the uniforms that the soldiers are wearing now are brand new, but some are… recycled, in a way. They once belong to those who can no longer fight… to those who died. All I had to do was to fix the fabric and wash off all the blood…”         “Oh…” Rarity looked around, seeing earth ponies preparing artillery, pegasi checking their formations and unicorns receiving instructions from their leaders.         “This entire war seems so pointless… Ponies shouldn’t be fighting against each other. Now I understand how Fluttershy feels like…”         “Is she here somewhere?” Blackberry asked suddenly.         “Yes. She actually passed me a few minutes ago. Poor thing… I haven't seen her being in such a gloomy mood in a long time. She must be worried about the upcoming battle.” Blackberry briefly looked ahead of her.         “I’ll find her and talk to her. Thank you for the vest, Rarity.”         “You’re welcome, dear.” The purple pegasus flew into the air and managed to spot Fluttershy heading toward an area where pegasi were preparing themselves, identifying her by her own vest, colored yellow. She called out to her:         “Fluttershy! Wait!” She turned around and noticed Blackberry landing before her. Fluttershy indeed looked quite sad, definitely not in a mood for further arguing.         “Listen, I…” Blackberry started, trying to catch her breath, “I… I wanted to say I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have jumped at you like that. It’s just that—”         “It’s alright,” Fluttershy interrupted her. “I understand.”         “Look, I really appreciate your concern. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to know somepony’s got my back…”         “Then, you’re not mad at me?” Fluttershy asked. Blackberry shook her head and managed to smile a bit.         “My sister thought of you as a good friend. I hope I can become one, too.” The two ponies reconciled, with Blackberry no longer having any hard feelings toward Fluttershy. They went for the assembly grounds together. ----------------- Spitfire had just finished checking the ranks of the pegasi. More than 250 fliers were prepared to take to the skies and face their enemies. Elsewhere, Twilight Sparkle and Applejack, having over 1500 troops under their joint command, reported that their positions were secured and they would engage enemy as soon as they see them. Everypony was waiting for Gale to relay information to them. He did so after a few minutes of nervous waiting.         “Attention, all EAF soldiers! The enemy is approaching the city. Take the fight to them. Keep them away from the city limits. Good luck to all of you! Commencing Operation: Vanguard!” Such was the codename he picked along with other leaders for the defense of Canterlot. Phalanx and his group of over 50 Royal Guards, both pegasi and unicorns, were to keep order in the city and aid the others in case of emergency. Many civilians promised to aid the soldiers as well. Spitfire reached her communicator.         “All pegasus leaders, report in!” Each of over 30 different squadron leaders, including Rainbow Dash, Sunburst, Tornado Swirl, Thunder Flicker, Quick Chaser, Blackberry, Overdrive and Flare Star reported readiness. Their wingmates all braced for the upcoming battle. Some earth ponies beared standards with the symbol of EAF, which greatly resembled the flag of Equestria, with Celestia on the left and Luna on the right. In addition, some of them had the same symbol Rarity used once before to represent Equestria being united, the one with orange wings spread and blue wings embracing them, symbolizing day and night together. The ponies marched forward toward the plains to meet their enemies… ----------------- Commander Clad Hoof, who was once again leading the ground forces, had over 1200 soldiers under his command, with nearly 50 artillery units, ten unicorns battalions and air support. Over 170 pegasi were being lead by Deathwing and his Reaper squadron. As Aurora Starlight promised them, they would play an important part in the conquest of Canterlot. The ground force commander noticed the approaching enemy army. He radioed Aurora in. “My Lady, it appears the enemy is attempting a preemptive strike. How should we proceed?” “Your orders are simple, Commander Clad Hoof,” Aurora’s voice replied. “Eliminate the defenders and take over the city. You may call me again once you’re done. I expect flawless execution.” Aurora then turned her attention to Deathwing.         “You are responsible for our air force. I trust you will lead us to victory.”         “Consider it done, my Lady,” Deathwing answered.         “Reaper 1, our latest reports indicate that Mirage squadron is among the enemy fliers,” said Shockwave. “I recommend engaging them immediately, so that I could acquire the battle data necessary for the Zeal.” Deathwing nodded.         “They will be worthy opponents for us.” He then used a broadband frequency to address all troops.         “Attention, Exile soldiers! This is Reaper 1. The enemy is heading toward us. We will engage them and destroy them. We will pave way for our Lady’s return! On this day, a new era in Equestria’s history will begin! Let battle be joined! Attack!” ----------------- 0930 hrs Canterlot airspace, Sector "B” In Sector “A,” Applejack moved ahead, telling Pinkie Pie to remain with most of artillery units in the rear, telling them to hold their fire until enemy units get closer. Meanwhile, in Sector “B,” Twilight and Firecracker Burst lead the unicorns forward in an attempt at creating a thick barrage of magical energy beams. The Exiles, determined to take over the capital, pressed onward. An intense ground combat ensued. As the pegasi flew up into the air and spread out to reach their designated sectors, Rainbow’s Mirage team encountered their first opponents.         “Here they come!” Firefly hollered. “What’s the plan, Rainbow?”         “The plan is simple: don’t let them establish air superiority, and keep your eyes around your head. We’ll let the others know if anything major comes up. Let’s get them!” Although the first wave of enemy pegasi was defeated quite fast, in part thanks to good cooperation between the Mirage fliers, Lightning Bolt noticed that some of their opponents were wearing machine guns on their backs and using them to their advantage to attack from a much longer range.         “I don’t think charging at them head-on is a good idea. We should aim for a blind spot from the sides,” she suggested after sending one of the enemy fliers down to the ground.         “Stick to the plan,” Rainbow Dash spoke. “Let’s take’em all down.”         “Look out, Butterfly, you’ve got a bandit on your tail!” Medley suddenly yelled. Fluttershy noticed an enemy heading straight at her. She quickly darted to the right, allowing Cloud Kicker to deliver a powerful punch to his face, taking him down. Sunburst and Flare Star were leading their squadrons, Phoenix and Dragon, further away. They have engaged another group of bandits. Though they tried to surround the orange pegasus, their attempt failed due to timely intervention from Flare Star. She rushed ahead, ripping through their formation and causing a mild chaos in their ranks. This allowed the Phoenix squadron to pick them off one by one. Twilight’s “Arcana” battalion engaged a large group of enemy forces on the ground.         “Don’t let any of them by. Stand your ground!” she ordered. A flurry of energy beams had been sent against the approaching units. The ground shuddered with explosions and thunderbolts. Some of the Exiles had been hit by the magic beams, suffering from burns or even having part of their bodies frozen solid. It did not stop their assault for long, though. Enemy unicorns did not remain idle, launching a counterattack at the Twilight’s unit. Together with some other soldiers, she put up a barrier around them. It managed to absorb most of magic beams.         “This is Twilight Sparkle, requesting immediate air support. We need you to clear the area!” the purple unicorn exclaimed.         “No worries, we’ve got this one!” Tornado Swirl answered. His Burner squadron descended upon the enemy. Two of his companions dropped bombs on the enemy formation. They tried to shoot the pegasi down, but Overdrive's team, Racer, managed to distract them long enough. Unable to keep up with their agility and losing two additional brigades, one of Clad Hoof’s divisions ultimately had to retreat and reorganize its strategy. Rainbow Dash was just about to go and engage another group of enemy fliers when Medley called out to her.         “Rainbow! I’ve got visual on more hostiles. Their emblem… the raven wings!”         “It’s the Reaper squadron…” Rainbow muttered. “So, they’re back for more, huh? If they want a fight so badly, we’ll give them one!” She reached her communicator and contacted Gale, who was overseeing the entire operation, as per usual.         “We got the enemy ace team here. We’ll take care of them. Gale, relay the air force leadership for Sector ‘B’ to Sunburst. Inform us if something comes up.”         “Roger that, Rainbow. Watch yourselves out there.” Rainbow then rounded up her friends and went ahead to clash with the Reaper squadron. Once again, it was just what they wanted... 0941 hrs Canterlot airspace, Sector "A” The Exiles attempted to breach into the city through the northern walls. Instead, they have found Applejack and Pinkie, along with the artillery units, waiting for them. Applejack charged ahead, leading her troops against the upcoming earth ponies and unicorns.         “They’re close enough. Pinkie, let them have it!”         “I thought you’d never ask. All cannons, aim and fire! Fire!” the pink pony shouted. A barrage of explosive shells prevented the enemy’s attack, at least briefly. Applejack attempted to break through their divisions with a group from her army. Unfortunately, the Exiles had some long range backup, too. In addition, three enemy pegasus squadrons, of which all members were equipped with machine guns, were sent to diminish Applejack’s battalion.         “Leave this to us!” Spitfire lead the Wonderbolts in a daring attack against the enemy ground forces. Even though some soldiers were using mobile anti-air turrets, the Equestrian aces managed to avoid the bullets. They had also been assisted by Thunderlane’s Falcon squadron, who fought one of enemy squadrons and easily dispatched each and every one of its members. Flitter and Cloudchaser even performed an effective move, in which they flanked one of the enemy pegasi and smashed him at the same time from both sides, sending him freefalling to the ground. Thanks to their help, Applejack’s battalion managed to capture a couple of aforementioned mobile anti-air turrets. When another Exile squadron appeared over them, they were greeted by a nasty surprise, as their own weapons were being used against them. Before they retreated, Thunderlane picked off one more enemy pegasus with a swift kick into the neck.         “Nice move, Thunderlane!” Flitter praised him.         “Heh, just doing my job,” he replied smugly.         “Thanks for da help, guys!” Applejack radioed them in. “Keep your eyes open. Alright, ponies, let’s kick ‘hose Exiles outta here! Yee-haw!” Spitfire contacted the ground forces in Sector “B”.         “Look like the situation here is under control. Twilight, how’s it going on your end?”         “We’ve managed to stave them off so far,” she reported. “But we have to stay on constant alert.”         “Got it!” ----------------- 1026 hrs Canterlot airspace, Sector "C” As Gale had predicted, the enemy was mostly focused on attacking in Sectors “B” and “A,” attempting only small offenses in Sector “C.” Those were easily prevented by the EAF ground troops, who were given the task of protecting this area. But Clad Hoof grew impatient. He gathered a group of earth ponies controlling the main artillery unit, alongside three unicorn battalions. He intended to split his forces into two in order to fool the defenders and break into the city, or, at the very least, cause some collateral damage from the cannon shells. Clad Hoof begun issuing orders:         “Unicorn battalions 87 and 88, create a barrage. Battalion 89, give us covering fire! Clear the way! Attention, bomber squadrons. You have permission for take off! Escort units, cover them! Time to break the walls of the capital down!” Gale quickly noticed a group of Exiles gathering together. Among them were pegasi with armed bombs. He relayed latest data to Quick Chaser and Thunder Flicker, who had air control over the sector.         “Attention, Sweeper and Lancer squadrons! The enemy is trying to break through our ground formations and into the city! Stop them by any means necessary!”         “Copy that! Sweeper squadron, attack formation! Let’s get’em!” Quick Chaser shouted.         “We’re going with you!” Thunder Flicker added. “Let us handle the artillery, you can have the bombers.”         “Heh, how generous!” the cyan pegasus snarked. Just as Quick Chaser’s team approached the enemy formation, they were greeted by another anti-air barrage. One of his wingmates was wounded in the left wing and careened off course, making him an easy target. Quick Chaser noticed it and did not ignore Sweeper 4’s call for assistance. He dived after him, held him by the arms, and called for ponies from Medical Corps to take care of him. Unfortunately, his friend never made it to the city. Two Exile pegasi attacked Quick Chaser and made him drop his companion, who was then riddled with bullets from anti-air fire. Infuriated, the cyan pegasus took down both of his attackers and resumed his assault on enemy air units. Seeing an opening, Commander Clad Hoof ordered the artillery to commence attack. They came close enough to actually bombard the city with cannon fire. The ponies from EAF became worried for civilians in Canterlot. Ascertained about his daring move, Clad Hood ordered the cannons to fire. However, much to the joy of the Allied Forces and disbelief of the Exiles, no shell managed to penetrate the capital. When the smoke cleared out, it turned out Canterlot was being protected by a barrier emerging from the castle. This was no doubt the work of the Royal Sisters. Upon seeing this sign of assistance, the EAF soldiers received a solid morale boost, giving them an opportunity to counterattack. Commander Clad Hoof was dumbfounded.         “Dammit… I didn’t see that coming,” he muttered to himself, realizing the difficult predicament he found himself in. Thunder Flicker sent his own teammates to bomb the approaching enemy company. Once again, the anti-air fire prevented them from accomplishing it — the bullets pierced the bombs and destroyed them midair. Seeing the situation getting difficult, Gale called for additional air support. Tornado Swirl and Flare Star answered, agreeing to help. The Burner squadron flew ahead, helping Quick Chaser in defeating the escorts guarding the pegasi that carried bombs. Tornado took one of them down with a powerful uppercut. He grabbed the bomb from the falling foe, setting course for Exiles’ ground forces. Tornado Swirl focused his sight on the artillery units, dodging anti-air fire from one of the turrets. Once he got close enough, he darted upward, releasing the grip on the bomb. It exploded near a couple of cannons. The ammo placed in them combusted, spreading explosions a little further as well. The green pegasus wiped sweat from his forehead.         “Now that’s a chain reaction,” he commented.         “Not bad, Burner 1, but I can do better,” said Flare Star as she passed him by.         “Oh yeah? You’ve got your chance. All eyes on you, Dragon 1!” Flare Star did an attack pattern similar to the one Tornado performed, but before she grabbed the bomb from one of unlucky bombers she targeted, the green mare did a backflip and literally smashed his back with her back hooves. Then she finished him off with a strong punch in the chin. Feeling the rush of battle, Flare Star dived at the enemy cluster below her, screaming loudly, as if she wanted to intentionally attract their attention.         “Here, catch!” she exclaimed, releasing the bomb on the Exile units. A second row of cannons was engulfed by the explosions, devastating Clad Hoof’s group and crippling their offensive capabilities. The Commander did manage to retreat with a few units, though. While Thunder Flicker and Quick Chaser took out the last few remaining pegasi and earth ponies with a help from their teammates, Flare Star flew to Tornado Swirl, baring her teeth.         “So, what do you think, Burner 1?” she asked.         “That was really cool. I give you a 10 for style on that one,” Tornado Swirl replied.         “Thanks. Well, there are still more to take care of. Let’s do this one pegasus at a time.”         “Fine with me.” ========== 1035 hrs Canterlot airspace, Sector "B” Rainbow Dash and her team were relayed by Gale about the latest actions in a battle. They kept fighting Reaper squadron in a heated confrontation. Just like last time, they had split, taking on each individual enemy flier. Rainbow fought against Deathwing alone.         “Show me everything you have to offer, Princess,” he urged her, using the last word as a way of mocking Rainbow. The blue pegasus only squinted her eyes and parried his attack instead of bothering to hit back. She flew to the right, trying to find a way to attack her foe, but Deathwing was an experienced fighter. He did not let her strike him from behind. Thanks to Rainbow’s daring acrobatics, she managed to keep up with Deathwing’s own speed while avoiding most of his attacks. He appeared to be pleased.         “You are as good as the say. But I’m sure you can do better.”         “As you’re about to find out!” Dash replied, aiming to punch Deathwing in the face. He quickly dodged to the side, blocking Rainbow’s side kick and pushing her away. They used this opportunity to stall the fight and catch their breaths. Lightning Bolt and Cloud Kicker took on Shockwave. While Lightning could keep up with him easily, Cloud Kicker had trouble following her. Neither of them knew that Shockwave had already activated his data extractor he had with him in order to obtain information about their abilities.         “This guy’s really tough,” Cloud Kicker panted. “Isn’t there anything we can do?”         “I think I have it,” Lightning Bolt replied. “Listen, Sunny, I need you to distract him for a while. If all goes well, he’ll no longer be a factor in this fight.” Cloud Kicker quickly realized what her friend was trying to do. By deciding to trust her and ignoring all possible threats, the purple pegasus flew straight toward Shockwave. He had all of his attention focused on Cloud Kicker. As she tried to punch him, he anticipated the attack and grabbed her arm, leaning closer to her.         “Did you really though that would work?” Shockwave then delivered a precise and painful kick into Cloud Kicker’s stomach, temporarily stunning her. Gasping for air, the blond mare was left wide open. Shockwave followed his attack with a series of powerful punches into her face, which left Cloud Kicker dazed and unable to counter them.         “How pathetic,” Shockwave uttered, grabbing both of Cloud Kicker’s arms and preventing her from moving. “Your companions must be dissapointed in you. Clearly, you’re the weakest of your squadron.”         “Maybe…” Cloud Kicker stammered, “but I know a certain pony that’s gonna whoop your flank!”         “Oh, really? And who would that be?” the purple flier asked.         “Look behind you.”         “Hah. I won’t fall for such an old trick…!” Just then, Shockwave’s radar gave him a warning signal about an incoming assault. He turned his head around and noticed Lightning Bolt, flying at him in high speed, zig-zagging rapidly. She was performing her signature attack, the Shining Spark. Shockwave had troubles using his sight to follow her movements, but didn’t think the white pegasus could actually try crashing into him. The distance between them kept getting smaller… Shockwave didn’t want to take the risk and was about to dodge Lightning’s attack. By doing so, he lightened his grip on Cloud Kicker, which the mare quickly took advantage of by headbutting him in the face and kicking him away with her rear legs. Seconds later, Shockwave had been struck in the back by Lightning’s Shining Spark. The recoil of the attack was quite serious, yet he managed to stay airborne. Lightning Bolt could not believe her eyes.         “I was aiming at the spine. He should be dead!” Shockwave felt the force of impact, figuring that it would be better for him to pull back.         “An impressive attack… but not good enough.” He turned around and flew away from the two mares. Lightning had no plans of trying to catch up to him. She approached Cloud Kicker, whose face had a couple of bruises on both cheeks.         “Are you okay, Cloud Kicker?” Lightning asked.         “Ouch… my chin hurts. But at least you made him leave,” the purple mare responded. Lightning Bolt’s sight rested ahead of her for a moment. Something about Shockwave’s actions in this fight left her pondering… ----------------- Derpy and Firefly fought against Havoc. His physical strength made him a difficult opponent, his aggressive tenacity could prove dangerous. Altough, instead of rushing at them head-on, Havoc waited for any possible openings that would allow him to deliver a strong punch or kick, then follow up witth a series of attacks, since that was his main forte. His main problem was the fact he was at a disadvantage in terms of numbers; when he tried attacking Derpy, Firefly usually prevented the assault and vice versa. Still, both Mirage fliers received a couple of hits, but none of them were dangerous. Firefly and Derpy shrugged them off. Trickster initially fought only against Medley, but Fluttershy decided to assist her as well. The green flier still remembered his obnoxious attitude, and nothing seemed to have changed about that. Trickster still kept insulting his opponents, zipping around like a crazed fly. In addition, he called a couple of other Exile pegasi to assist him, seeing it as a chance to take out both Medley and Fluttershy. Thanks to their cooperation, they defeated the oppressors, but Trickster was still a dangerous factor. Both Medley and Fluttershy were slowly running out of stamina, as chasing the small pegasus around cost them a lot of energy. Then Trickster called some more pegasi for assistance. The Mirage fliers were in a risk of being overrun. Suddenly, Fluttershy received a call.         “This is Cygnus 1. I’m heading over to provide support.”         “Blackberry?” The blue-maned purple mare wanted to show her worth in battle, as she appeared very determined once Fluttershy noticed her coming.         “We have the situation in Sector ‘B’ under control,” Blackberry reported. “Let’s take out those stragglers.”         “Oooh, you’ve got some nerve!” Trickster exclaimed. “Let’em have it, boys!” Medley quickly dispatched one of the enemy fliers with a series of quick punches to the face, finishing with a swift kick to the neck. Her opponent fell down. Fluttershy and Blackberry fought together, trying to defeat the other one. While Fluttershy distracted the Exile flier for a moment, it allowed Blackberry to circle around him, disappearing from his sight. He only noticed the purple pegasus when she smashed his skull, then took him down with two powerful hooks. While Fluttershy, Medley and Blackberry fought the pegasi he called, Trickster seemingly vanished…         “Surprise!” With a quick dive attack, he struck Blackberry, pushing her away from the Mirage fliers. Still, the purple mare had no intention of giving up and parried Trickster’s punch, causing both pegasi to be locked in a clinch. “Hehe… I love a struggle!” Trickster hissed. Much to Blackberry’s surprise, he performed a quick turn and tried to twist the purple mare’s arm while delivering a couple of precise kicks to her chest. Fluttershy wanted to help her. It was then that she felt a rush of emotion. She initially wanted to call Medley for assistance, but instead, Fluttershy headed toward Trickster, gradually picking up speed. The short pegasus was too focused on trying to break Blackberry’s arm to worry about his surroundings. Just as Fluttershy gained enough speed, she rammed into Trickster, then delivered a powerful kick with her rear legs, sending him flying backwards. Now it became clear to him that he’d been outmatched. Growling loudly, he turned his tail and flew away. Medley was impressed with Fluttershy’s attack.         “Wow, that was great! Seems like you finally got over your fear of fighting.”         “I was never afraid to fight,” Fluttershy replied. “I just want to avoid any unnecessary violence… Blackberry, are you alright?”         “Yes… You saved me, Fluttershy. Thank you.” Blackberry then decided to return back to her companions from the Cygnus squadron. Fluttershy felt relieved. It seemed they managed to actually become friends. ----------------- Deathwing noticed that two of his companions had already left the area. Havoc contacted him.         “Reaper 1, it looks like we’re outmatched. I suggest retreating.” The dark pegasus did not reply at first, avoiding another one of Rainbow’s attack and darting backwards before reaching his communicator.         “Very well. Our ground force commander doesn’t seem to know what he’s doing. I’m going to contact Lady Aurora. We need backup if we are to succeed.” Deathwing turned his attention to Rainbow once more before he left.         “This battle was fruitful. But mark my words, we will meet again, Rainbow.”         “Looking forward to it!” Once the Reaper squadron disappeared from their radars, the Mirage squadron rounded up together to analyze the situation. All seven fliers received some minor injuries, but they could not prevent them from fighting.         “Nice work, girls. Let’s go back to Sector B and help the others. Rainbow tuned the frequency in her communicator to contact the Wonderbolt operator. “Gale, what’s the situation down there?”         “The enemy threat level has been reduced to about 40%. We might just make it. Return to the battlefield. Help us drive the enemy away from Canterlot.”         “Roger that!” ----------------- 1052 hrs Equestria, cir. 200 km from Canterlot Hours prior to the battle, Aurora’s own battleship, the Warbird, had been put in a port of Fillydelphia, as the city was now under Exiles’ controls. She decided to personally oversee the conquest of enemy capital. Her company not only included about 400 more soldiers, but, more importantly, they convinced King Aigaion and his Drake Generals to come with them as well. Aigaion was truly enormous, standing well over a head when compared to his kinsmen. The other dragons all varied in size and colors, but their intimidating presence could prove enough to finally finish the conflict. Aurora had established a field war camp on the plains, making her soldiers prepare for what would seem like a triumphant march into Canterlot. She was discussing several topics with Aigaion.         “It’s good to have you here, o Mighty One,” said Aurora. “You shall witness our great victory soon enough.”         “Don’t be overconfident, Lady,” the black dragon responded. “Not everything may go according to your plan. Don’t you think the battle is lasting a bit too long…?” Aurora did ponder on those words. With the size of the army Commander Clad Hoof had under his orders, the city should have been seized already. She was just about to contact him, but instead, she was the one who received a call.         “My Lady, this is Reaper 1.”         “Deathwing? What is going on? How’s the battle?”         “The EAF is putting up fierce resistance. They have no intention of surrendering. We lost about 30% of our forces already. Commander Clad Hoof lost control over the situation.” Aurora started pacing back and forth, clearly frustrated.         “What about Canterlot?”         “It is fortified with a magic barrier. Our artillery attack ended in a failure. All bombing raids were unsuccessful as well. Lady Aurora, we require assistance.” The blue alicorn squinted her eyes, as she processed everything she heard so far.         “So… that’s how you want to play, Princess Celestia. You are not directly engaged in the battle, yet you still protect your subjects from harm. Very cunning… I would expect no less. But this won’t help you…” Aurora turned her sight to the imposing black dragon that stood before her, having heard Deathwing’s report as well.         “Your soldiers are in a bind, it seems,” Aigaion growled.         “I’m afraid so. That is why I need one of your generals to aid us once more.” Aigaion looked at the other four dragons assembled by him. Each of them was prepared to take off immediately, but he thought carefully about possible options. Finally, he said to Gleipnir:         “It will be up to you. Help Lady Aurora’s troops in conquering Canterlot.”         “Yes, my king,” Gleipnir replied with a snarl. He spread his enormous wings and took of in the direction of Equestria’s capital. ----------------- 1105 hrs Canterlot airspace The ponies from EAF seemingly regained control over the battlefield, pushing the enemy away from the walls of Canterlot. But Commander Clad Hoof still had some soldiers in reserves. He decided to send them in to engage the ground forces. Rainbow Dash’s team made their way to regroup with other pegasi squadrons when they have received a call from Gale.         “Warning! We have a large contact approaching Canterlot area!”         “This might be it…” Derpy said quietly. Medley flew ahead and noticed a huge shape forming on the horizon. She quickly reached her communicator.         “This is Mirage 7! I have a positive visual contact! It’s a dragon! The same one that showed up over Ponyville!”         “Time to see if that cannon is worth anything,” Firefly spoke. “Gale, we’ll try to distract him while you get the guys at the castle ready.”         “All right. Attention, Mirage, Racer, Burner, Sweeper and Lancer squadrons! Engage the dragon and keep him occupied. Don’t let him deal too much damage to our ground forces.” “Mirage 1, roger that!” Rainbow replied. “Alright everypony, let’s go!” No less than twenty pegasi darted ahead, heading for the upcoming winged behemoth. Gleipnir seemed amused by their attempt to fight him.         “Those ponies must have a death wish… Very well, then.” The grey dragon opened his mouth and begun charging up energy. Twilight, who observed everything from the ground, knew what was about to happen. She quickly ordered the pegasi to disperse in order to avoid the energy beam. When Gleipnir fired, it didn’t hit any fliers, but it did strike the barrier protecting Canterlot. The ground tremored slightly, but the barrier had been maintained.         “Don’t try to hurt the dragon,” Gale ordered. “We analyzed data gathered from the last battle. If you see him flapping his wings rapidly, try to stay lower than him.  The shockwave from those wings apparently only affects the area around and above him. We need about five minutes to charge up the Meson cannon. It’s up to you.”         “Understood,” said Rainbow. When the ponies finally reached the dragon, they seemed like little mosquitoes when compared to Gleipnir’s massive size. He even treated them like ones, trying to swipe his claws at them and knock them down. Though he managed to clear his line of sight for a moment, the pegasi swarmed him, not allowing the dragon to attack the ground forces. Gleipnir roared, probably in hopes of intimidating his opponents, but it didn’t really work. He finally resorted to using his shockwave attack. Taking Gale’s advice, every pegasus managed to dodge it by lowering their altitudes. Then, Rainbow Dash did something that was both very brave and very stupid at the same time. She increased her speed, going for the dragon’s eyes. With a daring charge, she plunged her rear left leg into Gleipnir’s pupil. Feeling pain and anger, the dragon covered his face and began thrashing around, swiping his massive tail. Rainbow ordered all pegasi to move away from Gleipnir.         “That was a gutsy move, Rainbow,” Firefly commented.         “It seemed to work, though,” she replied. “Gale, are you ready?”         “Affirmative. Meson cannon is charged. Gunners, you are authorized to fire.” The barrel of the cannon could have been seen at the top of castle’s rear tower. For a few seconds, the barrier surrounding the city vanished.         “Target confirmed. Meson cannon, fire!” A bright, red energy beam was shot. It headed to Gleipnir. He managed to get a glimpse of the danger and moved his massive body to the right at a last second to avoid potentially fatal damage. Still, his left wing has been pierced by the beam, causing great pain to the dragon. He started flying higher in order to avoid further danger. Things did not go as he planned.         “Holy turnips, did you see that? That laser went right through his wing!” Medley exclaimed in excitement.         “Guess he’s no longer a factor. And the barrier is protecting Canterlot again. Let’s take out the rest of the Exiles,” Firefly suggested.         “Yeah, they are definitely running out of steam,” Rainbow added. Mirage squadron lead the pegasi to confront the remaining enemy forces. The Reaper squadron still hadn’t left the airspace completely. They saw what happened.         “Impossible… How can it be that the Allied Forces have access to laser technology? It does not compute,” Shockwave muttered. Deathwing only watched at the dragon flying away from the combat zone with a grim face. He had to tell everything to Aurora. -----------------         “What? It cannot be!” The blue alicorn received Deathwing’s call, but instead of positive information, she learned that Gleipnir’s attack was a failure. She began to lose patience. Now she realized that Princess Celestia did, in fact, prepared herself for her invasion, at least partially. She felt outsmarted and humiliated. Aurora’s eyes gave out a furious spark.         “Not yet, Celestia… My revenge will not be denied!” She turned her sight to Aigaion.         “O Mighty One, your general has been wounded in battle. Are you going to let them treat your comrades like that?”         “WHAT?!” Aigaion roared. The black dragon squinted his eyes, letting out another deafening roar, scaring the Exiles soldiers nearby.         “I won’t allow this… This outrage will be punished! They shall know that dragons are not to be trifled with! I will show them the power of my Nimbus Impact!” Aigaion spread his wings and lifted off the ground. He then began gathering energy in his mouth. The red jewel glowing on his armor pulsed brightly. A few seconds later, the black dragon spewed multiple large fireballs in rapid succession. They were heading for Canterlot. Aurora smirked as she watched this display of power. Then she contacted Deathwing and Commander Clad Hoof.         “Gather all remaining soldiers. Engage the enemy at will following Nimbus Impact. Finish them off!” ========== 1120 hrs Canterlot airspace The radar in Gale’s Control Room showed numerous heat signals approaching Canterlot. He felt a sense of dread as he zoomed the images in.         “What’s this… Fireballs!?” Same signals appeared on the radars of the pegasi. Cloud Kicker and Medley noticed them first, advising all ponies to evade them. Much to their surprise and terror, some fireballs detonated in midair, creating burning shockwaves that struck a few fliers, sending them plummeting to the ground. The entire Swallow squadron had been destroyed; many more suffered burns and could not continue fighting. Worse yet, the fireballs that did not explode hit the barrier surrounding Canterlot. While it managed to hold against the first wave, seven more fireballs appeared moments later. Once they detonated above the city, the ponies on both sides witnessed a literal rain of fire falling down upon it. When another huge fireball hit the barrier, it shattered.         “The barrier is down! The city is open to attack!” Commander Clad Hoof exclaimed. “All units, charge!”         “Look out, more fireballs incoming!” Sunburst hailed. They, too, exploded above the city. Without the barrier, they rained down on the buildings and ponies remaining in Canterlot. Panic and chaos broke out into the streets; the entire castle town almost instantly turned into a blazing inferno.         “Exile scum… do they plan on destroying Canterlot?” Tornado Swirl snorted.         “Which direction are those fireballs coming from?” Quick Chaser asked, though he did not received an answer. Deathwing and his companions watched the ensuing carnage from the sides before joining the other Exile troops in the attack.         “Reaper 1 to all pegasi. Engage the enemy. Canterlot shall be ours for the taking.” The EAF forces desperately tried to put up a resistance against incoming Exile offense, even with the civilians aiding them. Unfortunately, this single attack dramatically turned the tide of battle. Rainbow and her team still wanted to keep fighting. Gale radioed them in.         “This is Gale to all EAF soldiers. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna has ordered an evacuation. You’ve been ordered to give up Canterlot. Break away from the area and head north, outside the city.”         “Are you out of your mind?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “We can’t comply with that order!”         “We are militarily at a disadvantage. Comply with the order and head north,” Gale reiterated.         “This is Phoenix 1. We’re not going anywhere,” Sunburst spoke.         “Listen! It’s only temporary. The plan is to withdraw, meet up with all remaining forces from each area of Equestria in the Crystal Empire, then regroup for a counter attack. We can’t afford to lose you. Follow the order.” Understanding the situation, all ponies ultimately complied. A group of about 350 earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns volunteered to stay back and try to hold off the attack on the city for as long as possible. The other soldiers gathered as many civilians as they could and headed for the rendezvous point. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy looked down to see their comrades making their way out of the burning capital. Their sights met.         “I think we really should get out of here, Rainbow,” Fluttershy said timidly. Rainbow did not answer, but the look on her face said more than words. She had to endure another painful loss. ----------------- Once the ponies rounded up outside the walls of Canterlot, Gale explained that the unicorns would use their combined remaining magical power to perform a “mass teleportation,” a powerful spell that could transport most of civilians and troops assembled in the area to the Crystal Empire. According to Gale, its citizens had already been informed by the Royal Sisters and they were prepared to offer medical treatment to those who needed it the most. Both princesses additionally stated that the rest of the army will have to make their way to the Crystal Empire on their own, as the railway network had been extensively damaged and could not be used for transport. Everypony agreed that those who were the most vulnerable or hurt during the course of battle should be teleported immediately. While mustering the EAF, Spitfire noticed that Firebolt was missing. She tried to contact her, but the communicator only gave out static noises.         “Something is screwing up with the connection… I’ll go and look for her,” Spitfire decided.         “Want us to go with you?” Soarin’ asked her.         “No, you keep an eye on the wounded. I’ll see you at the Crystal Empire.” Spitfire flew back to Canterlot. Once there, she started calling Firebolt’s name, being careful to not inhale too much of acrid smoke that was coming out from the fires. Thankfully, Spitfire’s radar was still functioning, so she managed to find Firebolt after a short time. She was struggling with helping another pony getting out. His body has been trapped in the rubble of a building. Unfortunately, he wasn’t giving any signs of life.         “Firebolt, what are you doing?” Spitfire asked. “Didn’t you hear the order to retreat?”         “This pony called for help… I couldn’t ignore it,” Firebolt explained. Spitfire came closer, putting her hoof next to the pony’s neck. She briefly close her eyes.         “No pulse…” Firebolt lowered her sight in regret, gazing at the devastated remains of the city. She could not believe what just happened. The Allied Forces were about to overcome the enemy… Their victory was so close, yet so far.         “So much destruction… What are we going to do, ma’am?”         “First, we need to get out of here. Then, we’ll head for the Crystal Empire to meet up with the others. Once we do that, we’ll worry about the other stuff. Come on.” As the two mares flew up, Firebolt suddenly asked.         “So… will the crystal ponies help us? Are we really going to the empire?”         “Why do you ask?” Spitfire wondered. “I mean, it’s been active for about a year or so. You’ve never been there?”         “No… I did heard that it appeared, but… Actually, I only know the Crystal Empire from what my grandmother was telling me…” Firebolt confessed. Spitfire looked at her. It was in this moment that she realized that, even though Firebolt was a member of the Wonderbolts, she was, in fact, still a young mare. They never really had time to talk outside of their duties or get to know each other better.         “And what did you hear from her?” Spitfire asked.         “That the Crystal Empire was once a beautiful land… But the evil unicorn known as King Sombra took it over and enslaved the crystal ponies, making their lives miserable. When Princesses Celestia and Luna banished him, he cursed the Empire so that it would disappear with him for a thousand years… My grandmother said the empire was nothing more than a myth, though.” “It’s all true. The proof to that is that it reappeared over a year ago,” said Spitfire. “Thanks to Twilight Sparkle and her friends, Sombra is now gone for good. I just wonder if the Crystal Empire is prepared to help us in ending the Exile threat… Maybe if the griffins were not having their own internal problems, they could help us, too…” The leader of the Wonderbolts let out a sigh, resting her arms on her wingmare. “There’s no point in staying here any longer, Firebolt. We did all we could. Let’s go and rendezvous with the rest of our forces,” Spitfire told her. “Yes, ma’am.” But just as they were about to fly away, they heard a guttural laughter coming out of nowhere. Spitfire and Firebolt looked around, trying to find the source of it. Their radars’ readings started spiking rapidly…         “You foolish ponies should have left when you had the chance…” an ominous voice sounded. “Now this city will be your grave!” Seconds later, Spitfire and Firebolt learned the identity of the voice’s owner, much to their horror. It was Aigaion. Using his stealth camouflage, he managed to sneak in under the EAF radars. Aurora asked him to breach into the city and kill as many surviving soldiers as possible. Most of the troops who chose to stay behind still fought with the advancing Exiles, so Aigaion did not bother with them. In fact, he figured out that he would deal a devastating blow to EAF morale by killing one or two members of Equestria’s best flying team. As the large, black dragon revealed himself, Firebolt quickly reached for her communicator, unaware that nopony would hear her calling.         “Gale! HQ, come in! Come in!” She only heard static. Aigaion rested his sight on her.         “You are a noisy one… Away with you!” With just a single swipe of his tail, he sent Firebolt down to the ground. She crashed into broken remains of a house. Spitfire was now facing the dragon by herself. She wanted to go and help Firebolt, then leave the city… or, at least, her mind wanted to. Her body could not respond, only her wings kept her airborne. Spitfire became paralyzed by fear. Aigaion leaned his head toward her, chuckling.         “What, are you planning to hide from me? There is no escape… I will find you and kill you, wherever you will go.” The dragon opened his mouth with an intent of burning the Wonderbolt leader alive. Firebolt managed to recover from the crash. She looked up and got up quickly. At this moment, she was operating on instinct, not bothered by possible danger.         “No… I won’t let you do it!” Aigaion’s eyes briefly flashed in red, as did the gem placed in his armor. He accumulated enough power to strike. But just then, Firebolt appeared in front of him and pushed Spitfire away from the line of fire. She snapped back to reality, only to see her wingmare in her own dangerous predicament…         “Firebolt, NO!” The white pegasus’ body was struck by a wave of scorching flames. Firebolt screamed in pain and fell down. Aigaion only growled in mild annoyance.         “Bah! Such heroic nonsense…” He was now about to attack Spitfire again, trying to grab her with his claw and crush the life out of her…         “Aigaion, that is enough!”  A voice of a female pony sounded in his mind, causing the dragon to cease his assault. “Lady Aurora? … You’re using telepathy, I see.” “You have done well. Leave the rest to me and my soldiers.” Though he hesitated for a moment, Aigaion turned around and flew away. Spitfire recovered from the shock and descended, trying to find Firebolt, hoping that she somehow managed to survive… ========== 1155 hrs Canterlot Searching for her companion amidst the rubbles and smoke, Spitfire kept calling Firebolt’s name. Again, she used her radar to pinpoint the fallen pegasus’ location. Spitfire heard groans of pain and followed them, finding Firebolt lying on the ground. Her entire body was covered in bruises, her white coat burned to charcoal in some places. She appeared to be having trouble with moving, as the impact from over 3000 feet most likely fractured her bones. Despite her injuries, she must have tried to lessen the force of impact to the ground, otherwise she would have died on the spot. Spitfire leaned toward Firebolt, carefully rolling her on her back, so she could see her face. Both it and her mane were partially burned by the dragon’s fire as well.         “Firebolt, can you hear me?” Spitfire asked. The white pegasus coughed and opened her tired eyes a bit.         “Ca-ptain… ma’am?” Her voice was croaky and hoarse.         “I’m here. Don’t move. I’ll try to call for help.” Only groans made out of Firebolt’s mouth. Spitfire got up and tried to contact Gale again. This time the communicator worked.         “Gale, are you there? Respond!”         “Spitfire? What’s going on?” Gale wondered. “Something was jamming the communication. You and Firebolt briefly disappeared from radar. I thought you were dead.”         “We’ve been ambushed. I’m fine, but Firebolt’s been shot down.” Gale gasped quietly.         “Is she still alive?”         “Yeah, but it doesn’t look good. She’s got second and third-degree burns all over her body. Her ribs are probably broken, too. I need you to contact Medical Corps, now!” The Wonderbolt operator informed her that majority of EAF already made it to the Crystal Empire, with the unicorns using their combined magic power to perform mass teleportation.         “Hold on for a minute. I’ll see if I can get any unicorn to send medics to your location.”         “Hurry!” Spitfire urged him. She then went back to Firebolt. Spitfire held the wounded mare on her front hooves. Firebolt was holding her own on her chest and had difficulties with catching her breath. Spitfire sat by her.         “Hang on, Firebolt. Help is on the way. Everything is gonna be all right.”         “W-Where… Where is… that dragon…?” Firebolt coughed up.         “Gone. You don’t have to worry about him anymore,” Spitfire replied. The wounded pegasus sighed in relief. Spitfire looked at her with a stern look.         “Why did you do that?”         “… M-Ma’am?”         “Why did you risked your life for me?” Firebolt moved her head to the left, trying to see Spitfire’s face. Everything seemed like a huge blur to her.         “Aren’t we… supposed to… protect...?” the red-maned pegasus asked. “To… look after each… other? I… I—I couldn’t let him… harm you, ma’am… It was my… my duty as… one of the Wonderbolts… and a soldier… of Equestria… I was prepared… for this… Agh…” Her sincere and poignant explanation touched Spitfire. She was sustaining Firebolt’s head with her right hoof.         “You are very brave, Firebolt. Maybe even more than I thought. I am very proud of you. Now just relax… don’t try to move.” While Firebolt initially noded in agreement, she suddenly gave out a shriek of pain and clasped her front hooves firmly against her chest. This alarmed Spitfire.         “What’s wrong?”         “Aaahhh… my lungs… burning…” Firebolt groaned. “It hurts… Aaahhh…” Spitfire didn’t know what to do. She had no visible means of helping Firebolt, and there were no signs of any ponies from Medical Corps being teleported into the area. The Wonderbolt leader reached her communicator again, trying to contact Gale.         “What the hay is going on, Gale? Where are the medics?!” she exclaimed. Gale did not respond for a few seconds, but when he did, his voice was very glum.         “… I’m sorry, Spitfire.”         “What!”         “I can't spare anyone. Most unicorns are exhausted and don’t have enough energy to make another teleportation. Besides, we have a lot of wounded on our end, too. The crystal ponies are trying to help, but—”         “You can’t be serious!” Spitfire interrupted him angrily. “Listen, I don’t care how, but you need to send help over here. If you don’t, then Firebolt is going to die!”         “I realize that,” Gale replied, equally frustrated. He calmed down, though and added:         “I’ll tell Soarin’ and Rainbow Dash to pick you up. They should reach within a few minutes. Sorry, Spitfire, but this is all I can do. Please, come back safely.” He cut the link. Spitfire gnashed her teeth, not only because she was angry, but also because she felt powerless.         “Dammit…” Firebolt gave out more coughs, trying to put some words together. She felt searing pain building up inside her. She heard everything. When Spitfire walked up to her, Firebolt could hardly see things in front of her. Her eyesight was getting darker.         “Try to hold on a bit longer, Firebolt,” Spitfire asked her. “Rainbow and Soarin’ are on their way. They will get us out of here.”         “M—Ma’am…” Firebolt started, frantically trying to inhale more air. “I—I’m… I’m not… going to make it… am I?”         “Of course you will! Don’t even think otherwise!” Spitfire said loudly. Firebolt smiled dimly.         “It’s fine… At least… I… have done my duty…”         “Don’t talk!” Spitfire exclaimed, cradling Firebolt’s body. “Save your energy!”         “I… I just wish… I could’ve seen… the Crystal Empire…” Firebolt stammered.         “You will! We will all see it! We’ll go there together…” Spitfire tried to keep her eyesight focused on the wounded pony, but she was slowly giving into her emotions.         “Come on, Firebolt… Don’t give up on me, not now!” Firebolt tried to gather her remaining strength to get back on her hooves, but the pain in her body overwhelmed her. She screamed in agony, flouncing on the ground, being unable to resist the burning heat inside anymore.         “Ahhh! No… the fire! It’s burning…! Ugh…! Please… I—I don’t want… I… Please… Somepony… Help… Help me! Ahhhhh!”         “Calm down, Firebolt! Calm down!” Spitfire tried to restrain her. Firebolt started acting like she suffered a spasm attack. She was twitching violently, desperately gasping for air. Every time she inhaled, it only amplified her pain. Praying that Rainbow Dash and Soarin’ will come flying to them any second, Spitfire held Firebolt in her arms, staring at her.         “Calm down. Look at me.” Firebolt’s spasms eased. Now she was only making quiet, painful gasps. She slowly turned her head to the left and saw a very vague image of the Wonderbolt leader, feeling a warm hoof caressing her mane. “It’s all right. I am here. Don’t be afraid.” The wounded pony felt a familiar sensation. She tried to reach Spitfire’s face with her burned right arm, struggling for breath…         “Mo… ther…” Firebolt closed her eyes and grit her teeth, trying to resist the pain overcoming her body. Her arm didn’t reach Spitfire’s cheek. It fell down limply on the ground. Then, the white pegasus’ head flopped to the side, and she let out one more, long breath. She no longer felt any pain. No further sounds came out of her mouth. Spitfire’s eyes widened in horror. She leaned toward Firebolt’s face, tried to nudge her body to move... Firebolt did not react.         “No…”