//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: Game Over // Story: Ace Combat: Gryphon Wings // by Bwaak //------------------------------// Chapter 11: Game Over Northern Wall, Pisa, Griffin Kingdom May 16th 2020, 2034 hrs Riddle listened carefully to a pair of headphones connected to a communication hacking device, with the rest of Aquila squadron, Bertz and Quox’s companies waiting patiently around him. Black Star sat beside him, waiting for his order to type in a few commands on the device’s computer. The blue griffon’s smirk grew when he heard Kriegstreiber and Orel’s banter over the radio.         “There you are,” Riddle quietly mumbled before he turned to Black Star. “Go for it, Blake.” Black Star nodded and immediately started typing a few commands into the computer. The monitor soon started processing the commands. Things were quiet outside the northern wall; almost no Belkan soldiers were positioned at this section of the city, providing the third strike team a sense of relief and safety on this entire operation. Despite this fact, some of them were severely disgusted by Fire Crackle’s and the others’ reports on the civilian hostages within the city. Kestrel still had her scowl present after hearing the reports.         “Damn Belkans, could they get any lower than that?” she growled. Riddle quickly cleared his throat and answered,         “Oi, I’m still a Belkan, captain Turmfalken.” Kestrel immediately blushed in embarrassment and apologized to the blue griffon, causing Black Star to chuckle quietly. Then, the computer beeped as it finished processing the inputted commands. Black Star quickly typed in a few more commands and displayed the results on the screen.         “Alright, we finally got Kriegstreiber’s location,” the black feathered griffon began as he showed the results to the rest of the team. “His last transmission was traced back to this place:Torre Della Liberta.”         “Torre Della Liberta? The tower of freedom?” Kestrel cut in, her anger boiling. “Did they turn the city’s landmark into their base of operations?” “I’m afraid so,” Riddle spoke grimly. “That’s why need to drive them out from here, and judging by our friend’s chat with Orel, they already did.” Riddle stood up along with Black Star as both of them took to the skies, motioning Kestrel and Kite to follow. Riddle looked below and spoke to both ponies,         “Bertz, get your team ready. Quox, can you and your team teleport us to the vicinity of Torre Della Liberta?”         “I visited Torre Della Liberta during my fillyhood, sir,” Quox boasted. “I think I can take you guys to the obelisk located near it.” “Then you better start cooking that spell, Sparkles. We need to move in before that snake slips away,” Bertz spoke, causing Quox to glare daggers at him. “Bertz, remind me to kick your flank to Tartarus once we get back,” Quox growled at the dark yellow earth pony. “I told you to never ever call me by that name!” “Sparkles?” Kite asked thoughtfully as the small griffon descended before hovering above the blue mare. Quox’s response was a blush of embarrassment. “It’s nothing! Come on, get back to your position, we’ll have that spell ready in a minute!” Kite didn’t even know how to react after hearing Quox’s minor outburst, so he turned to Black Star in hope he would have the answer to his predicament. However, Black Star just stayed silent and told Kite to let it slide via hand gestures. Kite responded with an “okay” shrug when Quox stated that the teleportation spell will be ready in 20 seconds. Three teams prepared themselves as the countdown reached zero before they were engulfed by the same teleportation sphere and vanished with a blinding light. Vicinity of “Torre Della Liberta”, Pisa, Griffin Kingdom 2040 hrs The three teams soon appeared within the complex of Torre Della Liberta. Some of Bertz’s team members whistled in awe when they saw the “tower of freedom” itself. It was a large clay tower reinforced with steel frames with decorative sculptures covering the side of the tower. Kestrel and Bertz quietly scolded them for not focusing on the mission’s objective while Riddle decided to contact Marcus to inform him about the current situation report.         “I see, then happy hunting, sir. I’ll keep you notified of the other SITREPs. Altair Beta out.” Riddle then closed the comm and turned towards the team,         “Alright, we’re on our own for now. Let’s move!” Following those words, the team quickly headed for the large tower located at the center of the complex. The area was huge, and it housed several ancient monuments, including the obelisk, statues and structures from the old founding days of the Griffin Empire. What was odd though was that there were almost no Belkan soldiers patrolling the vicinity, save for several Belkan fighters passing overhead, but they were more focused on the battle than on the two gates.         “Heh, they didn’t notice us at all,” Kite spoke with a grin. “Capturing that unicorn will be a breeze!”         “Don’t get too cocky, lad,” Riddle said quietly. Black Star felt an uncertainty in his tone. “There should be one or two soldiers trying to stop us right now. I have a bad feeling about this…”         “And for a good reason, Sir Wonderfalke!” a voice responded. Riddle turned upwards and saw the bronze form of Orel descending from the dark skies. Behind him were several pegasi wearing familiar grey vests with a wasp emblem covering their cutie marks. Quox nearly yelped when another pegasus landed near her; Riddle immediately recognized him from his brown mane and eyes and deep blue coat. GRAU (Wasp) Murtair Militia 1st Air Force, 1st Pegasus Squadron         “Gray, leader of Grau squadron and Murtair Militia…” Riddle said slowly. Gray responded with a smirk. “What brings you here, I wonder?”         “Cut the crappy jokes, Wonderfalke,” Gray answered. “We’re here to stop you and bring you to custody for treason against Neue Belka.”         “Since when did you care about all that stuff, Thundercracker?” Riddle snapped back with a smirk, Gray’s smirk soon dropped when he heard that last word. “I thought ever since Princess Celestia banished your family along with that maniac who conducted illegal experimentations, you stopped caring for any of that stuff about nations, countries…”         “How did you know?” Gray hissed at the blue griffon. Riddle just laughed in response.         “Grau 1, don’t listen to him,” Orel warned. “He’s playing with your mind!” Gray, however, was too enraged to heed Orel’s words. His identity, along with his bloodline, had been exposed, and he was not going to let Riddle walk away with that information or worse, telling the solar princess all about it.         “You will take those secrets to your grave!” Gray yelled as he flew towards the blue griffon at high speed. Black Star was quick to react by grabbing Gray’s forelimbs and spinning him out from his course. Gray quickly recovered from his spin and hovered above them, his brown eyes met with Black Star’s golden eyes.         “Black Star the Ghost huh?” he began. “It’s a pleasure meeting you in person.”         “Can’t say the same for you,” Black Star responded before he ascended into the dark skies to meet his opponent. Both fliers stared at each other for a moment before Gray made the first move. Black Star evaded Gray’s attack, and soon, both of them were locked in battle. Gray’s wingmates immediately dash towards the rest of Aquila squadron, but Quox’s Avion Company already shot some offensive spells at them. Both Kestrel and Kite soon joined the fight and engaged the Grau members. Quox turned to Bertz, and his team and ordered,         “Bertz, it’s up to you and your team now! Go inside the tower and capture that warmonger!” Bertz merely responded with a single nod before he and his team galloped towards Torre Della Liberta. Orel tried to stop them, but his path was blocked by Riddle.         “You dare stand in my way, Wonderfalke,” the bronze griffon spat. “And to think that you used to be my friend.”         “I’m still your friend, Braunfalke,” Riddle replied. “It was you who still blindingly holds to Belka’s extinct ways and principles. Time has changed, Braunfalke. Can’t you see that this whole reclaiming Belka’s honor through war is just a bunch of bull!?”         “Time has indeed changed, Wonderfalke,” Orel growled. “But for Belka, it will always remain the same! Belka will rise again, and anyone who opposes it will die!” After finishing those words, Orel squawked and tackled Riddle onto the ground. Riddle managed to push Orel off him by kicking the bronze griffon upwards, giving him time to roll to the side. Riddle stood up and watched as Orel squawked again and dove towards him.         “Traitorous scum!!” Orel hollered as he inched closer towards his target. Riddle merely jumped out of the way and flew into the sky. “Get back here, Wonderfalke!”         “Not an option for me,” Riddle responded calmly. Orel took to the skies and flew towards the blue griffon with all of his talons outstretched. Riddle calmly put both of his forelimbs up into a defensive pose before he folded his wings at the last minute, causing Orel to overshoot him. Riddle used this time to grab Orel’s legs and threw him down onto the ground.         “Your fighting is weak, Braunfalke,” Riddle commented. “Being old sucks doesn’t it?”         “Shut your mouth!” Orel snapped back before spreading his wings and taking flight. Orel drew the first slash, but Riddle avoided it. He then retaliated with another claw swipe directed straight at Orel’s left eye. The bronze griffon saw through and flew back to avoid it. When Orel was about to attack again, he was interrupted by Gray, who was thrown back by Black Star’s punch. 2046 hrs Bertz and his team galloped inside the Torre Della Liberta with minimal resistance. They only encountered a few guards and patrols, but quickly dealt with them with ease.         “Looks like all the top-ranking officers already left for battle,” Bertz thought. “This should be easy.” His team moved on through the empty halls until they stopped at a branch. One way was marked “Weapons Loading Bay” and the other “Main Control Room.” Bertz already knew which way his team should pick, but he was also curious about what kind of weapons the Belkans could possibly store in the loading bay.         “Thunder 6 to 10, you guys check the Weapons Loading Bay,” the brown earth pony ordered. “Me and Thunder 2 to 5 will capture that bastard. If any of us don’t report in within 10 minutes, call for reinforcements.”         “Yes, sir!” the Thunder members spoke in unison before going to their separate ways. Bertz and his group made their way quietly to avoid detection. Avoiding the patrols were easier than taking them out, since most of the officers stationed here were inexperienced rookies who only handled the communication lines. The first group finally reached the main control room. The group was about to move in until the door opened, causing the group to hide around the corner. To their relief, two pony officers came out from the room and went to the opposite direction. Bertz managed to catch their conversation briefly.         “…I think we should ditch this city right now rather than to stay and fight.”         “Good idea, but you heard the commander’s orders. We need to stay here—”         “And what? Get clawed to death by those griffons? Not a chance, I still got a sister in Neue Gryphus awaiting my return…”         “I suppose…” Once both of them were out of sight, Bertz and his team moved in front of the door and took a peek. Inside the control room, there were only two ponies working in front of monitors, and one of them had the unmistakable mint coat.         “It’s him!” Bertz whispered. “Thunder 3, send the notice to the others.”         “Roger,” Thunder 3 whispered in response before he turned his comm and opened the channels reserved for Altair, Aquila and Avion. Meanwhile… 2046 hrs Gray shook the pain off and flew back to confront the black feathered griffon again. Black Star remained silent, his eyes focused on his approaching opponent.         “I’ll give you credit, Ghost,” Gray spoke as he wiped a trickle of blood coming out from his nose. “You’re the first griffon ever to hit me on the face.” Black Star kept his beak shut as he flew towards Gray to attack him. Gray flew to the side, but Black Star spun his body around and used the momentum gained on his wings to slap the pegasus. Gray managed to bring both of his hooves up just in time to block the attack, only to find Black Star’s claws already closing in on his face. Gray dodged the attack in time and did a summersault to attack the dark-feathered griffon from below. Black Star immediately flew upwards to avoid Gray’s attack, prompting the blue pegasus to chase him from behind. Both combatants flew around in the night sky, and Gray found that it was very difficult to chase an opponent who blends well with the darkness. Before he even knew it, Black Star was gone from his sights. Gray stopped and hovered in midair; he didn’t even realize that the pursuit had took him higher above the city. He could see several tracers and magical spells being shot in every corner of the city. Looks like the Belkans weren’t giving up this city just yet. Then, as if like he appeared out of thin air. Black Star delivered a double kick straight at Gray’s left ribcage.         “ARGH!!” the dark blue pegasus screamed as he felt several of his ribs breaking off from their place. Soon enough, his breathing quickens; his chest was obviously in no shape to help him breathe in high altitudes. Gray quickly descended, but Black Star was relentless. The dark griffon appeared once again and delivered a vicious claw swipe at Gray’s stomach: ripping his coat and skin. Gray growled as he tried to endure the pain and continue with his descent.         “Crap, I’m really in the disadvantage here…” he thought with a scowl. “It’s true what they said during the Equestrian war. He really moves like a ghost!” As if he was being called in, Black Star reappeared again from the darkness; this time he was aiming his strike at Gray’s spine, intending to end this fight once and for all. Gray, however, was ready for him and spun his body to create momentum in his right hoof. The hoof spun right into Black Star’s face, successfully hitting the dark griffon and sent him spinning. Black Star quickly recovered from his spin and faced Gray again, only to find that the blue pegasus had already lunged at him. Black Star wasted no time bringing his talons to the front and grabbed both of Gray’s hoof, but the energy Gray had collected during his sudden strike at Black Star threw both combatants off, and soon, both of them were spinning to the ground. Both fighters tried to regain altitude, but the spin rendered their wings useless at the moment. Black Star and Gray glared at each other as they slowly neared the ground. Gray was the one who broke the silence first.         “If you don’t let go, then we both die!” Black Star kept staring at his opponent with his gold-colored eyes, seemingly unmoved by the pegasus’ statement.         “Did you really want to die!? Let me go!” Gray repeated. Black Star kept his silence.         “You suicidal bastard! LET ME GO!!” Gray yelled, getting desperate to free himself from Black Star’s grip. The dark griffon quickly snapped out from his trance and let the blue pegasus go by kicking him. Gray wasn’t able to stable his flight in time; he crashed side first near the obelisk. Black Star managed to regain his bearings and tried to slow down, but he too crashed near Gray’s location. Black Star groaned as he rolled his body upwards. His comm crackled to life as an incoming transmission from Thunder came in.         “Thunder 3 to… *static*… we have Kriegstrei—*static* … location… we—*static*—moving in… *static* ” Black Star winced as the static noise grew louder until the comm sorted out, damaged from the blow of the crash. He checked his scanner; its screen was cracked because of the crash, but it remained on long enough to give Black Star some information on the approaching Grau squadron and Thunder Battalion’s position.         “Damn…” Black Star sighed before he heard someone coughing from farther away. Gray coughed as he tried to stand up, only to fall back after finding that he sprained his left hindlimb and broke both his right hoof and wing. His right side also had deep scratch marks that exposed his light skin. Black Star’s injuries were not as severe like Gray’s, but it was enough to put him out from the action for tonight.         “Clever… ugh… Ghost…!” Gray squeaked before several of his wingmates flew in to carry him away from the battle. “This is not over, Ghost. You may have won this round, but next time… you won’t be so lucky.” Black Star’s response was a scowl as he watched Gray and his team left the ground and ascended into the night. The dark feathered griffon was about to lie back down until Kestrel came into his view, enraged and wanting to end the battle right now.         “Hey, come back here!” Kestrel yelled as she flared her wings to prepare for pursuit. However, Black Star stopped her by saying,         “No, the battle’s done for tonight,” Kestrel wasn’t so sure about his words.         “Maybe for you, but I still got enough juice left to pursue them!”         “Just let it slide, Marie,” Black Star responded weakly, earning a glare from the pastel griffoness. “There’s no use for pursuing an already defeated opponent… we have won this battle.“ Kestrel kept her green eyes locked at the dark griffon as she approached him. She turned towards the fleeing enemy forces before her, sighing in defeat as she opened her field aid kit. “Nice choice of words coming from a traitor like you,” Kestrel spoke while she motioned Black Star to sit. Black Star remained silent as she inspected his wounds. She then continued with a darker tone. “You may have fooled everyone here to think that you had reformed for the better, but not me, Black Star. It’s useless to fight your fate. No matter how hard you try, you will always be the griffon who started the coup that threw our kingdom into chaos.” Once she was done patching up Black Star’s wounds, Kestrel stood up and gave the dark griffon a final glare as she spoke,         “Oh, one last thing. Don’t you ever call me by my first name again.”         “Duly noted,” Black Star responded with his monotone voice, earning Kestrel’s glare again. Meanwhile, Kite who was too busy staring at the retreating Grau members, remembered that Kriegstreiber was still at large, and he decided to aid the Thunder Battalion to capture the mint unicorn. The metallic blue griffon opened his comm and contacted Riddle, but the small griffon realized that Riddle was in no condition to answer his calls right now. Changing his mind, Kite decided to contact Kestrel and told her that he wanted to join Thunder’s effort to capture Kriegstreiber.         “Alright, Kite. You have already proven yourself capable in Schmierfett Canyon with Aggrypa,” Kestrel responded. “Good luck, and happy hunting.”         “Thank you, ma’am,” Kite replied eagerly before he sped off into Torre Della Liberta, just in time when Thunder made their move by storming the main control room. The chaos was heard through their comms.         “Move! Go, go go!”         “What in the… !”         “Kriegstreiber, you are hereby under arrest for treason against the Griffin Kingdom! Come silently, and we will not use force.”         “Like hay I would!”         “He’s teleporting away! Stop him!” The hunt begins now. 2058 hrs         “Altair Alpha, this is Thunder 1. We’re currently pursuing Kriegstreiber on Torre Della Liberta,” Bertz stated to his comm while he and his team galloped through the empty halls. “He’s got enough magic left to teleport out of the room, requesting assistance, over.”         “Roger that, Thunder 1. I’ll hand you over to Altair Beta’s assistance, since he’s in charge of our magic detecting radars,” Saetos responded. “He’ll be with you shortly. Alpha out.”         “Altair Beta to Thunder 1, come in Thunder 1.” came Marcus’ voice through Bertz’s comm.         “Thunder 1 here, read you loud and clear. Go ahead,” Bertz answered.         “Thunder 1, I got small magical reading on the tower’s west side. It could be him.”         “West side? That’s the weapons loading bay!” Bertz said in realization. “Thunder 2, contact our second group. We’ll trap that rat there!” Thunder 2 nodded before he contacted Thunder 6 to inform them about the situation. However, Thunder 6 stated that his group were already in pursuit of Kriegstreiber when the unicorn accidentally teleported behind them. Right now, the chase had brought them out of the Torre Della Liberta and into the backyard.         “This is Thunder 6 to Thunder 1, the target is currently on his way back to the city,” Thunder 6 reported.         “Roger that Thunder 6,” Bertz answered. “I already relayed the information to Quox’s team so they can help us on this chase. We’re gonna find a tight turn so we can trap him. Don’t lose sight of him.”         “Thunder 6, roger that.” Kriegstreiber kept his pace by galloping as fast as he could, occasionally teleporting into a different path when some of Bertz’s ponies got too close. The mint unicorn decided that it will be a wise move to find some decent aerial support.         “Gray, you hear me!? I’m being chased by those scum. Requesting air support!”         “Roger that, sir. I can send my team to help your escape,” Gray responded from the other end. “Just head south and go outside the walls.”         “Hmph, easier said than done—GAH!” Kriegstreiber nearly tripped when one of Quox’s team members teleported near him. When he regained his focus on his front, he saw two Avion members already galloping towards him. Kriegstreiber instantly charged up his horn for another teleportation spell, moving him to a safe distance from Avion’s grasp.         “This is Avion 2 Warlock to Avion 1 Quox. The target teleported again!”         “Horseapples!” Quox cursed before she changed the frequency. “Avion 1 to Altair Beta, we lost sight of him again. Need assistance ASAP.”         “Roger Avion 1, stand by,” Marcus responded. “Got him, he’s at the top of the wall and moving fast. I’m detecting several mercenaries escorting him from above.”         “Roger that, Altair Beta, we can see him now!” Quox changed her frequency again. “Aquila, we need you to clear the skies for us!”         “This is Aquila 1, negative. Cannot comply at this time,” Riddle responded shortly, obviously still tangled in his battle against Orel. “Aquila 2, what’s your status?”         “This is Aquila 2, cannot comply either. I busted my wing during the battle against that mercenary leader,” Black Star stated bluntly. Quox’s patience ran thin with each denied call, but her call was soon answered.         “This is Aquila 3, I’m heading over to your location right now.” Kestrel stated. “Aquila 4 is already en-route to your position, and he should be able to help you.”         “Roger that Aquila 3, I see that little griffon right now,” Quox said with a smile. Kite had indeed arrived just in time. “Thanks for the info, out.” Quox kept on galloping while she called Kite to help them distract the mercenaries so she and her team could teleport to Kriegstreiber’s location. The small griffon soldier responded with a salute before he flew towards the wall. Having not participated in any engagement aside from keeping Gray’s wingmates busy, Kite let loose all of his energy in an instant burst of speed, taking one of the mercenaries by surprise.         “What was that!?” one merc blurted out after he saw his comrade fall and tumbled on the side of the wall. Another member who had engaged with Aquila earlier on immediately recognized the blue blur.         “It’s him, one of Aquila’s members!“ his friend stated. “All Grau units, keep your eyes open for that blue blur. He’s a fast one.” Before any of them could react, Kite made his move again by tackling another Grau member. The metallic blue griffon slashed the pegasus on his chest, but the pegasus retaliated with a punch to his shoulder. Kite winced at the pain before his scanner showed that two more contacts were approaching him. Kite avoided another attack and kicked the pegasus as hard as he could before disengaging from the battle before he became surrounded.         “All units, concentrate your attacks on that griffon!” one pegasus roared as he and his teammates prepare to pursue the small griffon. Kite sighed as he turned around and hovered to face the mercs. Two mercs flew towards him and lifted their hooves to strike the small metallic blue griffon. Kite simply responded by folding his wings mid-flight and let gravity do all the work. The mercs were caught by surprise when they overshot the small griffon and watched him fall down before he spread his wings again and headed towards Kriegstreiber’s location. Both pegasi immediately followed suit and flew as fast as their wings could allow. Kite kept his course locked, but he decided that it would be better to keep his flight path random so the enemy couldn’t predict where he was going. The plan worked although it costed him more of his stamina, but it’s a risk that he could take. The mercs tried their best to keep up with the small griffon’s movements, but they only ended up wearing themselves down. Despite this, one merc noticed that Kite’s flight pattern began to grow more and more predictable with every flap and turn he made. Smiling at the prospect that the griffon was also exhausted, the merc used every last drop of his energy to make a dash towards the weary griffon. His grin grew as he closed in inch by inch towards Kite, completely oblivious of Kestrel’s form flying above him. When he finally noticed the griffoness’s presence, he noticed it too late. The only thing he could do was to watch as Kestrel’s talons inched closer and closer to his eyes. The pegasus shrieked as the talons pierced his eyeballs; the pain was doubled when Kestrel pulled her talons back, ripping the eyeballs out from their sockets. Kestrel grunted as she kicked the pegasus hard on his back, breaking it and eliminating any chance of survival.         “Good night,” Kestrel muttered grimly as she watched the pegasus fall before his body impacted the ground with a sickening splat. One of his comrades went ballistic at the pastel brown griffoness, exclaiming that he will avenge his comrade’s death.         “Hmph, cute,” Kestrel commented as she dodged the merc’s attack. The merc grew more and more ballistic as Kestrel continued to evade his attacks. The merc finally slipped up, allowing Kestrel to grab his hoof and use it to hit his face, dazing him and leaving him open for an attack. Kestrel grabbed the merc’s head and without hesitation, twisted it backwards. Her green eyes watched as the lifeless body of the merc left her grasp and fell towards the ground before they shifted towards the ongoing pursuit taking place on top of the wall. Kite kept his distance from Kriegstreiber’s tail, but he kept his eyes locked on him, occasionally reporting to both Quox and Bertz about the mint unicorn’s moves. As of now, Kite reported that Kriegstreiber was trying to teleport again, but for some reason he was unable to do so, giving Quox’s Avion team a chance to move in. Kriegstreiber kept trying to perform a teleportation spell, but his horn refused to work; it only gave out small sparks of magic, indicating that his supply of magic had already been depleted. What was worse, he noticed that the unicorn team lead by Quox began closing in at his position.         “Oh hay no!” Kriegstreiber cursed before he reached to his comm. “Kriegstreiber to Grau squadron. Hello!? I’m in trouble here!!”         “This is Grau 6, what’s your current position, sir?”         “On top of the wall! I’ve got two of these allied bozos closing in from the top and side, and I can’t teleport to safety!” Kriegstreiber yelled between pants. “Do something!”         “Roger that, stand by.” Grau 6 responded coolly before signing off, much to the mint unicorn’s displeasure.         “Stand by!? Hey are you listening!? HEY!? GAH, Celestia-damned pirates!” Kite noticed the mint unicorn’s tantrum and decided that it would be best to end the chase right here and now. The small griffon reached his comm and announced that he was moving in to secure the target in which Quox and Bertz acknowledged. In turn, Quox relayed the info to Marcus.         “Roger that, Avion 1. Report back when you have the target on custody… Wait, hold on.” Marcus suddenly paused before continuing. “Ursa Major 4, please explain your sudden change of course.” There was no response from Ursa Major 4’s end. Instead, Rot’s booming voice came in from his end.         “Ursa Major 4, cease your attack immediately! That is not the enemy!”         “I’m sorry, but Ursa Major 4 won’t be answering to your calls anymore…” the sinister voice of Grau 6 responded from Ursa Major 4’s comm. Before Marcus could respond to Grau 6’s statement, Kite’s scanner showed Ursa Major 4’s I.D. approaching in high speed from above. The metallic blue griffon turned and saw the unconscious form of Ursa Major 4 being strapped to a bomb with a pegasus carrying both the griffon and the bomb. Kite noticed that Grau 6 wasn’t slowing down; his mind quickly led to a conclusion.         “Kamikaze attack!” Kite hollered. “Abort the capture for now! Abort! Abort!” Kite quickly broke off from his course along with Quox and her team, who galloped away from the wall, just in time when Grau 6 and his ticking time bomb flew past the small griffon. Kriegstreiber, who had been listening to their comms, wasn’t prepared when he finally noticed the bomb closing behind him.         “What the…!!?” The bomb, Grau 6 and Ursa Major 4 exploded when they hit the top of the wall, throwing the mint unicorn into the air. Out of instincts and the adrenaline being pumped into his system, Kriegstreiber somehow mustered enough magical energy to teleport out from his fall and into the streets of downtown Pisa, along with several chunks of the wall. Slowly but surely, Kriegstreiber stood up after the debris landed around him. As he was about to gallop again, he growled when a sharp pain shot up from his right hindlimb.         “Damn it, I must have landed harder than I thought,” he thought before he tried to limp his way through the empty streets.         “I just lost contact with Ursa Major 4,” Marcus announced. “Aquila, what the hell is going on down there?”          “This is Aquila 4, one of the mercs used Ursa Major 4’s bomb for a kamikaze attack,” Kite stated. “Ursa Major 4 along with the merc were obliterated along with a good chunk of the northern wall!”         “This is Quox to Altair Alpha, one of my team members got caught under the rubble,” Quox yelled. “Requesting rescue, stat!”         “Roger that, Avion 1, the medical corps is on their way right now.” Saetos answered.         “Aquila 3 to 4, what’s the status on Kriegstreiber?” Kestrel asked as she made her way to Kite’s position. The other mercs had to retreat under Gray’s orders.         “Unknown, ma’am. The bastard teleported out before I could see his position,” Kite responded. “Altair Beta, please relay the updated position of the target to Avion and Thunder.”         “Roger Aquila 4, stand by,” Marcus responded as he opened two channels reserved for Quox and Bertz. “Altair Beta to Avion 1 and Thunder 1, I’m updating the target’s location into your scanners. He’s making his way south through downtown Pisa and he’s currently passing the Venicese district.”         “Roger that Altair Beta,” Quox responded. “Bertz, get your team over here. It’s going to take all of us to hunt that bastard down inside the city.”         “Wilco, Quox. We’re on our way.” Bertz replied as he and his men galloped towards Quox’s location. After a full minute, the ground forces rendezvoused with each other, allowing Quox to teleport all of them to their designated site. Kite and Kestrel immediately headed towards downtown Pisa when their scanners were updated with Kriegstreiber’s location.         “Damn, I haven’t been here in years,” Kestrel muttered as she and Kite flew above Pisa’s tall buildings. Kite however was more focused in finding Kriegstreiber and kept his eyes locked on the scanner, but something else on the scanner also caught his attention.         “Ma’am, hostile pegasus squadron inbound!”         “Another one?” Kestrel responded. Suddenly, her comm crackled to life before an all too familiar voice was heard.         “Did you miss me birdy?”         “You!” Before the two griffons could react, five pegasi wearing purple vests passed them on the right side. Kestrel could swear she saw Violet winking at her when her squad made the pass. LILA (Lily) Murtair Militia 1st Air Force, 2nd Pegasus Squadron         “Aquila 3 to Altair Beta, we had another hostile squadron!” Kestrel exclaimed. “Requesting reinforcements ASAP!”         “Roger Aquila 3, stand by,” Marcus responded before he relayed the information to Saetos in hopes of there being a squadron that could help Aquila.         “Altair Alpha to Aquila 3, I’ll have Southwind 1 from Southwind Squadron over to help you now,” Saetos answered.         “Roger Altair, thank you.” Kestrel responded before she turned towards Violet again.         “Now why in the world would you call for reinforcements, birdy?” Violet spoke in a mock dejected voice. “It’ll ruin the fun you and I are going to have.”         “Then let’s dance, mercenary,” Kestrel replied while forming a battle stance. “You and me, right now.”         “Ooh! That’s the spirit!” Violet said in excitement before she lunged directly at the pastel griffoness. Soon both combatants were locked in battle. Violet’s wingmares, however, found themselves without a leader and without an order to engage.         “Great, I’m bored now,” one of them groaned. “Our leader is having a great time, but she forgot about us!”         “Then let’s search for a suitable prey!” one of them suggested. She then checked her scanner and found Kite’s signature heading towards Kriegstreiber’s location. “Ha! There’s one right now!”         “Then what are we waiting for!” The four bloodthirsty mares then proceed to head towards Kite’s location, hoping that the small griffon soldier could satisfy their bloodlust. Kite, on the other hand, noticed the four hostile contacts heading towards him. He took immediate action by diving towards the ground before leveling off at 20 feet. Kite studied his surroundings and decided to use the buildings as his own advantage.         “They’re fast, but let’s see if they can catch me through this!” Kite thought in determination as he zipper past the buildings in high speed. However, his fatigue began to take it’s toll, restricting him from using his full speed. The Lila squadron members detected his rapid movement and decided to play along with Lila 2, saying that whoever can catch him first gets the biggest pay and a chance to “play” with his corpse. Driven by this, two Lila members lowered their altitudes while two of them flew above the building line. Still, none of the Lila members noticed Quox’s Avion Company teleporting near Kriegstreiber’s location and a dark shadow flying above them. Kite panted as he passed another building. He really wanted to stop flying for a bit to catch his breath, but Lila Squad’s presence prevented him from doing so. So he kept going, no matter how much his body ached and begged him to stop.         “If I stop now…*pant*…  I’m dead,” Kite muttered to himself.         “In the next couple of minutes, you are,” said a female voice. Kite looked to his side and saw one of the Lila members saluting at him. “Hello little one, shall we play a game?”         “I’m on duty right now, ma’am. So nope!” Kite responded as he rounded another building before letting out a burst of speed. The Lila member just giggled in excitement and resumed her pursuit.         “He fell for it,” she chuckled. “Get ready to catch the bird, Lila 3.”         “Roger that, Lila 5. I’m in position,” her wingmare answered.         “Hey don’t forget to leave a piece of him for us!” Lila 2 exclaimed from above, unaware that the shadow following them was getting closer. With a swift motion, the shadow grabbed Lila 4’s snout while Lila 2 wasn’t looking. When she finally noticed that her friend was gone, it was too late. Almost like a ghost waiting in the darkness, Black Star slashed Lila 2’s face before kicking her hard in the chest. The crippled pegasus didn’t have any time to react before she impacted one of Pisa’s skyscrapers. Black Star hovered for a second before he landed on one of the buildings, cringing in pain as he tried to fold his damaged wing. His wing still hurts like hell, but when he heard that Kite was in trouble, he couldn’t resist to help. The dark-feathered griffon knew that Kestrel would probably yell at him for doing this stunt. Reaching to Lila 4’s communicator, he changed the frequency to warn Kite about the trap the Lila members had in store for him. Kite answered his call and thanked him for the warning. Sighing in relief, Black Star sat down and muttered,         “Good luck, kid.” Meanwhile… Esser watched the entire battle in silence with his two wingmates hovering beside him. He and Lila squadron had just arrived fifteen, minutes ago and he already let Violet and her vicious flock go to engage the allied forces. He and his squad, on the other hand, remained on standby, even if his thirst for battle was already yelling at him to go and look for blood. But alas, he had something else in plan for tonight.         “Looks like Violet’s an even match for that griffoness there…” one of Esser’s wingmate spoke.         “Yeah, and she’s a cutie,” another member spoke. “Oi, Esser. Care to tell her name, or I’ll just go down there and ask her out myself?”         “No one’s going down there until I said so, Svenson,” Esser spoke flatly. “You remembered what I said earlier, don’t you?” Svenson stayed silent before slumping his head down in shame, earning a chuckle from his wingmate.         “Serves you right for falling in love at the wrong time, bud.”         “Oh shut up, Heimer.” Esser ignored his wingmates’ banter and kept his eyes on the battle unfolding when Kite encountered the Lila members. His strange smirk returned when his eyes caught a certain mint colored unicorn. 2134 hrs Kriegstreiber galloped through the empty streets of the Venicese district, slowly leaving downtown Pisa and making his way south. So far, he didn’t see any glimpse of either EAF units or griffon units that were sent to capture him. Figuring that he lost them all, the mint unicorn stopped and took this valuable time to catch his breath.         “Horseturnips, I must have shed nearly 10 pounds from all that running…” he muttered to himself. He let out a sigh as he slumped down on the stone sidewalk. “I’m getting too old for this.” However, unknown to him, Quox’s Avion Company, along with Bertz’s Thunder Battalion, had already took position around Kriegstreiber’s location. Each turn, each corner and each street had at least one member of both teams, and they were ready to capture the unicorn. But things quickly go south the moment one of Bertz’s team members made a loud noise which alerted Kriegstreieber. Realizing he wasn’t alone anymore, Kriegstreiber pooled his remaining magic for another teleportation spell, but to his dismay, only small sparks of magic came out from his horn.         “Ah, crap,” the mint unicorn cursed before resorting to plan B: run like hell, which prompted Avion and Thunder to pursue him. A few of Quox’s teammates had enough magic to teleport near Kriegstreiber, surprising him and making him even more desperate to escape. The mint unicorn tried to call for help, but none of his calls were answered. Gray was incapacitated along with his team, Violet was too busy satisfying her bloodlust, not realizing that her squadron was forced to retreat thanks Kite and Black Star’s actions, and no news from Orel nor Esser’s team. What was worse, the remaining Belkan forces were annihilated by the joint allied forces, meaning that apart from the mercenary squads, Kriegstreiber was the only Belkan left on the city. The last shred of his hope was the cyanide pil he carried between his teeth. Crunching it would end this nightmare, and Rohling would take over his position by default. Fate had other plans for him, though. As he was about crunch the little pill, Kite’s screech from above made him turn and accidently drop the pill to the ground. Before he could realize that it was gone, Kite made a nosedive and grabbed the pony with his claws, digging them into the unicorn’s bright green coat. Both of them rolled for a bit on the hard rock-covered road, before stopping at a good distance from the nearest four-way intersection. Kriegstreiber grunted and tried to crawl his way out from Kite’s grip, but the metallic blue-feathered griffon kept his talons locked, causing him to be dragged by the mint unicorn as well.         “You’re… under arrest!” Kite spoke while straining to keep Kriegstreiber in place before the other teams could arrive.         “You… ugh! Are not… Ah! … Taking me… alive!!” Kriegstreiber spat as he continued to crawl his way out with little success. After minutes of struggling, the mint unicorn finally slumped on the road, exhausted to his very bones. Kriegstreiber let out a final neigh of defiance before succumbing to his fate. Realizing that this was over, Kite reached to his comm and activated it before he spoke,         “Aquila 4 to Altair Beta, mission accomplished. We got him!”         “Good work, Aquila 4. I’ll alert the GRG to pick him up.”         “Roger that, over and out.” With that final word, Kite closed the comm and lay down face up, chuckling between pants at a job well done. Black Star, who was still on his roosting spot, only smiled when he heard the transmission. Violet and her remaining team quickly retreated when they heard the transmission, followed suit by Gray’s remaining wingmates. Kestrel and Ronin were relieved that Kite was safe and was able to complete the mission on his own. Riddle, on the other hand, had just killed his friend Orel after snapping his neck in midair. Sighing partially in guilt and relief, Riddle closed the eyes of his dead former comrade as Kite made his announcement. “Well done, lad,”  he thought with a smile. Soon, Quox and the others arrived on Kite’s location. Bertz’s teammates quickly called Altair Beta of their successful capture, while Quox and her team casted an anti-magic spell to neutralize Kriegstreiber’s horn while Bertz cuffing him up. Before long, the GRG also arrived with a large wagon similar to the one Black Star was placed when he was captured at the opening days of the war. When the door was closed and Kriegstreiber was secured, Saetos opened up a wide frequency and spoke,         “Altair Alpha to all units, confirmed all hostile forces are eliminated. Operation Silent Owl is a success. Unfortunately, it comes with a heavy cost on our side. All units, salute our fallen brothers and sisters. May their souls rest in eternal slumber.”  The victory of retaking Pisa was a silent one for both griffon and pony. The soldiers took this moment of silence to pray for the fallen: civilians and soldiers. An hour later, Pisa’s lights were turned back on after they had been shut down by the Belkan forces. Every single surviving soldier and civilian carefully picked the bodies up and laid them together within the ancient arena. Even the dead Belkans were placed together with them, Though they were the enemy, the griffons still respected the dead. Ancient Arena, Pisa, Griffin Kingdom May 17th 2020, 0230 hrs It had been five hours since their battle came to an end. Although it was a victory for them, there was too much death and destruction left in the wake of the battle. Riddle, who was too tired to fly anymore, carefully made his way through the rows of dead bodies to search for the body of his friend. He finally found Orel’s body among dozens of dead Belkan soldiers. Though he died in battle, Orel’s expression was peaceful, as if he died while he was asleep.         “I’m sorry old friend… I truly am.” Riddle whispered before he turned around and walked away. The rest of Aquila squadron was sitting on the seats of the arena along with many more wounded soldiers and civilians. Verde squadron only lost their member: Aqua after he was hit by a stray magic blast. The blast only stunned him in midair, he died when he impacted the ground. Southwind squadron and Northwind squadron lost a total of six fliers; two died from the assault, and two more died recently after succumbing to their wounds. Both Crimson and Silver squadrons had a fair share of losses as well: a total of three fliers from both sides. On the EAF side, the ground forces, which included Avion, Thunder, Newt and Jade suffered a total of ten losses and three critically wounded. Among the wounded was Quox’s teammate, Sapphire, who was nearly crushed to death when Grau 6 did the kamikaze attack. Both the entire Royal Guards and the Lunar Guards had miraculously survived the ordeal, though some of them still received a major wound or two. The two pegasus squadrons had also survived the battle intact, though some members needed attention after being hit by a stunning spell or a slash from the enemy. Black Star winced as Kestrel bandaged his right wing. It was obvious that the black griffon wouldn’t be flying for a while. Kite sat beside him, finishing his fourth bottle of water just to keep his body from  overheating. The cool water really did their job; all of the small griffon’s aching muscles were soothed when the water flowed on his feathers. Kite sighed when he emptied another bottle of water by soaking himself with it.         “Uuh, I need some rest…” Kite spoke tiredly, ignoring Black Star and Kestrel’s glances beside him. The small griffon then did just that, falling asleep in his current position. Kestrel just sighed at the sight.         “He’s really worn out. I wouldn’t blame him for collapsing like that, given that this was his first major battle,” she spoke.         “Yes, I noticed,” Black Star responded. “He told me this afternoon.”         “He must really trust you,” Kestrel said again.         “Yeah, the kid really looks up to me despite me having ledger dripping with blood,” Black Star remarked, causing Kestrel to turn and look at him. Black Star’s eyes weren’t focused on her, but they were focused at the center of the stadium. “Look at that.” Kestrel also turned and saw the center of the stadium. Many dead and more wounded soldiers and/or civilians were brought in. Black Star continued,         “This isn’t war: this is a nightmare. A nightmare that I caused.” Kestrel glanced at Black Star again, her eyes didn’t show any sign of emotion towards the black griffon.         “If the Equestrian War never happened, we would still have enough aces to win this without sacrificing so much…” Black Star spoke grimly. “Silverbeak, Greyback, Echo, and all those aces, I’m sure they’d jump into this war without a second thought. But, they’re gone now, all because of Rad’s empty words… and my foolish actions…”         “It wasn’t you…” Kestrel began. “It was a puppet, manipulated by Rad’s words, but the puppet had enough and cut the strings, informed the Equestrians and ended the war before it could claim more lives.” Black Star didn’t respond to Kestrel’s statement. He knew that she was talking about him.         “Rad played with your mind, Black Star,” Kestrel continued. “The cause of the war was him and him alone, nothing more.”         “I’m just glad he’s not here anymore…” Black Star responded as both griffons turned their attention towards the night sky. The stars were still visible despite the early morning fog that always rolled into the city. After hearing Black Star’s statement, Kestrel couldn’t help but to feel his pain, but she couldn’t, knowing that there were other reasons why she hated him so much. That thought lingered inside the griffoness’s mind before exhaustion took her over. Black Star was a little bit surprised when Kestrel used his shoulder as her makeshift pillow, though he didn’t really mind about her sleeping beside him. Unaware to both of them, Riddle who finally made it back from below watched the scene with interest. The blue griffon smiled as he thought,         “That’s one move, captain. I hope you’re ready for the next one.” Unknown location, Griffin Kingdom 0257 hrs Kriegstreiber kept his mouth shut as the wagon he rode made a sudden climb to avoid the Drakenridge mountain range. It was over. His status as leader of Neue Belka was over the minute that accursed griffon, Kite tackled him from above. No, he was already doomed the moment he stepped one hoof into Pisa. He really wanted to tell the guards outside to take his own life now, having failed to do it on his own, but was death the only legitimate path to freedom? After all, he helped staged a coup that nearly bring the Griffin Kingdom to it’s knees. The griffons’ allies to the south, the Equestrians, especially their princesses, wouldn’t tolerate a traitor like him. It’s either rotting for a thousand years in the dungeon, or even worse, banished to who knows where. Suddenly, the wagon jerked, causing Kriegstreiber to nearly drop from his seat. Before long, another bump occurred before the wagon came into a full stop.         “What in the… ?” Kriegstreiber began before the padlock was unlocked and the door was opened. Kriegstreiber couldn’t see who opened it at first because of their dark bodies, but soon, he saw a familiar brown-feathered griffon came into his view.         “Esser…”         “’Sup, Ghunter,” Esser greeted cheerfully. “Having a bad night, I see.”         “You have no idea,” Kriegstreiber spat. “Where were you, Esser? Hog said that your squadron was suppose to show up along with that battle whore’s squad. And get me out from this thing!”         “Yeah, about that. My squad’s got distracted by one of the enemy’s squad.” Esser lied before he motioned the dark figures to unbind Kriegstreiber from his shackles.         “I see. Next time, a little bit of warning.” the mint unicorn responded. “By the way, how did you find me?”         “We never lost sight of you,” Esser replied. “The changelings disguised themselves as the GRGs that were supposed to come and pick you up on Pisa.”         “What did you do them? The GRGs.” Kriegstreiber asked. Esser merely shrugged and took out a piece of meat from the saddlebag he brought with him, causing Kriegstreiber to blanch in disgust. “For pete’s sake, Esser. This is not the time to eat! I’m asking you what did you do to those guards!”         “I already answered your question,” Esser responded as he took a bite from the meat. “Where do you think I got this meat?” Kriegstreiber’s pupils shrank in horror when Esser spoke that last word. When he took a closer look at the meats Esser had been gorging ever since he threw that bone into his trash can, the meats and bones did resemble the hindlegs of a pony. Esser’s been eating ponies ever since day one and this night, he’s been eating griffons too. Kriegstreiber then proceed to vomit in front of the brown griffon.         “Now, now. That’s not very polite, sir,” Esser spoke darkly. Before Kriegstreiber could even react, Esser grabbed his neck and stabbed him in his stomach.         “Wha…! Are you out of your… — ARGH!!” Kriegstreiber screamed in pain when Esser dug his claws deeper into the unicorn’s flesh.         “Actually, I’m completely sane, sir. Never been saner in my entire life,” Esser responded with that strange smile on his beak. “Listen, I just got a word from her this morning, and she was very disappointed about your progress.” Kriegstreiber couldn’t even respond, let alone breathe properly. Esser’s grip was stronger than he expected. He tried flailing his hooves around, trying to call for help from the changelings, but they only stood and watched as Esser continued.         “She said that Valkyrie had been a waste of money and resources, and she decided to move on with the Zeal of Exile project without your interference, heh,” Esser chuckled. “She also said that I’m charge now, so that means you have got to go, Ghunter…” Kriegstreiber was horrified when he stared at Esser’s red eyes. It was like he was staring at death itself, and now, death will come to him very soon. When he tried to charge a spell, Esser grabbed his horn and broke it off with ease. Kriegstreiber choked, unable to scream anymore. Then, Esser grabbed his head and twisted it backwards, killing the mint unicorn instantly. Esser chuckled when he let go of the motionless body of Kriegstreiber, but he wasn’t done yet. Esser grabbed the unicorn’s head, then, using his brute force, tore the head completely off from the body. Esser then looked at Kriegstreiber’s lifeless eyes and said,         “Don’t worry, Ghunter. Your mercenaries will be safe with me. I’ll guarantee it!” After finishing those words, Esser tossed the head back into the wagon before he picked up the body and threw it in as well. He then turned to Svenson and said,         “Burn it down, boys, we’re going to have a barbeque party tonight.”         “Yes, sir.” Svenson nodded before he and his comrade, Heimer motioned the other changelings to gather some wood to burn the wagon down. Esser, who still had that strange smile, chuckled darkly as he watched at the direction of Pisa.         “Play time’s over, allied forces…”