//------------------------------// // Chapter 11a: Cold Mist // Story: Ace Combat: Wings of Unity // by PolishValsion //------------------------------// In spite of bitter memories One struggles to do its best. The battle commences at sunrise. A chill wind blows... Chapter 11a Cold Mist July 5th, 2021 0430 hrs West Equestria, Manehattan outskirts When the EAF army group arrived at their designated location near the city of Manehattan, many of its citizens offered them to take shelter in their houses. Only about 150 soldiers ended up accepting the offer, as they did not wanted to bring additional trouble to the civilians. The others set up a provisional camp close to the city’s perimeter, which served as their HQ. The ponies from EAF tried to recapture the Air Force Base several times, but the Exiles still held their positions, mostly due to heavy anti-air defenses they had constructed when they settled there. Although the city itself wasn’t initially a battlefield, small skirmishes were taking place in its vicinity. The EAF battalion lost nearly 30 soldiers, while about 240 civilians died over the course of a week and nearly 1000 were injured. The situation was difficult, and the EAF battalion had to press onward and deliver a decisive blow to the Exiles’ defenses if they hoped to recover the Air Force Base and prevent any further battles in the city. Firefly got out of the tent she was sharing with her friend, Derpy. She let out a yawn, rubbed her eyes and stared at the horizon. The sky was turning from a pink shade to blue as the sun was slowly rising. The mare got caught in her thoughts.         “I wonder how Rainbow is doing… and the other girls, too... “ She let out a sigh, and a little smile appeared on her face.         “It’s funny… We’ve been separated from each other for only two weeks… but I really miss her. Guess I totally grew accustomed to her, heh…”         “Firefly?” The pink mare turned around and noticed Derpy exiting the tent as well.         “Oh, hi, Derpy…” Firefly yawned again. “Why’re you not sleeping?”         “I could ask you the same thing. Did you forget we’ve been fighting for eight hours straight yesterday? When we came back to the base, you were barely standing. I almost ended up carrying you to bed,” Derpy said with concern. In response, Firefly stretched her wings.         “Yeah, but that was yesterday. Now I feel refreshed and ready for more action,” she assured her friend.         “It’s still a few hours until Quox calls us for briefing. Why are you out so early?” Derpy reiterated. Firefly sighed.         “I just… wanted to look at the rising sun. I can never get tired of watching how beautiful it looks…”         “I-I see…” Firefly didn’t say anything else, so Derpy decided to watch the sunrise with her. In truth, this everyday phenomenon held a special meaning for Firefly. The pink pegasus could never forget what she heard from her parents before they departed for the afterlife… that the sun was a beautiful, if the last thing they saw… Just then, a rough female voice was heard further away. It brought the two fliers from Mirage squadron back to reality.         “No, NO! Not like this! How many times do I have to show it to you?!”         “Did you hear that?” Derpy asked, as her ears perked. “Seems like we’re not the only ones awake.”         “Yeah… and I think I know who that is. Come on.” The two mares flew to the source of the noise. They found a group of eight pegasi, each of them wearing a dark green vest. One of them, a light green mare with an orange mane, seemed frustrated.         “Come on, guys! Pay attention when I explain stuff,” she said loudly. “When you are too close to the ground, do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT perform a sharp turn to the left or right. If you do that, you may end up kissing the ground hard. Instead, you should either pull up or perform a somersault, if you feel confident. Let me show you again…” As the other pegasi observed her carefully, the mare rose into the air until she reached an altitude of 3500 feet, then started diving down at a high speed. When she reached 700 feet, she performed an impressive backflip before pulling up, doing a sharp turn to the left and descending to her group, landing flawlessly. The seven pegasi that were wearing vests started clapping and cheering for her.         “That was incredible, Lieutenant,” one of the stallions said.         “Yeah, I know,” the mare replied nonchalantly. “Keep training and maybe one day you’ll be able to do these tricks almost as well as me.” A cheeky smile appeared on her face, though it faded almost instantly when she noticed Firefly and Derpy flying toward her.         “Isn’t it a bit too early for field training, Lightning Dust?” Firefly asked the green mare.         “It’s you… What do you want?” she asked in return.         “Nothing. We just heard your voice and we wanted to find out what’s going on,” Derpy replied sincerely. Lightning Dust glared at her briefly.         “I wasn’t asking you.” She turned to Firefly.         “As you can see, I’m not doing anything suspicious. Just showing my squadmates some useful maneuvers. Isn’t that what you girls were doing in your squadron, too?” Firefly agreed with slight hesitation.         “Relax. I got things under control. Today we’re going to storm the Air Force Base and reclaim it. Mark my words,” Lightning Dust said with confidence.         “If only… Look, Lightning Dust, I have my eyes on you. Rainbow told me that you’re an awfully arrogant piece of work, and it seems she was right about you.” The reference about Rainbow made Lightning Dust angry.         “I don’t like your attitude. Don’t forget that I am the leader of the aerial operation here, so you must follow my orders.”         “Being a leader doesn’t give you the right to use your allies to satisfy your needs,” Firefly quipped with irritation.         “Oh yeah? Well, if you got a problem, why don’t you go home and cry to your mommy?” Firefly widened her eyes in shock when she heard that. Lightning Dust did not stop there.         “Oh, right… I forgot. You don’t have one anymore, do you? My condolences,” the green mare snickered.         “You…!” Firefly stomped her right front hoof on the ground and glared intensely at Lightning Dust. Her wingmates took a few steps back.         “That does it! I’m gonna wreck your skull for that!” Firefly exclaimed.         “Well, come on! Put’em up!” Lightning Dust took a battle stance herself. The two mares could easily end up fighting if a small energy beam did not hit a space between them and prevented them from clashing with each other. “That’s enough, both of you!” Firefly, Lightning Dust, her wingmates and Derpy turned their heads to see a blue unicorn mare with an angered expression on her face. Lightning Dust groaned.         “Ugh, it’s that patronizer Quox again…” The blue mare approached the two pegasi, speaking clearly, without needing to raise her voice.         “This is not time for fighting between each other. You have to save your energy for the upcoming battle. You can solve your problems behind closed doors when we finish the operation. Do you understand?”         “Yes, Major…” Lightning Dust and Firefly replied slowly. Quox nodded in approval.         “Well, since you’re all up already, help me gather the troops. No use wasting anymore time. The sooner we start our offensive, the better. We will complete this operation today.”         “You sound pretty confident, Quox,” said Firefly. “You got some kind of plan?”         “You’ll hear it soon enough. Now, get going!” ----------------- 0520 hrs Manehattan outskirts, EAF camp Within the next hour, the leaders managed to round up most of their troops and told them to remain on standby until further orders. Quox called all the leaders to her so she could tell them about her battle plan.         “So, is everypony here? Then let me begin.” The blue unicorn pointed her hoof to a paper map of the Manehattan region.         “We are now entering the decisive phase of Operation: Gambit. The Exile were attempting to seize Manehattan itself, but thanks to our offensive, we have forced them to retreat and remain in the vicinity of the Air Force Base. They are still occupying it and, since they arrived there, they’ve been fortifying it with numerous anti-air turrets and SAMs. Through our continuous assaults, we were able to weaken the Exiles’ defense. Now is the time for a final strike.” A female, magenta-colored pegasus named Carnival Tail, rose her hoof.         “I have a question, Quox,” she said.         “Yes, Tiger 1?”         “Can we count on the help of the Voluntary Defense Corps again?” The leaders looked at each other, wondering if Carnival Tail didn’t said a bit too much. Though by now, everypony in the army group were aware that some citizens of Manehattan, in a surge of patriotic fervor, formed their own guerilla unit, it sustained quite a few losses in the last battle. Because the citizens were nowhere as well armed as the EAF, they could not stand up against the Exiles alone. In fact, their guerilla tactics only provoked them to try and capture the city itself. Luckily, Quox’s army group reached it in time and helped them. Lightning Dust snorted.         “They shouldn’t be buttin’ in and rather wait for us to clean up this mess they started.” Quox leered at her.         “That’s enough from you, Viper 1. However reckless the Voluntary Corps were acting, we cannot deny their courageous acts,” the blue unicorn said. “With all due respect, Quox,” Firefly interjected, ”what good is courage for them if they will get themselves killed? This war already took many good ponies away, do we really need more victims like them? They are the ones who suffer the most.” “You have a point, but…” Quox paused for a second before she continued. “Those citizens who form the Voluntary Corps were influenced by Princess Celestia’s speech at the Crystal Empire. Details about it were quickly spread among the soldiers, and later, civilians as well. The ponies from VDC believe that it will be better for them do die fighting than by waiting for death to come for them.” “But… That’s…” Derpy was at a loss of words. “It’s the grim reality of every war…” Quox finished. “In any case, on to the details regarding our mission.” Quox returned to the paper map, used her telekinetic magic to lift it up and show it to the other leaders. She started explaining the plan in details:         “Our priority it to recapture the Air Force Base. I’m going to divide our forces into two groups. First, the main attack will be lead by my battalion, Avion. With the assistance of Diamond and Balloon battalions, we should be able to breach through the enemy defense. Rarity, Pinkie — do I have your full support in that matter?” Both of them nodded. “But of course, darling— um, I mean, yes, ma’am, we will provide you with backup. Just say the word,” said Rarity, in her usual glamorous tone. “Yeah! We got all kinds of flashy stuff for those meanies”, Pinkie added. “Good,” Quox complimented them. “As for the aerial operation… The main offense will be lead by Lightning Dust and her Viper squadron again. I need you guys to provide us with a distraction. Keep the attention of the anti-air turrets and SAMs on you for as long as you can while we will get in range and destroy them, thus clearing the way to the base.” Lightning Dust rose an eyebrow. “Sounds simple enough. And if the enemy pegasi will come after us?”         “Then you have permission to engage,” Quox replied.         “Now you’re talking. We’ll take care of everything and be done before you know it,” Lightning Dust assured her.         “I’ve no doubt about your skills, Viper 1, but don’t think I’ll let your team engage the enemy alone. You will be assisted by the Tiger squadron, as well as Mirage 2 and Mirage 6.” Firefly and Derpy expressed their readiness. Lightning Dust glanced at them with disapproval.         “If it was me, I’d prefer to do this alone.”         “I know you would. Now… Burner and Racer squadrons will have a different task. You’ll be patrolling the northern part of this region, on the outskirts of Manehattan. Our recon suggests that the Exiles are planning to call reinforcements from there. If our operation is to proceed smoothly, we must prevent the enemy from getting additional help. Can you handle this?”         “Sure thing, Quox,” Tornado Swirl replied.         “If anything happens, we’ll let you know immediately,” Overdrive added. Quox curled the map, but before she left the tent with the other leaders, she said:         “Yesterday, I’ve also established a contact with the leader of the Voluntary Defense Corps. They sent us a messenger, if you remember.”         “You mean that cinnamon-coated filly with freckles?” Firefly asked. “She reminded me of a certain somepony…” Quox nodded.         “That would be Babs Seed. She’s apparently a member of the Apple family and volunteered to be a messenger for one of the VBC units. She told me that their leader is ready to provide us with assistance if need arises.”         “That girl’s got guts. I kinda like her,” Lightning Dust admitted. “Though I wonder if she can fight at all.”         “She said she’ll only fight if there are no other options left. She sticks to the leader’s orders and he told her to avoid danger by any means necessary,” Quox replied. “My kids could use her as an example”, Derpy thought to herself. “I wonder how they fare…” She was quickly interrupted when Lightning Dust poked her in the ribs.         “Hey, hurry up, goggle-eyes! We’re moving out!” Derpy frowned, but Firefly said to her in a reassuring tone:         “Don’t mind her. She’s just being herself. Let’s go, Ditzy!”         “R-Right…” ----------------- 0630 hrs Manehattan outskirts Just as the sun appeared over the horizon, shedding its warm beams over the land and the ponies from Equestrian Allied Forces, Quox looked at it, hoping this was a sign of trust from Princess Celestia herself. She turned to her troops.         “Whatever they may bring against us, we’ll break on through! Let’s go, everypony! We will recapture the Air Force Base and teach the Exiles a lesson they won’t soon forget! Viper squadron, Tiger squadron! We’ll begin according to plan. You’re up!”         “You got it, Quox,” Lightning Dust said. “Let’s see if you can keep up with us, guys. Viper squadron, follow me!” Fifteen pegasi that overall made three squadrons took flight and started heading toward the base. Tornado Swirl and Overdrive were also ready to go.         “You know what you got to do,” Quox told them. “Keep your eyes open and let us know if enemy reinforcements show up.”         “Got it. Burner squadron, liftoff!”         “Racer squadron, with me!” Ten more pegasi flew into the sky, heading north. Quox turned to Rarity and Pinkie Pie, standing next to her.         “We can’t let Lightning Dust and her fellas take all them fun for themselves. Let’s follow them!” Rarity and Pinkie nodded. A group of over seventy unicorns and earth ponies began moving at a steady pace toward the main battlefield. ----------------- 0650 hrs Manehattan Air Force Base The Exiles stationed at the base were quickly informed of the approaching attack force. They were not expecting the offence to begin so early, though. The Base Commander started giving out orders:         “Have our anti-air turrets suppress the enemy pegasi! Scramble the squadrons! Intercept the ground forces and destroy them!”         “Roger! Cyclone squadron taking off!” one of the pegasi fighters responded.         “This is Stormguard 1, we’re heading out, too!” another flight leader followed. Lightning Dust noticed the Exile fliers taking off from the runway.         “Here we go! Viper squadron, take’em out!” All seven pegasi from her team replied with a clear-sounding “Roger, ma’am!” almost instantly. Firefly and Derpy were ready to fight as well.         “This is Mirage 2. We’ll go ahead and draw the anti-air fire at us to give Quox and her guys time to attack!”         “As long as you won’t get in our way, I have no objections,” Lightning Dust replied. “If you get engaged with enemy fighters, take them down!”         “We’d do that anyway,” Firefly snorted.         “This is Tiger 1! We’ll come along with you, Mirage 2!” Carnival Tail exclaimed. Firefly looked at her, flying almost next to her and giving a single nod. The orange vests her team was wearing were covered in black stripes, giving them a striking appearance.         “With that pattern on your vests, you’ll be perfect targets, though,” she added.         “First they’ll have to hit us,” Carnival pointed out. When the eight fliers picked up speed, they were in close vicinity of the base. They saw a couple dozen of anti-air turrets and SAMs on standby, some turrets being operated personally by the Exiles, ready to shoot down all who would dare to get near the base.         “At times like that, we could use a bomb or two,” said Derpy.         “We’ll have to leave it to Quox and her units. Let’s just play with those guys for a while,” Firefly replied. The EAF pegasi descended down. Carnival Tail flew first, doing several rolls through the air, clearly provoking the Exiles to attack her. She succeeded in that.         “That idiot wants to stand out? Shoot her down!” one of the gun operators ordered. A barrage of bullets was unleashed into the air. Carnival Tail was quick and nimble, so she managed to dodge the incoming anti-air fire. The other fighters joined her, making the Exiles use the SAMs as well. But it was difficult for them to get a lock on their fast opponents, let alone shooting them down.         “I feel like I’m doing target practice again… only I’m the target this time,” Carnival Tail snickered.         “You mean you’ve done this before?” Firefly asked, dodging an incoming missile.         “Sure. We were using those machine guns, though with artificial ammunition instead of real rounds. It wasn’t easy at first, but we’ve eventually… WOAH!” Another missile passed almost a few inches away from Carnival Tail’s mouth.         “Geez, these must be getting pissed at us,” she commented.         “Can’t blame them. We kinda make them look like fools down there,” said Firefly. She used her communicator to contact Lightning Dust.         “Viper 1, how are things on your end?” Her first response was growl, as she just hit one of the fighters from Stormguard squadron in the ribs and send him spiraling downward.         “We’re almost done. One of the squadrons is practically history, the other is trying to pull back. Think you can take out the escaping two stragglers?”         “Sure.” Firefly took off in the direction opposite to the Air Force base and soon encountered the escaping Exile fliers. One of them seemed to be having difficulty in maintaining balance. He had an injured wing.         “Damn! Another one!” he hollered to his comrade. He took a glance on his radar and realized who their opponent was.         “It’s one of the Angels! Dammit…!”         “Sorry, boys. It’s all over for you!” Firefly exclaimed. She increased her speed, tackling the injured fighter head-on and delivering a series of punches to his ribs and stomach, finishing him off with a kick to the neck. Before the other fighter managed to escape, Firefly quickly turned around, rose her altitude a bit and dived straight at his back. The force of the blow was severe. It stopped the pegasus on the spot. Firefly grabbed him, hit him several times in the head and finally delivered a stunning punch to the Exile’s gut. He lost consciousness and fell down. Firefly let out a sigh.         “Guess that’s about it.” She contacted Lightning Dust again.         “Viper 1, the stragglers had been taken care off.”         “Nice. I guess you’re good for something,” Lightning Dust commented. “Tell Quox that the airspace is clear of enemies.”         “Roger.” Firefly relayed the news to Quox, whose forces were engaged with some Exiles’ infantry. Most of them were easily dispatched with a quick volley of energy beams from the unicorns’ horns or cannon fire. The blue mare was glad to hear that was no threat from the enemy pegasi now.         “Alright then! All units, commence attack on the Air Force Base! Direct all fire on the anti-air turrets and SAMs!” Within the next few minutes, Derpy and Firefly noticed the approaching allied forces, ready to attack the stationary defenses and reduce them to rubble.         “Targets in sight… Fire!” Quox ordered. Several hundred rounds of cannons and multiple energy beams were fired upon the steel constructions. Most of them were destroyed, but some still remained intact. Quox was about to issue another order to attack. Meanwhile, the Exile Commander found himself in a difficult predicament. There were still no signs of the reinforcements, even though he had two more battalions remaining. He decided to send them to engage the enemy, seeing it as a last chance to hold their ground here. Lightning Dust and her team joined with the rest of the EAF fliers. She was ready for more fighting, as she noticed the upcoming Exiles.         “Looks like somepony else needs to get their flanks whooped,” she said with an excited tone. “Viper squadron, let’s get’em.” When they took off to help Quox in dealing with the incoming ground forces, Derpy looked at Firefly.         “Looks like we might really win this time.”         “Don’t be so sure, Ditzy,” Firefly replied. “This is going too easy for me.”         “Huh?”         “And whenever things get too easy… something’s up.” ========== 0750 hrs Northern Manehattan outskirts A single, massive entity was flying through the air. A big, blue dragon with an icy cold look in his eyes. He heard a signal in the communicator that he had on his right ear. When he touched it with his nail, he heard Aigaion’s growl.         “Orgoi, what is your status?”         “Arriving in strategic zone,” he replied. “Large presence of Equestrian forces confirmed.”         “Eliminate as many of them as you can. But remember, do not abuse the power of your gem. As I was told by one of Lady Aurora’s subordinates, it has not been fully tested yet.”         “Understood. Over and out.” Orgoi looked at his radar, which was showing several red signals just a few miles ahead of him.         “Hmmm… It must be a recon unit. They will be perfect guinea pigs…” he thought to himself. The dragon closed his eyes for a brief period, and the big, blue gem on his armor began to pulse in a bright, grey light. When he opened his eyes, a smirk appeared on his face. ----------------- Tornado Swirl and Overdrive were flying freely around the airspace, keeping their eyes open for possible incoming enemies. The green pegasus from the Burner squadron received a call from Quox. He picked it up.         “This is Burner 1.”         “This is Quox. We’re gaining control over the situation. How are you doing?” the voice of the blue unicorn sounded in the headphones.         “Nothing out of the ordinary. All quiet,” Tornado replied.         “Understood. Continue your patrol… ver the… and repo… diately if…” Tornado’s ears perked up when Quox’s reply on the radio sounded in a distorted voice. Something was interrupting his communication.         “Say that again, Quox. I do not read,” he said.         “I said… keep… and say… ord… will…”         “Quox? Quox!” The radio was now giving out nothing, but static. The pegasus growled.         “Damn, what’s going on? Overdrive!” He shouted to the lavender pegasus from the other squadron. She approached him.         “Something wrong, Tornado?”         “My radio is acting weird. I can’t get a proper response from Quox.”         “Hmmm…” Overdrive looked around and noticed something forming dead ahead of them. It looked like a dense cloud of grey smoke.         “Hey, Tornado, look!” she exclaimed. “Do you see that?”         “It’s a mist… common occurrence at this time of the day,” the green pegasus replied.         “I don’t know… we had rain here two days ago…” Overdrive reminded him. She kept looking at the weird phenomenon and started to feel uneasy. It was as if the mist was getting closer to them… Overdrive checked her radar, just to be sure.         “What the hay?!” Her sudden exclaim alerted Tornado.         “What’s wrong?”         “Look! There are multiple jamming signals showing on my radar. And they are coming… from that mist…” The two pegasi looked at each other. Tornado had a hunch on what could be causing this strange anomaly, though, for once, he wanted to be wrong. He turned his head around and called to one of his wingmates.         “Burner 2!”         “Sir?” the pegasus saluted him as he flew right before him.         “I want you and the rest of the squadron to head back to Quox. Tell her we need immediate aerial support. Hurry!” Tornado Swirl urged him. The pegasus looked at him in confusion.         “I don’t understand, sir… Can’t we just call her on the radio?’         “Negative. There are severe jammings in the communication lines. There’s no time to waste, get going!” Tornado reiterated.         “But, what about you, sir?” the pegasus asked.         “I’ll be fine! Move!”         “Y-Yes, sir!” Overdrive briefly puckered her eyebrows before she called a flier from her own team and said to the mare:         “I want you guys to go with the Burner squadron, too!”         “Ma’am?”         “It’s best to minimize potential casualties. Go and tell Quox that we need the other pegasi here, the more the better. Get going!” Though at first it sounded like Overdrive was considering her companions to be a burden, they knew she would never say or even think of such a thing. They knew she would never risk their lives needlessly. The mare complied with her order. The eight pegasi, four from each squadron, flew back to the main battlezone, leaving Tornado Swirl and Overdrive alone. The green pegasus looked at his girlfriend with slight confusion and worry.         “Overdrive… You could have gone with them…” In response, the mare turned to him with a determined look on her face.         “And leave you here by yourself against an unknown threat? Hay no way! We’re suppose to be working together, right?” Tornado gave her a little smile as he chuckled.         “Thanks.” Overdrive giggled in response. The two turned their sights back at the mist. It really seemed to be getting closer to them.         “Let’s be careful,” said Tornado. “Be ready for anything.”         “Don’t worry about me. I’ll keep up,” Overdrive assured him. ----------------- Orgoi checked his own radar and noticed something that intrigued him.         “What’s this?” he though to himself. “The numbers of signals has dropped to only two. The others must have left the area… So they know I am approaching. Hah. No matter. Those two will suffice.” The dragon closed his eyes for a brief moment again. The gemstone on his armor gave a bright flash of white light.         “Now… let’s see what the Glacial Sapphire is capable off…” ----------------- Tornado Swirl and Overdrive were slowly getting enveloped by the mist. They saw the white light that shined within for just a moment and then… something very unlikely happened. Snow started falling down, even though there were next to no clouds in the sky.         “What’s going on here…” Tornado wondered. Overdrive suddenly shivered, covering her body with her arms.         “Brr! Is it getting cold in here or is it just me?” she asked. Tornado Swirl looked at his own skin and saw some goosebumps.         “Overdrive…” he started.         “Y-Yeah…?”         “This is no ordinary mist… it shouldn’t be capable of causing electronic interference or cause snow to fall out of nowhere,” the green pegasus said.         “So… you think…?” Overdrive wondered.         “Yeah. It’s the work of the enemy.” An ominous laughter was heard in the silence.         “Ha, ha, hah… You are quite smart for a pony.”         “What was that?!” Overdrive yelped. Tornado Swirl looked around him and noticed a large, shadow figure slowly forming behind him. He quickly turned, alerting Overdrive. The two quickly flew backward as the blue dragon emerged from the mist with a roar.         “Oh my Celestia…” the lavender pegasus whispered.         “I knew it!” Tornado exclaimed. “Are you the one causing this, dragon?!”         “Hm, hm, hm… that’s right. You should have gone with the others. By staying here, you have sealed your fate,” the blue dragon said slowly. Tornado took a fighting stance.         “If you want to reach Manehattan, you’ll have to get past us!” he said in a determined tone. Orgoi simply laughed and said:         “Do you honestly believe that the two of you can stop me? I will crush you and be on my way.”         “Oh yeah? Just who do you think you are, reptile?!” Tornado asked him angrily. The dragon spread his wings openly and answered with a calm, eerie voice.         “I am Orgoi, one of the Drake Generals serving under King Aigaion, the ruler of Drakonia. Oppose me, and you will feel death’s cold embrace.”         “That’s some attitude!” Tornado exclaimed, charging straight at the towering foe.         “What are you doing?! You want to fight him? Are you crazy?!” Overdrive hailed at him with disbelief.         “We won’t let that dragon near our friends!” Tornado replied. A smirk appeared on Orgoi’s face.         “You must be very brave… and very stupid. First, you’ll have to find me…” Saying this, the dragon took a quick step back into the mist and the gem on his armor flashed in a greyish light again. Tornado Swirl and Overdrive kept circling around, trying to find him, but Orgoi seemingly disappeared. They knew he was just hiding, using the mist to conceal himself. Their radars and communicators were useless, so they had to rely on their eyes and ears instead.         “Where is he?” Tornado wondered aloud. That was a mistake. Orgoi’s shadowy figure appeared behind him. For a behemoth his size, he was deceptively quick.         “Here…”         “Wha—!” The dragon swung his claw at the green pegasus, sending him tumbling downward through the air. Tornado let out a scream that caused Overdrive to panic, as she had been separated from him in the thick mist.         “Tornado!” she called to him. The pegasus managed to regain control of his wings, performed a quick backflip and regained balance. He looked ahead, but the dragon vanished once more.         “Don’t think you’ll beat us that easily!” Tornado yelled. “Stop hiding and fight us openly.”         “Hm, hm, hm…” Orgoi’s voice echoed through the air. “How long do you think you can withstand this cold? All warmth is being slowly drained away by me. Soon, your wings and limbs will become numb… you will fall to your graves…” Overdrive was getting really scared now.         “Tornado! We have to get out of here!” Orgoi revealed himself, right behind the lavender pegasus. Tornado spotted him.         “Overdrive! Behind you!” he hollered. The gem in Orgoi’s armor gave a bright, blue flash as the dragon focused energy in his mouth. He fired a small beam at the lavender mare. It struck her in the right wing. Overdrive let out a shrill scream as it slowly got encased in ice, rendering it motionless.         “Aaaahh! I… I can’t…! Aaaaa!” She started falling down, unable to keep herself in the air. Tornado dived after her and managed to grab her. The mare landed on his arms, but Orgoi wasn’t finished. Keeping his movement concealed by the mist surrounding the pegasi, he sneaked up behind them once more. The sounds of his beating wings filled them both with dread… The dragon lunged toward Tornado Swirl and Overdrive and swung his tail. He managed to hit both of them. They fell down to the ground from about 1200 feet. Tornado rolled on the ground several times when he hit it, straining his left wing. Overdrive landed hard, and it took her a while to recover. Tornado started feeling pain as he slowly got to Overdrive and helped her stand up.         “Ugh… You’re OK?” he asked.         “Still in one piece… but…” Overdrive looked at her frozen wing. She tried to flap it, but she couldn’t make it move however hard she tried. The lavender mare looked at her friend in regret.         “I won’t be able to fly in this condition… How about you, Tornado?”         “My wings hurts, too. We’ll have to rely on our legs now…”         “Huh?”         “I… I’m sorry, Overdrive,” said Tornado. “I overestimated our chances… We’ve got to get outta here!” Overdrive could only nod quickly when she noticed Orgoi emerging from the mist again. She and Tornado started running toward the city, knowing they can bring additional danger to their allies or even the civilians. However, as the blue dragon watched at their pitiful attempt at escaping, he chuckled to himself.         “Hm, hm, hm… Do you really think you can escape from me?” He fired another freezing beam at the ground, aiming just ahead of the two pegasi. They came to a screeching halt.         “No!” Overdrive exclaimed. They tried to turn around and run in another direction, but Orgoi’s beam created a frozen barrier around them, preventing them from doing so.         “Damn! We’re trapped!” Tornado growled. Orgoi leered down at them.         “I believe now you know what foolish thing you did by challenging me,” he said to Tornado. “Now you and your friend will pay the price for your foolhardiness.” Overdrive didn’t knew what to do. Their situation seemed hopeless. She turned to Tornado.         “You can still flee. Get out of here, Tornado! Safe yourself!” the lavender mare shrieked in desperation. But the green pegasus looked down at the ground, resigned.         “... No.”         “But…!” Tornado looked directly into Overdrive’s eyes.         “Overdrive… You didn’t leave me behind, even though you could. So I won’t leave you either. I’m sorry I’ve dragged you into this…”         “Don’t be…” The mare touched Tornado’s left cheek with her hoof, smiling sadly. His face reflected her mood.         “If this is going to be our end… let’s face it together.” Overdrive's lips started to tremble. She was already shivering from the intensifying cold.         “I… I don’t want to die…” Tears started forming in her eyes. Tornado approached her and embraced her.         “Don’t be afraid. I’ll stay with you. I’ll never leave you alone,” he said.         “Hold me…” Overdrive pleaded. Orgoi watched the two ponies, feeling strange melancholy in his cold heart. It was the first time he’d seen something like this. “How touching…” he growled, as the gem on his armor flashed with a blue light again. “I almost pity you… Don’t worry. You won’t feel a thing!” The dragon started charging energy again, readying himself to turn them into icy statues. Tornado Swirl and Overdrive clinged to each other, closing their eyes, preparing for the end… But just then, Orgoi’s radar started giving out warning signals. He stopped his attack and looked at it in surprise.         “What? … Reinforcements…?” The snow almost stopped falling. A rough, female voice sounded in the silence.         “There he is! Just as our guys said! Viper squadron, engage the dragon!” It was Lightning Dust and her team. They flew onward at breakneck speed, screaming loudly to disorient Orgoi. The eight pegasi started flying circles around him. Tornado Swirl tried to call out to them to break the ice and release them, but Lightning Dust couldn’t hear him. Luckily for the imprisoned ponies, Firefly and Derpy were approaching as well. They saw the frozen prison from quite a distance and knew exactly what to do.         “Ditzy, let’s focus on one point and smash through,” Firefly suggested.         “All right!” The two mares attacked simultaneously, hitting the ice with their front hooves. After a few attempts, they broke through. “Hurry, get out of there!” Firefly hailed to Tornado Swirl and Overdrive. Both of them managed to escape. The shattered ice then crumbled into small pieces. The wingmates from Tornado and Overdrive’s squadrons landed next to them.          “Sir, are you all right?!” Burner 2 asked.         “Ugh… just barely,” Tornado replied. Derpy had her attention focused on Overdrive’s frozen wing. It seemed to be completely immobilized. Overdrive kept wincing in pain.         “Oww… it stings…” she whined.         “You guys stay here,” Firefly told them. “Quox and her battalion will be here soon. They left the recapture to Rarity and Pinkie Pie. They should be able to handle it, especially since the Voluntary Defense Corps joined the battle as well. The Exiles shouldn’t pose that much of a threat to them now. We’ll go and help Lightning Dust. Come on, Ditzy!”         “Right!” As the two mares took into the sky again, Firefly thought to herself:         “So this dragon here was going to be the backup for those scum… We gotta do something about him and fast!” ========== 0835 hrs While Lightning Dust and her wingmates kept circling around Orgoi, distracting him and preventing the dragon from regaining control on the situation, the green pegasus mare daringly attacked him several times, delivering hits to his stomach or the head. But those blows had almost no effect on Orgoi’s thick scales. Instead, they only started infuriating him more.         “Grah! You are all like a bunch of annoying little flies… What?” His radar picked up several more incoming signals. More shapes of ponies appeared on the ground. Quox’s Avion battalion made it.         “Another group? This is becoming rather unfortunate…” the dragon thought to himself.         “All unicorns and artillery units, focus fire on the dragon! Don’t stop shooting until he goes down or flees!” Quox ordered. In the next few seconds, Orgoi received a barrage of artillery fire, combined with beams made of fire or electricity. The dragon roared as they struck him.         “That’s it! Keep at it!” Quox encouraged her soldiers.         “Hey, save something for us!” Lightning Dust yelled to her. Orgoi had enough of their overconfidence. He decided to stop playing around, now that the ponies showed to him that they can be dangerous foes.         “If that is how you want to do things… Fine. Glacial Sapphire, Maximum Output!” the dragon growled loudly. The gem in his armor gave out several blinding blue and grey flashes. Orgoi extended his wings and disappeared into the mist again.         “Where’d he go?!” Lightning Dust exclaimed. Tornado Swirl knew what was coming next. He yelled at the top of his lungs.         “He’s using the mist to hide! Stay alert!” He didn’t care if he would become Orgoi’s next target; he just wanted to warn his friends. However, Orgoi already had everything planned. His ominous voice sounded in the silence.         “I will start with you…!” A bright blue light shimmered above Quox’s Avion battalion. When she looked up and noticed it, her fears were confirmed.         “Dammit…! Evasive maneuvers, everypony!” The blue unicorn used her magic to teleport away from the blast zone while her compatriots scattered. Unfortunately, most of them were not given enough time to react. Their screams filled the air for a brief moment. Quox appeared several meters away from her unit. What she saw caused her to gasp in horror. The majority of the ponies were turned into frozen statues, some of them having expressions of fear or pain on their faces. All of a sudden, Quox found herself in a very difficult situation. But things only turned for the worse. Orgoi suddenly dived down, aiming for the frozen ponies. Quox’s legs refused to move. All she could do was scream.         “NO! STOP!” The dragon did not listen. In a thundering crash, he landed on the ground, directly on the frozen group of ponies. Harrowing, shattering sounds ensued. All remaining ponies stopped dead when they were as they heard it. A few moments later, Orgoi took flight again, revealing a nauseating pool of blood and ice shards below him.         “Ponies die so easily…” he muttered, as he swung his tail to scatter the bloodied and frozen remains of the EAF soldiers around the area. Some of them splattered on Quox’s face. She kept staring into the distance, unaware of her surroundings. When she felt the cold wind hitting her, she started trembling.         “My… my unit… My friends…! No…!” Firefly and Derpy were shocked, too.         “Did you see that…? He crushed… all of them…” the pink mare blurted out.         “By the stars…” Derpy covered her mouth both in disgust and fright. Quox suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream. She started firing beams of blue energy at Orgoi in pure, berserk rage.         “YOU’LL PAY FOR THAT, YOU BASTARD! I’LL KILL YOU!” she yelled. The big dragon simply turned to her and extended his wings.         “Go ahead, just try to kill me,” he taunted the mare, angering her further.         “AAAAAHHH!!!” As Quox kept shooting energy beams from her horn, Firefly noticed something strange happening. The beams were vanishing as they struck Orgoi, as if the armor was absorbing them. She remembered what Twilight told her after the battle at Ponyville. The same thing happened when her troops tried to stop Gleipnir from advancing... She shouted to Quox:         “Avion 1, stop attacking him!”         “SHUT UP!” Quox yelled in response. “I’LL KILL HIM!”         “You are only empowering him! Stop attacking!” Firefly reiterated. Only then Quox came to her senses.         “W-What…?” Orgoi let out another creepy laugh.         “True, that last Freeze Ray drained most of my power… I have to express my thanks for helping me recover some of it… Hm, hm, hm…”         “This can’t be…!” Quox now realized that the Drake General’s armor allowed him to absorb magical energy and restore his own. She felt straight into his trap. Orgoi said to her:         “Do not grieve… You will join your friends soon…” He whipped his tail at the blue mare, sending her flying through the air for a few meters. Quox screamed in pain when she was hit, letting out more pained grunts when she landed on her back. She tried to get up, but Orgoi made a big leap and landed almost next to her. Leaning his mouth toward Quox, he let out a deafening roar.         “No… No…!” Quox uttered in a tearful voice. Her mind was in shambles. Images of a terrifying, black dragon-like creature appeared before her in Orgoi’s place. A piercing screech replaced the roar and fear enveloped her heart completely. She covered her ears and curled on the ground, unable to escape.         “Get away…! Go away-y you m-monster…! L-Leave me alone…!” Quox sobbed uncontrollably.         “Quox, get outta there!” Lightning Dust yelled. Orgoi started charging energy again. He was about to blast Quox with a wave of cold and freeze her. Lightning Dust shifted her sight from Orgoi to Quox several times before she let out a frustrated growl.         “For buck’s sake!” She dived down toward Quox. Just as Orgoi unleashed his freezing beam, Lightning Dust managed to snag Quox away, saving her from being turned into a statue, though the force of the blast still knocked her to the ground. Orgoi growled.         “Bah! I missed…” Lightning Dust got up from the ground, turning to frightened Quox. With an angered expression, she punched the unicorn in the face.         “Quox! You stupid whore of a foal! What the hay is wrong with you?!” The blue mare finally came to her senses. She looked at Lightning Dust in confusion.         “What…?”         “Get your act together!” Lightning Dust exclaimed. “Or better yet, go home! There’s no need for you here! Why didn’t you stay with the others at the Air Force Base? We… Aargh!” The pegasus mare hit Quox in the face again, knocking her down.         “There’s no place for failures like you here! Get lost! We will deal with that dragon ourselves! Viper squadron, to me!” She took flight, leaving the devastated pony behind. Firefly, Derpy, Overdrive and Tornado Swirl approached her, worried about her condition.         “Quox, are you all right?” Derpy asked.         “Come on, say something!” Firefly urged her. Quox just lied on the ground, staring down at it with a frown. Tears started dripping from her dark orange eyes.         “My unit… it’s… it’s gone… my friends… Aah… Why…? I-I… A-Aaa-ah-ah…!” The poor unicorn mare started crying. Derpy, Firefly, Overdrive and Tornado looked at her with sadness, unsuccessfully trying to comfort her. Quox covered her eyes with her hooves, slumping to the ground. The despair in her heart overwhelmed her.         “Quox…” Derpy said quietly. Firefly shifted her sight to Tornado Swirl and Overdrive.         “You guys stay with her. We’re going to help Lightning Dust. I think there’s only one way we can deal with that squamose bastard.”         “OK. Watch yourselves, girls,” Tornado responded. Firefly and Derpy took off from the ground, flying after Lightning Dust. Her unit started attacking Orgoi again, but to very little effect. The green pegasus mare was getting more and more frustrated.         “Dang it. How are we suppose deal with him?” she wondered aloud. She noticed Firefly and Derpy approaching.         “You stay out of this! We can beat him ourselves,” Lightning Dust said confidently.         “Listen, Viper 1,” Firefly said sternly, grabbing the lime green pegasus by the arms. “Forget about glory or fame or anything! Now we’re fighting to survive and prevent that dragon from reaching Manehattan! If you don’t want to end up like the ponies from Avion battalion, I suggest you listen to me!” Lightning Dust’s eyes widened in surprise. For a brief moment, Firefly sounded like she was channeling Spitfire, the tone of her voice being quite demanding. The arrogant mare came to the conclusion that any kind of help would be useful.         “Alright, fine. Do you have any ideas?” Lightning Dust asked.         “I’ve noticed something about that dragon’s armor,” Firefly replied. “The gem that’s encased in it… it’s giving out flashes of light any time he attacks. It must be his power source.”         “OK, so… if we destroy it...?” Lightning Dust inquired.         “Then he won’t be able to use those ice beams and maybe the mist will disappear, too,” Firefly finished. A grin formed on Lightning Dust’s face.         “Now you’re talking my language!” She called her wingmates back to her to regroup and said:         “All right, guys. I think we got it. Focus your attacks on that big, blue gem in the dragon’s armor. If we break it, we’ll win!”         “Yeah! Alright! Let’s do it!” the pegasi from Viper squadron let out some cheers before they went back into attacking formation. Orgoi, however, was prepared for them.         “So, you have discovered my little secret… Not that it will do you any good,” he said.         “Huh?” Lightning Dust asked.         “If you cannot see something, you cannot hit it…” With these words, Orgoi’s gem glew with white light again. The dragon entered the cover of the mist. Snow resumed falling, and the air became colder. The ponies tried to pick up the sound of his beating wings or a growl, but they could not see him. When she least expected it, Lightning Dust heard a loud whooshing sound behind her. She saw Orgoi heading straight at her. The dragon rose his claw and hit her, sending her to the ground. Her scream alerted the rest of her wingmates.         “Lieutenant!” Viper 3 exclaimed, flying directly after her. Lightning Dust managed to recover from the blow in midair, but Orgoi had opened his mouth, ready to blast her with his Freeze Ray. Just as he did, Viper 3 appeared right between the dragon and Lightning Dust, taking the blast for himself. His entire body was quickly covered in ice.         “Viper 3!” Lightning Dust shrieked. Before she could do anything, Orgoi extended his right claw and caught the frozen pony before it hit the ground. He looked at it with a satisfied grin, then shifted his attention to Lightning Dust.         “Soon you will share his fate…” he said slowly. The grip of his claw tightened. His nails started piercing into the flier’s body, slightly cracking the ice. Lightning Dust watched in dread as the dragon took his time in crushing her wingmate into tiny pieces. When he finally did, the mare snapped.         “NO! YOU… MURDERER!” she yelled.         “He killed Viper 3!” another flier exclaimed. “Time to get serious, everypony! Show him no mercy!” Without waiting for Lightning Dust to give a proper order, the six pegasi flew straight at Orgoi, trying to find a way to expose his gem and destroy it. But the dragon had a cruel plan up in his mind. Lightning Dust and her team impeded his mission in aiding the Exiles already, so he decided to change his objective and annihilate her team… one flier after the other. Firefly and Derpy joined the Viper squadron in attacking, as did Lightning Dust. Initially, she thought that fighting the dragon would be more “exciting” than capturing the Air Force Base, so when the pegasus fighters from Burner and Racer told Quox about the situation, she quickly agreed to help. Now, after seeing one of her wingmates die before her eyes and being unable to help him, she was having a moment of doubt. However, it quickly dissipated when the rest of her team rallied around her, ready for another assault.         “That bastard will pay dearly for killing one of ours!” Lightning Dust announced to the others. “Take him out!” Orgoi simply chuckled. He was the one dealing the cards in this confrontation.         “Hmph. Pathetic. If that’s how you want it… I have one more surprise for you, little ponies…” The gem on his armor shone in a cyan light, which intrigued Firefly, since she hadn't seen that color yet. She decided to turn sharply to the left and tried telling Lightning Dust and her team to do the same, but she refused to listen. When Orgoi opened his mouth a few seconds later, no freezing beam came out of it. Instead, he fired a storm of icicles at the pegasi. Derpy managed to dodge them in time. Lightning Dust tried to smash some of the frozen spikes into pieces, but when she saw more of them heading her way, she abandoned her attack and rolled to the side. Sadly, one of her wingmates tried doing the same, but he didn’t react quickly enough, and one of the larger icicles impaled his body through the stomach. It brought him to a halt as he let out several painful gasps.         “Viper 4! NO!” Lightning Dust screamed.         “Ah… Aahhh…” The flier’s wings ceased to beat, as did his heart. Just then, several more icicles impaled his head, drilling into his brain and piercing the wings. The arms of the pegasus twitched briefly before he fell down to the ground. Lightning Dust was shocked to see the extent of dragon’s power, but the feeling of anger was stronger than fear. She let out another scream and charged at Orgoi. He turned around and swung his tail, sending the green mare to the ground as well. She managed to make a backflip just before she crashed, landing almost next to her fallen wingmate. Blood was flowing from his wounds. This sight only angered Lightning Dust even more.         “Bastard…! YOU WON’T GET AWAY WITH THIS!” Firefly and Derpy saw that she was starting to lose control and give into her emotions. They flew down and grabbed her arms, preventing her from rejoining her team in battle. Lightning Dust looked at them. Her eyes were showing nothing, but pure rage.         “LET ME GO!” she yelled.         “Calm down, Viper 1,” said Firefly. “You don’t have a chance against him!”         “I said, let me go! He must pay for what he did!” Lightning Dust started thrashing around, attempting to break herself free from their grip. Derpy held her tight.         “Be reasonable, Lightning Dust. You want to die, too?”         “Shut up! SHUT UP, YOU COCKEYED…!” Before she could finish, she saw one of the fighters from her team charging straight at Orgoi.         “You won’t be treating our leader like this!” he exclaimed, trying to catch the dragon’s attention.         “And what are you going to do about it… weakling?” he replied. The next moment, another blue light flashed from his gem. Orgoi fired another Freeze Ray, managing to land a direct hit on the pegasus and turning him into an icy statue. Lightning Dust was still struggling against Firefly and Derpy.         “Let me go, dammit! I have to stop him! I don’t care if he’s a dragon or not, I’m gonna…!” Again, she did not finished the sentence. Orgoi grabbed the frozen pegasus in his right claw like before, but this time, he did not outright crush him. Instead, he leaned his head toward him and opened his mouth. Seconds later, his powerful teeth bit the pegasus’ head clean off, spraying some blood from his body as he gnawed on it. The remaining four pegasi from Viper squadron watched in horror as Orgoi spit out the disembodied head, then threw the frozen remains to the ground, causing them to shatter on impact.         “Disgusting…” Orgoi muttered to himself. Lightning Dust could barely control herself. Firefly and Derpy had to nearly pin her to ground to prevent her from moving.         “Dammit…! DAMMIT! LET ME GOOO!!!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.         “If you attack him, he’ll kill you!” Firefly shouted back at her. “Is that what you want?!”         “YOU KNOW NOTHING!” Lightning Dust yelled. “I don’t care what happens! I’m not going to just stand here and watch as he’s massacring my squadron! What would YOU do if he was killing off your wingmares like that?!” That last sentence made Firefly ponder on her words. Lightning Dust carried on, her voice getting louder with each sentence.         “Compared to the rest of you, those guys are the only ones that understand me! They’re the only ponies that know what I’m going through, the only ones that truly support me! I won’t let that bastard kill them off! I WILL stop him!” Orgoi fired another wave of icicles at the rest of Lightning Dust’s wingmates. One of two mares was hit by them, though she initially tried blocking the attack by shielding herself with her arms. Still, one of the sharp icicles pierced through her right arm, impaling her arteries. It became nearly impossible for her to breathe. A few seconds later, her body became limp and she fell to the ground, dying a slow, painful death. That was the last straw for Lightning Dust. In a span of less than ten minutes, she lost half of her squadron. She glanced back at Firefly and Derpy.         “LET ME GO!!!” The green mare lashed out her right rear leg, delivering a powerful kick to Derpy’s stomach. Derpy gasped in pain, loosening her grip on Lightning Dust’s arm. Firefly, caught by surprise, released the other arm. She received a powerful punch to her jaw almost immediately and fell down.         “Buck you!” Lightning Dust snorted. “Screw you both! Don’t get in my way!” She spread her wings and started heading directly at Orgoi. Firefly groaned in pain as she helped Derpy get up. The grey mare coughed several times, still feeling the impact of the blow.         “Dammit…!” Firefly muttered. Lightning Dust screamed toward her wingmates before turning her attention to Orgoi.         “Get out of the way! HE’S MINE! COME ON, YOU MURDERER! YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!         “So angry…” Orgoi growled to himself. “If you want to die so badly, so be it.” The blue gem unleashed another flash of light. Orgoi aimed at Lightning Dust and fired his beam of cold energy. Lightning Dust kept her eyes focused toward him all the time. She saw the incoming beam and quickly turned to the right, dodging the attack. The beam still headed for the ground though, becoming a threat for Firefly, Derpy, and the pegasi from Burner and Racer squadrons.         “Everypony, move away!” the pink mare shouted. All of them made quick leaps to the side. The icy beam struck the spot they were at a few seconds ago. Firefly and Derpy locked their sights on Lightning Dust, who kept heading toward Orgoi.         “Don’t even try running away!” she screamed at him. “Not even hiding it that mist of yours will help you!”         “Why should I bother… I’ll just silence you for good!” Orgoi replied, firing another ice beam at Lightning Dust.         “Not a chance!” The green mare took a sharp turn to the left this time, making the beam pass her by. She started moving rapidly from left to right, making it difficult for Orgoi to get a good aim. He growled in frustration. Lightning Dust was simply too fast for him.         “What’s wrong, big guy?!” the mare taunted him. “Not so tough now, are you?! Let’s see how you’ll handle THIS!” Lightning Dust suddenly picked up her speed, going for the gem located in Orgoi’s armor. Beating her wings as fast as she could, she avoided two more icy beams, then she increased her altitude to align herself before Orgoi and charged toward him. She reared her left arm, ready to strike…         “Haaa!” Her punch connected. She managed to hit the gem. Orgoi ceased charging up more energy. While the other pegasi watched Lightning Dust’s feat, she delivered another blow, using her other arm this time. The gem appeared to be untouched, but it did not daunt the flier’s effort to hurt the dragon. How about THIS?!” Lightning Dust delivered a precise thrusting kick to the blue gem. It still did not crack, but Orgoi roared loudly, clutching the armor with his claw. The blue behemtoh definitely felt that. He started breathing rapidly.         “How… How did you…?” The big blue dragon took a step back, trying to regain composure. Lightning Dust folded her front arms, giving out a confident smirk.         “Say your prayers, monster!”         “Guh…!” As Lightning Dust was readying another assault, Orgoi suddenly heard a voice in his communicator. A growl much deeper than his own.         “I warned you…”         “King Aigaion…!” Orgoi grumbled.         “I told you to not abuse the power of the sapphire. But you didn’t listen. You have failed me. I am disappointed in you, Orgoi,” Aigaion said slowly.         “My lord… Forgive me… I was careless…” Orgoi tried excusing himself.         “Indeed. At the very least, you managed to inflict considerable casualties to our enemies. Retreat back to the castle. Now!”         “Yes, my lord…” Orgoi spread his wings open and roared again, causing Lightning Dust to stop in place. The other ponies watched him in anxiety as well. The dragon looked down at them and said:         “You may be small, compared to us… but dangerous, nonetheless. For now, my mission here is done. But rest assured, we will meet again.”         “You’re not getting away!” Lightning Dust exclaimed. But when she tried getting closer to Orgoi, his wings struck in full force, sending a powerful gust of wind downward. Lightning Dust tried resisting it, but was blown away from her course. Orgoi started to ascend. He kept going higher and higher, slowly disappearing in the mist he made… Lightning Dust regained her balance and tried to give chase, but suddenly Firefly appeared before her, extending her arms.         “Lightning Dust, stop!” she shouted. “Don’t go after him!”         “Get outta my way!” the green flier shouted back. “I will bring that dragon down!”         “Come to your senses, dammit!” Firefly yelled. “It’s pointless to go after him! What do you plan to do? Grab his tail and send him crashing to the ground?!”         “I—I…!” Orgoi’s loud chuckle echoed for a while. Firefly looked behind her. His silhouette vanished already.         “He’s beyond our range. It’s over, Lightning Dust. He’s gone.” Lightning Dust was still trying to catch her breath and calm down. She initially rose her right arm, seemingly trying to hit Firefly in her anger, but then… she slowly lowered her arm, looking downward in regret. She had a great chance to avenge her fallen teammates, but she couldn’t finish what she started. Firefly laid her own arms on Lightning Dust’s shoulders.         “Come on…” The two descended down to the ground. Everypony noticed that the mist around them began to dissipate, and the snow also ceased. Finally, the sunbeams pierced through the remaining greyish cloud, shining brightly in the sky again. Overdrive looked at it in great relief.         “Ahh… so warm…” she said. However, her wing still remained frozen, which left her anxious. Firefly started hearing some static and voices in her radio, so she answered the call to hear who it was.         “...fly! Hey…! Firefly! Mirage 2, do you read me?! Can anypony answer me? Hellooo?! Dang it, is this thing broken?!” Firefly recognized that young, female voice.         “I hear you, Tiger 1! What’s up?”         “Finally, geez!” Carnival Tail whined. “I’ve been trying to contact you for the past few minutes! I’ve got some great news! WE WON!” Firefly, Derpy and the other ponies heard spontaneous cheering in their headphones.         “R-Really?” Firefly asked. “That’s great news!”         “We sure did! Actually, we got some backup from the Voluntary Defense Corps from Manehattan. They wanted to join the battle when they heard about the upcoming reinforcements. Some Exiles that we’ve taken into custody were blabbering about them, too. Since they didn’t show up, I guess you guys took care of ‘em, huh?”         “Well… you could say that…” Firefly replied. Carnival Tail let out a loud squeal before she started sounding a bit more serious.         “Oh yeah… I couldn’t contact Major Quox, so I’ve been trying to reach you instead. How is she? Is she all right?” Firefly took a glimpse on Quox, still lying on the ground, surrounded by the few remaining earth ponies and unicorns from her Avion battalion.         “Uh… it’s a long story. She’s alive, that I can tell you now. You’ll hear the rest when we get back. Tell the guys at Manehattan to prepare hospital beds… and some body bags, too.” That last sentence caused Carnival Tail to only utter a barely hearable “OK” before she cut the link. Firefly came closer to Quox. She finally stood up.         “You okay?” the pink mare asked.         “I… I’ll be fine. Let’s go…” Quox replied in a shaky voice. Only Lightning Dust remained in place. The remaining three pegasi from her squadron called out to her. She didn’t even look at them when she said in a monotonous voice:         “Go. I’ll catch up to you.” Not wanting to argue further, her wingmates followed the other soldiers to Manehattan. Lightning Dust stared at the ground, pondering on what just happened. Where did she make a mistake... ? Why did it had to happen now…? Was it fate’s cruel order or her own carelessness… Clamping her eyelids, Lightning Dust punched the ground several times in frustration, muttering to herself:         “Dammit… Damn that dragon…! Why did that happen? It wasn’t suppose to be like this…!” ========== 1700 hrs Central Manehattan, Lighthoof Hospital Back in the city, the soldiers from Equestrian Allied Forces were warmly welcomed by the citizens of Manehattan. As did those who were a part of the Voluntary Defense Corps. Thanks to the combined efforts of the two groups, the Air Force Base had been recaptured and the Exiles were driven away from the area. Several of them, about thirty five, according to initial reports, had been caught while trying to flee the battlefield, including the Enemy Commander. They were declared POWs and remained in custody. Results about Operation “Gambit” were quickly relayed to Gale by Firefly, and he declared it a success. However, the price of victory was high. Out of the army group that was dispatched to Manehattan, only about 40% survived the operation. Many soldiers sustained wounds and were being treated in the biggest hospital in the city. Many more were also exhausted from the continuous battles fought over the course of the last week. Worst yet, almost 80% of the Avion battalion was confirmed to be annihilated by Orgoi. Quox was in no condition to lead the unit for the time being. She was taken for mental examination by the psychiatrists. The pegasus squadrons also reported several loses. Carnival Tail lost one of her wingmates during the battle, and Lightning Dust had half of her squadron wiped out, too. Ever since they all returned, she remained in her crew quarters in the Main HQ, doors locked. She would not allow anypony to see her, save for the three wingmates from her squadron who were still alive. Overdrive and Tornado Swirl were also treated at the hospital. The green pegasus’ strained wings were quickly taken care of, but Overdrive’s case was different. The doctor kept examining her wing and kept it under close observation for a while. The lavender mare grew slightly impatient on the afternoon, as Tornado Swirl came to visit her.         “Doc, tell me! What’s going to happen to me?” she asked. The pony in a white suit sighed loudly.         “I won’t sugarcoat it. This is probably the most serious case of frost-bitten wing I have ever seen. I’ve never witnessed these kinds of effects from dragon magic… But it’s nothing our advanced equipment cannot handle. If we can just pump enough blood into your wing and slowly defrost it…”         “Then… I’ll be able to fly again?” Overdrive asked hopefully.         “Yes, I believe so. However… I’m afraid this process takes a long time. You will have to remain in hospital for rehabilitation for about… six weeks or so.” Those words caused Overdrive to slump down on her bed.         “Six weeks?” she groaned.         “Hey, don’t worry,” Tornado interjected. “You won’t be alone. I’ll stay with you…”         “No!” Overdrive protested. “Your wounds were already taken care of, right, Tornado?”         “Well… yeah…” the green pegasus confirmed.         “Then you have to keep fighting! You will be needed along with your team. I’ll tell my wingmates to remain with you until I get back. I’m sure Gale won’t have any objections about it.” To Tornado, it sounded like she had everything planned. He had no reason to argue.         “If that’s what you want…” He lowered his sight, looking glum. Overdrive noticed it.         “Something wrong?”         “No, I just… I want to tell you something and it’s…” The two ponies looked at the doctor. He immediately understood the case.         “Alright. I will give you five minutes,” he said.         “Thanks,” Tornado responded. When the earth pony in the white suit left, Overdrive turned her full attention to Tornado Swirl.         “So, what'd you wanted to tell me?”         “I… I wanted to apologize… Things didn’t work out back then… at all…” Tornado started. Overdrive knew what he was referring to. Something had been bothering her for a while. She felt the need to ask.         “Why did you tried fighting that dragon by yourself?”         “I don’t even know myself…” Tornado confessed. “I guess… I wanted to prove something to myself… that we can do little miracles, like Rainbow and her Mirage squadron do… But that was just some wishful thinking…” Overdrive reached her right arm to her coltfriend and urged him to come closer.         “Tornado… There’s no reason for you, or any of us to try and do what Rainbow’s team does. They are in a different league… But that doesn't’ mean we can’t help them. We have to do whatever we can in our power to help them in defeating the enemy. Besides…” The lavender mare moved her mouth closer to Tornado. His face was blushing a bit.         “You and your team, like any other, are special in their own right. You have no reason to be different. Be yourself, Tornado. … Don’t ever change.”         “Heh… I remember when you said those words the first time…” Tornado blurted out. Overdrive suddenly lifted her body from her bed, leaning onto her friend. Their lips met and she gave him a passionate kiss. He looked at her, stunned.         “That’s for saving me,” Overdrive said. “If it weren’t for you, I’d probably end up in a wheelchair for the rest of my life… at best.”         “I-I…” The lavender pegasus giggled.         “You should look in the mirror. You look so silly right now!”         “Oh, you little…” Tornado chuckled. The two shared a few laughs before the green pegasus glanced at the clock hanging on the wall of the room. It was getting close to 6 PM.         “Well, I better get going. Don’t push yourself, Overdrive. I promise I’ll visit you again the first chance I get.” With that said, he came closer and kissed her on the lips himself.         “I love you.”         “I love you, too, Tornado. Take care of yourself and your wingmates out there,” Overdrive told him.         “I will.” ----------------- When Firefly and Derpy met Tornado later, Firefly noted he seemed to be in high spirits, which was in complete contradiction to how Quox and Lightning Dust were feeling. Quox’s involvement in further battles was questionable due to her unstable mental health. As Firefly talked to Gale about her, he sounded upset.         “I only allowed her to join this operation because she requested it. She seemed to be in perfect condition. There were no reports about any disorders or anything like that…”         “I think it had something to do with that dragon,” said Firefly. “Up until he showed up and decimated her battalion, things were fine. Then it all went down the drain…”         “I will look into the matter. For now, you girls should remain in Manehattan with the rest of the army group. There is no guarantee that the Exiles will not make another attempt at trying to take over this region back for themselves. You must secure the city and the area in its closest vicinity, so that it can become a vital strategic point for us,” Gale ordered.         “You got it. I’ll talk to you later. Firefly out.” The pink mare ended the conversation. Derpy seemed a bit gloomy herself.         “What’s up, Derpy? Still worried about your kids?” Firefly asked.         “No, not that… I’ve been thinking about what Lightning Dust said,” Derpy replied.         “What exactly?”         “That… her wingmates are the only ones who understand her. And that only they know what she is going through…” Firefly squinted her eyes, pondering on those words.         “Yeah… You know, I think I’ll have to rethink my opinion about Lightning Dust. Arrogant as she may be… she really is a great flier. But I get the feeling she’s hiding something. I’m not sure what that is, but… let’s hope it’s nothing too serious.” ----------------- 2000 hrs Equestrian Allied Forces HQ, crew quarters Lightning Dust was sitting in the company of her three remaining wingmates from her Viper squadron: two stallions and a mare. She asked them to come see her in person. She felt an urge to talk to somepony.         “Sundance… Eagle Song… Swift Ace… I’m sorry, guys…” Lightning Dust started. “I thought that we were ready for taking on anyone or anything… but, because of me… we lost half of our team. Where… Where did I go wrong…?”         “You didn’t,” the yellow mare known as Sundance said to her. “Lightning Dust, you have to hear us out. All you’ve been doing is blaming yourself for the past few hours.”         “It’s true that we’ve suffered great losses…” the brown-coated stallion, Eagle Song, added, “but… if not for your great fighting skills, we would have died, too.”         “That’s right,” Swift Ace added. “Nopony could predict we’d be facing a freakin’ dragon during our first serious mission. If you didn’t make him pull back, we wouldn’t be here now.” Lightning Dust looked at her wingmates. They seemed to have adamant trust in her.         “If Spitfire learns about the losses Viper squadron sustained, I might be…!”         “Never mind her!” Sundance said loudly. “We’ve been there with you. We saw what you were doing. You’ve been trying your best to chase the enemy away and protect us at the same time.”         “Yeah! If anypony will be doubting you, we’ll tell ’em what happened,” Eagle Song said. “You’re the best there is, Lightning Dust. Ain’t no other flier better than you.”         “We got you covered, don’t worry,” said Swift Ace, putting his arm around Lightning Dust’s shoulder. “If we’re lucky, we might run into that dragon again… Then, we will avenge our comrades. And we’ll be there to help you!” A genuine smile appeared on Lightning Dust’s face. Her vision got a little blurry.         “Thanks, guys…” she said with a trembling voice. “You… You don’t know how… how much those words mean to me…!”         “We do, Lightning Dust,” said Sundance. “We heard that you’ve been having a tough time in the Wonderbolts Academy…”         “And you confessed about your problems, too…” Eagle Song added. “From what I know, you only mentioned them to us. Why?” Lightning Dust lowered her sight, trying her best to keep her composure.         “You guys looked trustworthy… Everypony else was looking down upon me, except for you…” “Because we know you’re not as bad as some ponies say,” said Swift Ace. “You trusted in us, so we trust in you, too, Lightning Dust. That’s what friends are for.” “Friends…?” Lightning Dust laughed under her breath.         “Heh… that sounds cool,” she said in a choking voice. “I guess… I do have… friends…” The four pegasi got closer and enveloped each other in a group hug. Lightning Dust wasn’t trying to hide her tears anymore. She felt no shame in crying with those she considered friends. When she went to sleep a few hours later, she wondered what the next few coming days will bring her in relations to other ponies. Understanding… or perhaps, contempt?