//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: Battle of Pisa // Story: Ace Combat: Gryphon Wings // by Bwaak //------------------------------// Chapter 10: Battle of Pisa Together we stand. Divided we fall ~ Unknown Eastern Sector, East Gate to Pisa, Griffin Kingdom May 16th 2020, 1857 hrs Tracking… Assault Team #1 (Verde, Silver and Ursa Major) Verde Squadron hovered about one mile from the eastern gate. They had maintained radio silence and turned their IFFs off, making their signatures smaller on enemy radar. Jet and his wingmates tensed their muscles as the clock ticked by. He and Silber had agreed to strike the sectors one at the time in order to divide the enemy forces behind Pisa’s gates. Jet’s team would move in first while Silber’s team will follow after ten minutes.         “Altair Alpha to all units, one minute to the operation,” Saetos’ gruff voice spoke through everyone’s comm. “Assault Team #1, report in.”         “This is Verde Squadron, we are in position,” Jet affirmed.         “This is Silver Squadron, standing by at the western gate,” Silber added.         “This is Ursa Major Squadron, we’re ready!” Rot boomed from his end.         “Preparations complete, ready for the assault,” Saetos spoke. “Commencing “Silent Owl” in 30 seconds. Verde Squadron, you’re cleared to move.” Jet responded with a single “roger” before he motioned his team to fly down towards the first sector of defense. He motioned four of his wingmates lead by Scunner to attack the first sector while he and the others moved in to secure the second sector. The clock finally struck 1900 hours as Scunner’s group dove towards the left side of the first sector. A Belkan pony officer was caught off guard when Scunner tackled him on the ground before silencing him via a quick jab to his head. The other Belkans saw the sudden attack and quickly alerted the whole defense line.         “They’re here! The allied forces!” one Belkan earth pony yelled.         “Alright, Operation “Silent Owl” is a go. Assault Team #2 prepare to attack once the signal’s been given.” Saetos’ robotic sounding voice boomed. Scunner let out a battle cry as he and Wire assaulted the Belkan troops came pouring in from all directions. Fortunately for them, most of the Belkans positioned here were earth ponies, so they faced minimal resistance on fighting them on the ground.         “This is Jade Unicorn Company, we’re on standby.” A young mare’s voice responded to Saetos’ call. But that can’t be said for the ponies who actually had small machine guns positioned near the big computer-controlled AA guns which started firing into the air.         “Fire!” one earth pony yelled as he fired bullets straight at Scunner and Wire. Both griffons evaded the bullets just in time, but that couldn’t be said the same for an unlucky earth pony who tried attacking them from behind.         “Aqua, neutralize those machine guns now!” Scunner squawked to his comm.         “On it,” Aqua’s voice answered from the other end. Soon enough, a deep blue feathered griffon appeared above the machine gun and dove straight at it. Aqua grabbed the barrel and, using the momentum of his flight, ripped the weak structure from the fuselage. The pony cursed and tried to attack Aqua in retaliation, but he was silenced by the blue griffon’s strong kick, which sent him flying to one of the automatic AA guns. A loud groaning was heard as an AA gun roared to life. The computers detected the griffons fighting the ponies on the ground and it tried to shoot the feathered soldiers on their spot, but the computer’s sensors grew increasingly confused as the griffons’ I.D. and the ponies I.D. mixed with each other; friendly fire was inevitable. The situation grew worse as another AA gun stirred to life, Scunner blocked an earth pony’s buck and punched him away before he realized the barrel of the second AA gun was pointing straight at him.         “Ah hell… “ Scunner squawked before he took off into the air to gain some mobility. The AA gun fired its shells at the leopard griffon who tried his best to avoid the bullets. Luckily for him, another AA gun also tracked his movement and fired at his direction, only for the bullets to hit the second AA gun’s barrel: causing an explosive shell to jam inside and exploded, destroying the AA gun. Scunner mentally said “yes!”, but he still had two more AA guns firing at him. Meanwhile, Aqua and Wire managed to destroy two flak guns by fooling the first AA gun’s computer to shoot at them while they were standing behind the flak guns. Registering the incoming fire as a threat, the flak guns turned their barrels towards the AA gun and fired at it, destroying the first AA gun.         “Verde 6 to Verde 1, two AA guns destroyed!” Aqua exclaimed. “What’s the SITREP over there, cap’?”         “This is Verde 1, we’ve also destroyed the flak guns, but there still two AA guns firing at us,” Jet stated. “I’m sending the signal to Altair Alpha to begin the bombing run.” As soon as Jet sent the message to Altair, Rot’s booming voice came in through Assault Team #1’s comms.         “This is Ursa Major 1, we’re delivering the package now. E.T.A., 90 seconds!” Sure enough, Verde’s members were able to see two griffon bombers flying towards the sectors. The Belkan forces quickly sounded the air raid siren and several searchlights began to comb the dark skies. It was literally like a scene from the old war days, tracers lit the sky as the Belkan officers tried their best to shoot the bombers from the ground.         “Foolish Belkans! Did they really think they can hit us at this altitude!?” Rot laughed as he watched every single bullet miss him and his wingmate by several meters. Both griffons had to wear protective goggles to cover their eyes from the ice that could form in the altitude they currently flew. Rot was having a good time, while his wingmate wasn’t enjoying the bullets at all.         “Woah!” his wingmate yelped as a bullet narrowly grazed his right wing. “Sir, how much time left?”         “30 seconds!” Rot yelled. “Pay attention to your scanner, Gills. We dive once we hit the mark!”         “Yes sir!” Thirty seconds passed like an eternity for Gills. When the two finally reached their mark, the two griffons made a nosedive towards the targeted sector before releasing their payloads: two 1000 lb Self-Forging Fragments Submunition (SFFS) bombs.         “Pickle, pickle!” the two griffons declared. Rot then contacted Scunner to warn his team about the bombs.         “Ursa Major 1 to Verde 4, Scunner, package is sent! Clear out the area!” After that, Rot and Gills quickly turned away from the airspace. Scunner and his team didn’t wait for any second warning and quickly flew off to safety. The Belkans quickly galloped for their lives as they knew what will happen next. The bombs dispersed into numerous bits of explosive shrapnel as they approached the sector. Soon, the shrapnels ignited, and the first sector was engulfed in a huge fireball.         “This is Verde 4, Sector 1 is destroyed,” Scunner announced to his comm.         “Good work!” Saetos complimented. “Verde 1, what is your current SITREP?”         “Second AA gun is destroyed, sir,” Jet stated. “Ursa Major 2 and 3 is en-route to deliver the package.”         “This is Ursa Major 2,” an adolescent griffon’s voice sounded. “We’re nearing the drop point. E.T.A., two minutes.” “Altair Alpha this is Silver 1,” Silber’s voice sounded. “We’re moving in to attack the third and fourth sectors at our location. Silver 1, out.” “Altair Alpha copies all, continue with the operation. Out.” Jet managed to dodge another machine gun attack by hopping to the side, distracting the machine gun operator so Lanner and two other Verde members could disable the machine gun and drive the Belkan pony away. Another AA gun turret sets its sights on the griffons and fired at them.         “Verdes, break!” Jet exclaimed as he and his team flew out from the firing line, leaving several unlucky Belkan ponies to be ripped to pieces from the heavy rounds. The AA gun kept firing at the griffons, foolishly trailing them into the flak guns when Jet and his subordinates employed the same trick Scunner and the others have used on the first sector. The AA guns quickly silenced the remaining flak guns, allowing the second sector to be exposed from the skies. Ursa Major’s second bombing run made swift work of the second sector, leaving the eastern gate completely defenseless.         “Altair Alpha, this is Verde 1,” Jet began. “Eastern defense sectors are annihilated. It’s a straight shot to the city!”         “Roger Verde 1, I’m informing the first group of Assault Team #2 to make their move,” Saetos responded. “Keep an eye on the first team when they enter the city. I’m handing you over to Altair Beta until the two remaining sectors are destroyed. Altair Alpha out.”         “Understood,” Jet nodded before he and his team flew back to escort the main assault team. Meanwhile, Silver Squadron managed to destroy two of the main AA guns on each of the two sectors and were employing the same tactics by distracting the remaining AA guns to destroy the flak guns.         “Flak guns are out on both sectors,” Silber stated through his comm. “Ursa Major, deliver the packages now!”         “Roger that Silver 1, we’re on our way right now. E.T.A. 87 seconds!” Rot’s baritone voice roared in response.         “This is Newt Company,” a voice belonged to a stallion sounded through the comm. “We’re moving into the eastern gate along with Southwind Squadron. I heard Verde is also escorting us, we’re counting on you griffons to cover our flanks!”         “Southwind 1 here, don’t worry,” Ronin said in confidence. “You’re safe with two of the Griffin Army’s top squadrons flying cover.”         “I couldn’t agree more,” Jet added.         “Alright guys, enough with the chatter,” Altair Beta’s or Marcus’ voice sounded. “This is Altair Beta to Assault Team #2 first group. Continue your heading towards the eastern gate, once Ursa Major has eliminated the two sectors on the west, the second group will move in from their end.”         “The enemy couldn’t possibly handle two invasive forces at the same time,” Saetos added. “Let’s tear them apart from both sides.” With the main spearhead for the second strike ready, Crimson Squadron patiently waited for Silver and Ursa Major to finish their job. Both Rot and his wingmate hit the mark perfectly and dropped two SFFS bombs at the fourth sector, followed by two more bombs dropped by another flight of bombers at the third sector. Both sectors, including the unlucky Belkans who didn’t escape in time, were quickly incinerated by the bombs.         “Damn it! They broke through the defense lines!” one Belkan pony cursed in dismay.         “Shut your mouth and retreat to the city!” another Belkan, presumably the commander, squawked in response. “Fortify all the defenses, scramble all pegasi and griffon fighters. We’re not letting them enter this city!”         “This is Silver 1 to Altair Alpha, we confirmed that the last two sectors were annihilated,” Silber spoke to his comm. “The path to the gate is clear for the second phase.”         “Roger that, Silver 1, go join up with the second strike force,” Saetos ordered. “Phase Two will begin in 90 seconds. All units of Assault Team #2, get in position immediately.” All teams on Assault Team #2 responded with a loud “roger” from their respective ends as they moved into their positions in front of the gates. From inside the city, the Belkans sounded more sirens in an attempt to warn other Belkan forces about the advancing allied forces. Several Belkan griffon squadrons who watched their equine brethren get annihilated by the bomber squads from the clouds finally decided to engage the allied forces out of spite and their commander’s orders.         “Pathetic ponies,” one of the Belkan griffons remarked. “Can’t even hold four sectors like a true Belkan.”         “Yeah, let’s show them how it’s done!” another Belkan griffon exclaimed in agreement as he and his comrades dove towards the first strike unit.         “Altair Beta to strike force one, there’s a large flight of Belkan griffons heading towards your location,” Marcus warned.         “This is Southwind Squadron,” Ronin spoke through her comm. “We’re ready to intercept those brutes.” Following those words, both squadrons ascended into the dark skies to engage their Belkan counterparts. Jet who flew beside Ronin noticed a small metallic ching coming from the griffoness’ talons. When he looked, he was surprised to see a pair of metallic talons covering each of Ronin’s claws.         “I thought the Royal Guards were the only ones to use that,” Jet thought in interest. He soon shoved those thoughts away as one of the Belkan griffons rested his eyes on him.         “You’re mine!” the Belkan squawked. Jet only smirked as he brought his two forelimbs up into a defensive stance. Soon, both griffons clashed against each other, followed suit by their wingmates. Another Belkan flight split off and engaged Ronin’s squad with the leader facing the black and blue griffoness. The two hovered for a moment as the Belkan decided to break the silence first.         “This battlefield is no place for you, griffoness,” the Belkan snarled. “Go back home and stay in your place!” Ronin only chuckled in amusement as she brought both of her armored talons together and formed a battle stance.         “Sorry, I’m not taking advice from sexist brutes like you.” Ronin smiled. The Belkan squawked in anger as he threw the first strike at Ronin. The metallic blue griffoness evaded the attack with ease and retaliated with a swift elbow jab at the Belkan’s stomach. Before the Belkan could retaliate, Ronin brought her metal talon directly at the Belkan’s face. The Belkan felt enormous pain as the talon cut through his feathers, skin, and flesh like butter. His pain was quickly cut short when Ronin brought her other armored claw into his neck, cutting through his throat and severing all major blood vessels with ease. He was dead before his body could hit the ground.         “Southwind 1, killed one Belkan,” Ronin stated through her comm.         “Meteor 2-1 is down!” one of the wingmates’ exclaimed in fear. Ronin merely clashed her blood-covered talons together before turning to the dead Belkan’s subordinates.         “Anyone else?” she asked darkly. Most of them hurriedly scampered off, not wanting to share their leader’s gruesome fate, but some of them yelled and charged at the metallic blue griffoness; anger had blinded their minds.         “Kill that witch!” one of them roared.         “Fine,” Ronin sighed before she activated her comm. “Southwind Squadron, battle formation. Engage the enemy at will!”         “Roger ma’am!” her underlings responded in unison before they charged into battle. The situation quickly escalated as both sides began trading blows against each other. One Belkan tried to attack Ronin from behind, but thanks to Jet’s timely interference, the attack was aborted, and the Belkan was thrown away by the green griffon.         “Verde 1, below!” Ronin gasped as she was about to thank Jet for his interference. Jet looked down and saw a Belkan who managed to sneak his way from below. The Belkan succeeded grabbing both of Jet’s legs. “You are mine!” The Belkan roared, completely unaware of Scunner’s presence behind him. “Correction,” Scunner began as he wrapped both of his limbs around the Belkan’s neck. “You are mine, mate.” The Belkan tried to struggle, but he was hit in the back before being knocked out by a swift uppercut delivered by the leopard griffon.         “Verde 4 here, bagged a Belkan!” Scunner exclaimed. “Moving on to engage the rest.”         “Altair Beta here, about 12 percent of the Belkan squadrons are downed,” Marcus stated. “All units, continue the attack.” 1921 hrs Silber grunted as he evaded another attack delivered by one of the Belkan squad leads before retaliating with a vicious claw swipe to the Belkan’s neck. The attack managed to confuse the Belkan long enough for Silber to finish him off with a single punch between his eyes, sending the Belkan falling to his death.         “The captain’s down!” one of the Belkan griffons exclaimed in shock.         “Shut up and continue to engage!” another Belkan squad lead squawked. “You will be able to avenge your leader’s defeat with the annihilation of the allied forces!”         “Sorry, not going to happen.” Crimson 1, an orange feathered griffon named Blade spoke casually. He used the Belkan leader’s little speech to sneak up on him from behind. In response, the Belkan swung his right arm at Blade, but the orange griffon blocked the blow with his left arm and delivered a powerful peck right at the Belkan’s head. “Argh!” the Belkan growled in pain before regaining his sights on the orange feathered griffon. “I’m going to wipe that smug off your face!” “Once again,” Blade smirked. “Not going to happen.” The Belkan let out a primal yell as he flew towards Blade at high speed. His rage prevented him from noticing two figures flying from below before it was too late. The Belkan was caught off guard when two powerful kicks hit his chest and stomach, dealing a critical blow at his liver. The Belkan griffon coughed some blood before he plummeted down, sending a wave of panic towards his squadron.         “Nice kill, Crimson 2 and 5,” Blade complimented his two subordinates. “C’mon, let’s get back to the action.” Both griffons responded with a single “roger” before they engaged more targets around them. Without both leaders to guide the remaining Belkan soldiers, the remaining squads quickly fell to disarray, because no one was competent enough to lead their comrades. Silber and Blade noticed this golden opportunity and quickly ordered their wingmates to pick the Belkans off one by one. Soon, both of their comms beeped when Altair Beta came in through their radios.         “Altair Beta to second group. Requesting SITREP.”         “This is Silver 1, the Belkan squad leads are neutralized, and we’re currently mopping up the remaining forces.” Silber answered.         “Good work. Keep up the attack.” Silber closed his comm just in time when a Belkan pounced him from behind, locking his arms around the gray feathered griffon. Silber quickly grabbed both arms and threw his head back as hard as he could, effectively dazing the Belkan long enough for Silber to throw him forward before finishing him off with a double kick to the chest. Silber took his time before he reached to his comm again,         “Silver 1 to all Silver units, try to outsmart the remaining Belkans, but don’t kill them,“ he spoke. “Most of them are likely to be new recruits with little to no combat experience. Kill the leaders and non lethal takedowns for the subordinates.”         “The Belkans are using rookies as their frontline shield?” Ronin spoke at her end. “How low could they get!?”         “I guess pride and honor doesn’t apply to these guys anymore.” Jet added from his end.         “Cowards!” Ronin hissed. Silber could only sigh after hearing those words. It hurt him that his former countrymen would resort to such thing. His father, a Belkan and a well known decorated war veteran, would have never put rookies in the line of fire like this, and he would certainly be pissed if he were still alive to see this.         “Altair Beta to all units, the Belkan squadrons are down to just 20 percent. Pegasus squadrons, you’re cleared to move in to support the griffon squadrons.” Marcus stated. An audible series of “rogers” and “copies” was heard from the pegasus squadrons’ respective ends. The remaining Belkan forces panicked when they saw multiple EAF signatures coming from east and west.         “Enemy reinforcements,” one of them yelled. “It’s the Equestrian forces!”         “Don’t give up, maintain your ground!” another Belkan said in assurance. Despite his and some of the Belkans’ confidence, many Belkan soldiers choose to disengage and return to the city. The first pegasus squadron arrived near the eastern gate and quickly took care the remaining Belkan griffons. All five members wore bright orange vests with numbers from #1 to #5. After their timely appearance, their leader quickly introduced her squadron and herself towards the two griffon squadrons.         “This is the EAF 13th Pegasus Squadron ‘Swallow’ to Altair Alpha,” their leader, a bright pink mare named Honey Rays began. “We and the allied griffon forces managed to send the enemy forces packing at our end.”         “This is Southwind 1, we confirmed visual on the retreating Belkans,” Ronin spoke. “Shall we make our move now?”          “This is Altair Alpha, affirmative Swallow 1 and Southwind 1,” Saetos responded. “EAF ground forces on the first group, prepare yourselves for Phase Two.”         “Jade Company here, roger that,” Jade 1 an orange unicorn mare with a curly two color mane named Arrow Fall answered. “We are ready to storm the gate at command.” Another channel opened up as Silber’s voice came in from his end.         “Silver 1 to Altair Alpha, my squadron along with Crimson and the EAF “Crossbow” squadron managed to send the Belkans out from this airspace. We’re ready to cease the western gate.”         “Roger that, Silver 1,” Saetos answered. “Altair Alpha to Newt Company leader, prepare for Phase Two.”         “Newt Company here, we’re ready to begin the assault!” Newt 1, a gray unicorn stallion called Fire Crackle answered. Soon, the griffon and the pegasus squadrons positioned themselves above the unicorn companies. The Belkans also saw that both unicorn companies formed a massive symbol which contained the roundels of the Griffin Kingdom Army and the EAF. The Belkans saw the glowing roundels, and the commander decided to take action,         “This is it, brothers and sisters,” the Belkan commander exclaimed through a widespread frequency. “Prepare yourself for the attack. They shall not reclaim this city! For the glory of Neue Belka!” All Belkans roared in response, earning the the allied forces’ attention. Saetos immediately used the GCC’s own widespread frequency before he spoke,         “Alright, griffons and griffoness, fillies and gentlecolts. The real battle starts now. Initiate Phase Two… Now!” After hearing the last three words, both unicorn companies alongside the fliers headed straight for the gates. Fire Crackle was yelling as he and his team galloped straight at the gate with Silber flying above him. Arrow Fall exclaimed the following words to her comm,         “May the sun and moon shine upon us!” Belkan Central Command, Pisa, Griffin Kingdom May 16th, 1945 hrs Kriegstreiber looked at the monitor in silence. He heard that several Belkan patrols encountered small pockets of allied resistance around Pisa, and he brushed them off as a minor threat, but he couldn’t believe that the allied forces were actually trying to take back the city tonight. Around him, several Belkan officers were trying their best to send out more troops on the front line, but so far, it didn’t make any slight difference for the situation.         “Buck!” one Belkan pony cursed as he turned towards the Belkan commander who stood beside the mint unicorn. “Oberstveterinar Orel, sir. The enemy is attacking the east and west gates!”         “Which gates?” Oberstveterinar Orel, a large bronze feathered griffon asked.         “Both of them, sir!” the pony responded. “Oberst Kruger is trying to handle the situation but—“         “It’s not really going his way, is it?” Orel finished with a frown. The pony wasn’t able to respond, causing Orel to walk over and grab the comm right from the pony’s hooves. The griffon changed the frequency into a widespread one before he spoke,         “This is Oberstveterinar Orel to all units, override frontal command Alpha One by Oberst Kruger. Send reinforcements to all defensive sectors and give them all you got. Send in the unicorn battalions to neutralize some of the enemy’s offensive spells.”         “B… but what about Oberst Kruger, sir?” the same Belkan pony asked beside him. Orel glared at the pony beside him.         “Oberst Kruger had failed his duties as a frontal commander of this battle,” he explained grimly. “Send out every available forces we have, including you and every combat ready person in this room.” The pony and some of the other officers gulped when they heard that.         “Us, sir?”         “Yes, since our leader had the most wise decision to send in rookies to defend this city, I have no choice but to use every strength we have left,” Orel responded, causing Kriegstreiber to glare at him in anger. “Also, send in a message to Sudentor and call in one of those mercenary squads. Tell them to come here ASAP.” The whole room was silent after hearing Orel’s words. Everyone could feel the intense anger radiating from Kriegstreiber. Orel’s words were a sign of disapproval of the mint unicorn’s leadership, and the griffon just went out and declared his spite right in front of Kriegstreiber.         “Is that clear, soldier?” Orel asked the pony again.         “Uh…” the pony tried to respond, but Orel’s patience was running thin. The griffon spread his wings, causing the pony to back up in fear.         “I said, is. That. Clear?” The pony nodded immediately before Orel handed him back the microphone. Soon, the officers quickly scrambled out from the room and headed for their respective positions, leaving just four or more officers to watch the monitors. Orel too, was about to leave the room until Kriegstreiber teleported in front of him.         “What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.         “Winning this battle,” Orel answered dully. “Now step aside, sir.”         “You are violating direct orders from me!” Kriegstreiber snapped. “You as a Belkan should have known to consequences for such acts!”         “I’m fully aware of that, but as the main aerial commander of the Belkan Army, I can’t stand your ridiculous orders that would jeopardize this entire operation!” Orel roared. “Let alone, taking those orders from a filthy equine like you.” Orel pushed Kriegstreiber aside and walked pass him. When the bronze griffon opened the doors, he turned his head slightly and spoke,         “You belong in an office, not in a battlefield.” Orel then shut the door behind him, leaving Kriegstreiber inside the room with the remaining officers to keep him company. Slowly, the mint unicorn walked towards the nearest chair and took his glasses off with his magic before letting out a groan.         “Bastard’s right, I’m no leader… just a colt pretending to be one,” he sighed. Suddenly, his comm beeped, and the mint unicorn quickly answered it. It was Hog.         “Sir, Gray’s squad just got an urgent message from Pisa. Did the allied forces—”         “Yes, Hog. Pisa is now under attack from those scums,” Kriegstreiber said in annoyance, “and I just got demoted to second banana by Orel.”         “Ouch,” Hog responded. “Anyway, I just want to inform you that turret number three is now online, as well as the completion of the missile port groves on Valkyrie’s spine.”         “Well that’s good to hear, Hog, but can either of them be used right now?”         “I’m afraid not, sir.” Hog stated. “We still need to get Stonehenge’s barrels cleaned, and Valkyrie’s missiles are still in their testing phase.” Kriegstreiber wanted to bash his head repeatedly after he heard that. His time was running out.         “But the good news is that Gray’s team is now on their way towards Pisa, and I also took the liberty of sending Violet’s and Esser’s squad as well,” Hog explained. “They should be there in about an hour.”         “And what about you and your team?” Kriegstreiber asked boredly. Hog’s response was a chuckle.         “Sorry, sir. We’re busy with Stonehenge at the moment. May our forces prevail in the battle. Oops. Sorry, sir I’ve got to go!” Kriegstreiber was about to respond, but Hog already closed the channel. Realizing that he couldn’t do much since Orel put him down from the top ladder, Kriegstreiber sat on one of the seats and began monitoring the ensuing battle via radar screens.         “You think you’re tough, Orel?” Kriegstreiber muttered to himself. “I’ll show you that I can still play my part in this game.” Eastern Gate 1952 hrs Jet grunted as he threw a Belkan pony away from his path, allowing Arrow Fall and her team to gallop through with minimal resistance. The unicorns of Jade Company managed to get a quick look at the large gate build on the large clay walls that surrounded the griffon city of Pisa. Inside the gate, the assault team could see the dim flickering lights from the buildings and the large ancient towers scattered around the city. The towers were built by ancient griffon settlers during Discord’s age of chaos and Pisa was the former capital of the Griffin Empire until the more secured city of Gryphus was built to take Pisa’s role. The griffons did all they could to preserve these ancient structures so they could keep up with their advance in technology. They even installed large reinforced metal frames around the towers to keep them from crumbling away, and now, the presence of heavy AA guns built above the towers may have endangered the towers’ fragile state. A few Belkan unicorns positioned on top of the large gates and the towers fired their offensive spells at the incoming allied forces, but several of Arrow Fall’s subordinates were quick to react by casting a large magical shield around the team.         “Jade 1 to air units, we encountered heavy magical resistance coming from above,” Arrow Fall spoke to her comm. “Request air support, over.”         “This is Southwind 1, roger that. Moving in to support.” Ronin declared as she and her team flew towards the enemy positions. The Belkans quickly switched their attack towards the incoming griffon squadron, giving Jade company an opening to attack them from below.         “Open fire!” Arrow Fall yelled as her subordinates began launching offensive spells at the enemy. Several Belkans casted magical barriers to protect them from the spells, but the barrier was useless against the griffons’ physical attacks. One by one, the Belkans were quickly eliminated by Ronin’s squad, but due to the latter’s soft spot for ponies, the griffoness ordered her team to perform non-lethal takedowns only. Ronin’s scanner beeped as more Belkan griffons took off from the nearby buildings, ready to assist their equine brothers.         “Southwind to Verde 1, we have a large concentration of griffon fighters coming this way,” Ronin spoke to her comm. “Your squadron handle the ground forces, we’ll take care those fighters.”         “Verde 1 copies, Southwind. Moving in to support the ground forces.” More Belkan forces came pouring in under Orel’s orders to defend the eastern gate, but before they could engage the allied forces, an emergency message was heard from the lead Belkan’s comm.         “Sir, the western gate is under attack—Whoa!” the owner of the voice yelped as an attack nearly hit him. “We need support over here!”         “That’s a negative, Panzer 3-4.” The lead Belkan responded. “We’re currently facing the enemy forces at the eastern ga—“         “Panzer 2-1, send some of your men to the western gate,” came Orel’s voice, interrupting them.         “B… But sir!” Panzer 2-1 stammered.         “That’s an order, Panzer 2-1. Either you comply, or let your comrades die in the western gate.”         “Y… yes sir! I’ll send them over right now,” Panzer 2-1 answered, but before he could send some of his team, he was attacked by Jet from behind. Panzer 2-1 tried to retaliate with some spells, but Jet’s movement was too quick for him. The green feathered griffon delivered a blow to his stomach before he kicked the unicorn away. The rest of the Belkans tried to attack Jet from all directions, but thanks to Jet’s squad backing him up and Southwind squad’s assistance, the enemy forces were quickly dealt with.         “Panzer 2-1, where are those reinforcements?” Orel asked again.         “This is Panzer 2-3, Panzer 2-1 is unable to comply due to heavy attacks from the griffons!” Panzer 2-3 answered. “We can’t send our forces either, there’s too many enemy units over here!”         “This is Panzer 3-4, the same goes with us! We can’t handle them all!” Panzer 3-4 added with a panicked tone. The unicorn’s comm soon got cut off when the unicorns of Newt Company overwhelmed his troops. Jet and Ronin came up with an agreement earlier; Verde squadron will assist Jade Company closer to the ground, while Ronin’s Southwind squadron will take out any griffon fighters coming their way. Jet and his team doubled their pace as more and more Belkan soldiers came pouring out from every corner of the buildings near the gate.         “Southwind 1 to Verde 1, I see a large concentration of hostile forces coming from your right and left,” Ronin warned. “Mixture of earthies and unicorns.”         “Verde 1 here, thanks for the warning, Southwind, I see them now.” Jet responded. “Scunner, take four members with you and deal with the ones coming from the left. The rest can handle the ones from the right.”         “Roger that, Jet. Leave ‘em to us!” Scunner replied eagerly before he, Aqua and three other members broke off from the main formation. Jet flew upwards as the rest of his team engaged the Belkan troops coming from the right, dealing critical blows to both groups to ease his team’s load. The ones engaging the Belkans on the right occasionally needed some assistance or two, but the same couldn’t be said for the ones engaging on the left. Scunner roared as he tore the Belkan troops right down to the middle of their group, scattering them and making them easy pickings for the rest of his group. One earth pony tried to get up, but Aqua grabbed and kicked him in the face, knocking him out before Lanner’s foot stepped over him as he battled against a large unicorn who shot offensive spells at him from multiple directions. Lanner tried his best to avoid the incoming spells, but one shot finally hit him in the right shoulder, knocking him from his feet. The unicorn grinned as he charged another spell that would end the griffon right there, not even noticing a large black shadow approaching him from behind. Before he even knew it, three metal talons grabbed his neck, and another set of talons grabbed his horn. Lanner watched as Ronin struggled against the unicorn, riding him around as the unicorn jumped around madly. After struggling for fifteen seconds, Ronin managed to break the tip of the horn, causing the unicorn to scream like a little filly. Ronin threw the tip away and gave an assuring smile at Lanner before she flew upwards to engage the Belkans, leaving the unicorn to weep over his broken horn. Lanner just stood there confused at the odd sight until another unicorn’s attack snapped him out. Jet also did his part by diving into the center of the Belkan troops and taking out any enemy units within his talons’ reach while Ronin and her squad were multitasking with great timing and well placed attacks. Ronin had separated her squad into two groups: one group led by her wingmate, Butterclaw. who engaged the griffon fighters above with Swallow squadron, while Ronin and three other members assisted Verde squadron on taking out the enemy ground units.         “These ponies really don’t know how to give up, do they?” Ronin asked Jet through her comm after she evaded another magic blast from the ground.         “My team had seen worse in the Equestrian war, ma’am!” Jet responded from his end.         “Really now?” Ronin chuckled in response until her comm and scanner beeped. “Heads up Verde and Jade, there are more ponies inbound to your position.”         “This is Jade, we see them,” Arrow Fall responded. “Verde squadron, think you can thin them out a little?”         “This is Verde 1, we’ll see.” Jet responded. He and his squad were about to engage until Marcus’ voice came in to their comms.         “… patching over to Verde squadron. You’re now online, sir.”         “Thank you,” another voice came in. “This is Royal Guard Leader Tallman to Verde squadron, get out of the way if you want to live.”         “What?” Jet blinked before he and his squadron complied with that order out of reflex. Before they could ask Tallman why he issued that order, they heard a few rounds of bullets being fired at the incoming Belkan forces. The bullets tore apart the ponies galloping on front, sending bits of their vests, coat and flesh all over the place. More Belkan forces behind them stopped and gasped in horror when they saw that and soon, they shared the same fate as their comrades. Both Verde and Southwind squadrons were stunned when they saw what happened. When they turned around, they saw several vehicles pulled by armored griffons with guns mounted on top of them moving towards their location. Above the vehicles, they saw multiple griffons dressed in full battle armor with the leader flying in front of them.         “Is that… the Royal Guards?” Ronin asked in confusion.         “Affirmative, Colonel Mizukami.” Tallman’s voice sounded. “This is the 15th GRG “Mindripper” to Altair Alpha and Beta, reporting for duty.” Then another voice came in.         “This is Major White Tip of the 12th GRG “Distantthunder.” We’re ready to engage the enemy forces at the western gate.”         “Altair Alpha copies all, continue with your duties,” Saetos responded. Without wasting any time, both divisions of the royal guards stormed into the city. Jet saw that Tallman’s juniors were carrying some sort of small-sized firearms that shoot gunpowder and mobile gun turrets that could launch 20 mm rounds. White Tip’s group on the western gate on the other hand used archers as their long range weapon. Silber reported that the majority of the Belkan forces were quickly annihilated thanks to the royal guards’ arrow barrage. Western Gate 2007 hrs         “Geez, you griffons are really putting everything into this invasion, huh?” Crossbow 1, a brown coated pegasus stallion called Silver Quill remarked as he and Blade took down two Belkan griffons.         “This is our city,” Blade responded. “We’ll do anything to win!”         “He’s right,” Marcus’ voice cuts in. “We need to succeed on this operation. If we fail, then we’re going to lose more life on this war.”         “Belka needs to learn their place on the modern era,” Saetos added grimly. “This is not the past anymore, and their ancient ideals are worth dirt to us.” Silver Quill was slightly shocked to hear both operator’s declaration. He used to think that griffons were a fanatical race that were obsessed on preserving their old codes and ideals, but when he heard Saetos’ statement, he and the other equines with similar minds realized that the griffons were already moved on with time, adapting their old ways and cultures into the modern era.         “Newt 1 to Crossbow 1 and Crimson 1. Hey, can you guys hear me?” came the voice of Fire Crackle on both leaders’ comms. Blade responded first,         “This is Crimson 1, what is it, Newt?”         “We got a word that the Belkans are holding some civilians in a small nightclub near 56th Street,” Fire Crackle explained. “We are the nearest unit that can get to them, and Altair Alpha had already given us the green light to help them. Could you guys provide support?” Both griffon and pegasus leaders glanced at each other with Silver Quill nodding in determination. Blade answered with a smirk and nod before he reached his comm and responded,         “Alright, Newt 1. We’ll provide support. Get those civvies out of there.” Blade then turned to face one of his wingmates. “Crimson 2, Rapier. You’re in charge until I get back.” The griffon, Rapier answered with a quick salute before Fire Crackle’s voice was heard again.         “Thanks, Crimson 1. We’re on our way. Newt out.” After finishing his word, Fire Crackle, along with three members of his team, galloped towards the direction of the nightclub. Saetos had informed them that the nightclub “Tower’s Corner” was located near the smallest clay tower on the area, just west of their position. Their path was already blocked by several Belkan ground forces and their aerial support. Fire Crackle immediately shot his offensive spells in the form of explosive fireballs, knocking several Belkans of their hooves. The aerial support which consisted of two griffons and one pegasus moved in to support, but the pegasus was grabbed by Blade from behind and was thrown away before his comrades could help. The griffons tried to attack Blade, but one of them got hit by Silver Quill’s buck, and the remaining Belkan decided to retreat rather than to fight a losing battle.         “The path is clear,” Silver Quill spoke. “You’re cleared to—Agh!” Before he could finish, the brown pegasus was hit by a stunning spell on his wings. Unable to fly, Silver Quill began to drop out of the sky like a rock, but Blade caught him before handing him over to the pegasus’ wingmates. The attackers used this golden opportunity to attack the allied squadrons, but luckily for the latter, one of the royal guards under White Tip’s command managed to disable the attacker with a single arrow strike to the chest. The Belkans tried to fight again, but more arrows rained down upon them, causing the Belkan unicorns to make a hasty retreat. Using this opportunity, Fire Crackle, along with Blade and a few of Silver Quill’s wingmates, made their way to the nightclub. Once they arrived, Fire Crackle ordered two unicorns to sneak to the back while he and one member waited on the front. The gray unicorn took a brief glance and saw that there were indeed civilians inside the nightclub; most of them were young griffons, and they were covered in hoof and claw marks. What was worse, he could hear the anguished screams and moans of griffonesses from the back of the club, and the two ponies Fire Crackle sent to the back confirmed the worst case scenario; the griffonesses were being raped. Fire Crackle hissed quietly at the sight before signaling two of his men to wait for the signal to start the chaos inside. Then, he turned towards the fighters hovering above him.         “They got the civvies wrapped up pretty good. They got the all the boys beat up, and they’re banging the girls out back,” Fire Crackle explained in disgust. Blade and the two Crossbow members’ expressions soon changed when they heard that. “Once the signal’s out, give those bastards hell.” Blade only nodded and cracked his knuckles in response while the two pegasi clopped their hooves once, obviously ready to pound the Belkans. Fire Crackle smirked and signaled his two subordinates the signal. Soon, all hell broke loose from the back of the nightclub. The young griffons who were held hostage by the Belkans decided to aid the allied forces and forced the Belkans out from the club with every last drop of strength they still had.         “Belkan scum! Get the hell out!” one of them exclaimed as he punched a Belkan pony into the window: shattering it. The rest of the Belkans ran out only to meet their fate at the hands of Fire Crackle, Blade and the Crossbow members.         “Could you guys get any lower!?” Blade roared as he flew upwards with a Belkan griffon in his claws. Once he was high enough, Blade twisted the griffon’s wings out of their sockets before he continued. “In the Griffin Kingdom, there’s only one punishment for such acts.” Blade then let go of the Belkan, sending the terrified griffon screaming down to the streets. Blade watched in anger as the all familiar sound of crushed bones was heard when the Belkan hit the ground head first. The rest of the Belkans were quickly wiped out by the combined forces of the civilians and the allied forces. Once the nightclub was secured, Fire Crackle, along with Blade, escorted the civilians out on the streets and contacted the GRG to secure them, though the ones who were raped had to be carried out.         “It’s okay, you’re safe now,” Blade spoke to calm a crying griffoness.         “N… no, I’m not… “ the griffoness mumbled between sobs. Blade could only sigh while Fire Crackle asked for a SITREP to his subordinates,         “All of the civvies are secured, sir. All of them were beaten up pretty bad though,” one member explained. “But, I got some bad news.”         “What is it?” the gray unicorn asked.         “We found six dead bodies in the back,” the member spoke somberly. “Griffons: two males, four females. Probably executed on spot.”         “Alright, I’ll report this to Altair,” the gray unicorn responded. “When the Royal Guards arrived, we’re continuing with our mission. Newt 1 out.” Fire Crackle groaned after he closed the comm. Altair won’t be happy about more civilian casualties. Eastern Gate 2019 hrs         “They did what!?” Marcus yelled through the comm as Fire Crackle did his best to explain the SITREP about the hostages.         “I don’t need to repeat myself, sir,” Fire Crackle’s weak voice responded. “I feel disgusted just by mentioning it.”         “Alright, alright. I understand.” Saetos answered after calming Marcus down. “Just get them out of there.” Saetos then turned to his widespread frequency as Fire Crackle closed his channel.         “Altair Alpha to all units, be on the lookout for civilians on every corner of the city. If you see the Belkans holding them down, try all you can to help them.” All the leaders immediately complied to that order. From the western side, Rod from Northwind Squadron had reported that the Belkans held more civilians inside the ancient arena. In response, White Tip sent a few of her underlings along with Crimson and Northwind squadrons to help liberate the civilians from the Belkans’ grip. In the east, Ronin and Jet reported that the encountered more and more civilians hiding inside the buildings with most of them being guarded by one or two Belkan soldiers. What’s worse, a few of the civilians were forced to fight by the Belkans under false reassurance that their family/loved ones would not get hurt. Sooner than they expected, both forces reported that they found many dead griffons of varying ages scattered on every corner of the city. The minority of the females’ bodies showed bruises and claw marks around their private areas, while the most of the male ones were almost unrecognizable due to being beaten to death. Despite this, most of the bodies didn’t even have a single wound on their bodies, leading to one conclusion: spells or black magic were used by unicorns to kill these civilians. These despicable acts by the Belkans only stirred the already overwhelming rage that burned within the griffon and EAF soldiers. Their determination to free the remaining innocent lives ultimately made them stronger and perfectly willing to fight until their last breath. The Belkans, however, were growing desperate with each step the allied forces had taken towards the center of the city. Some of the soldiers fighting on the front line decided to just give up and leave the area immediately, much to Orel’s protest.         “Damn it!” one Belkan pony cursed after he saw another brigade get annihilated by the allied forces. “Why can’t that blockhead of a commander see that this is a hopeless battle!?”         “Watch your mouth!” a Belkan griffon snapped at him. “He’s still our commander, show some respect!”         “I can respect him if he issued a retreat right now! We’re losing!” the pony snapped. As if he’s prayers have been answered, Kriegstreiber’s voice came in.         “Then so be it,” the mint unicorn’s voice sounded on all channels. “This is the Neue Belka leader to all remaining Belkan forces. Retreat to the south if you want to fight for Belka in another day.”         “This is Oberstveterinar Orel to Kriegstreiber. Ghunter, what the hell are you doing!?”         “Saving my troops, Orel,” Kriegstreiber responded calmly. “Your current orders are now being overridden due to inadequacies of the remaining forces, and the result will be suicidal if we continued fighting.”         “But this city is our territory now!” Orel snapped. “We have the right to defend it at all cost!”         “And wiping out our remaining forces? Sorry, not an option.” Kriegstreiber responded. “To all Belkan forces, you will not be following Orel’s orders anymore. Head south if you want to survive, Kriegstreiber out.” Orel tried his best to reconnect the frequency, but it was too late, Kriegstreiber had already cut off all remaining channels that were connected to him, effectively cutting Orel off from the main communications line. Orel’s anger nearly burst out from his head, but the griffon soon calmed down when he saw some of the Belkan griffons chose not to abandon him and continue on with the battle. Unknown to him and Kriegstreiber, their little chat had sealed their fate on this night.