//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: Putting the Flames Down // Story: Ace Combat: The Equestrian War // by PolishValsion //------------------------------// At the dawn of a cold and snowy day, The heroines approach the challenge ahead. Avoiding traps and supporting each other, They fight to secure the future of their kind. Chapter 10 "Putting the Flames Down” February 9th, 2019 0730 hrs Equestria airspace, The Griffin Kingdom border The clouds were covering most of the sky. Snow was falling gently. What seemed to be another normal wintry day in Equestria was, in fact, something much more. Firefly, leading the flight, had her mind focused on the mission ahead. A very dangerous and risky one. She and her wingmares from Mirage squadron already knew how the whole operation should proceed in order to be successful. While the Wonderbolts initially planned to assist them, the growing chaos prevented the aces from doing so and forced them to stay in Canterlot to patrol the skies. But Soarin’ promised to send Firefly’s team assistance in the form of a two pegasi squadron he and Spitfire rounded up in the past few days. The ponies were looking around, gazing at the scenery, while flying toward the mountainous region where the Griffin Kingdom was. The silence among them was broken by Medley.         “Y’know... I’m feeling a little nervous.” Firefly turned her head behind and said:         “If you’re scared, it’s not too late to go back. But if we do it, we may never have another chance in taking The Burning Talon down.”         “No... I won’t leave,” Medley decided. “I’ll stay, and I’ll help you as best as I can. It’s my responsibility as the squadron’s flier. It’s just that...” Fluttershy approached her. She seemed to be a little worried, too.         “I know how you feel. And as much as I’m having some doubts too, I know that we are the only ponies who can do it. We must fight for our friends and their futures. If the griffins win...”         “They won’t win!” Derpy interrupted. “Not as long as we’re flying in the skies!”         “OK, gals, no need to start arguments,” Firefly intervened. The pegasi instantly stopped talking and looked at her. She, of them all, had probably the best reason to fight against their feathered foes, yet acted strangely calm. The pink pegasus noticed it.         “This mission is gonna be really tough, so we should conserve our energy and save it for the real action,” she explained. “Besides, we won’t be alone, in a sense.” At this point, Soarin’ contacted Firefly. All pegasi switched their communicators on to hear him, too. He was excusing them for not being able to join them in the flight, but stated that the friendly squadrons were inbound to their positions.         “Contact them as soon as you’ll have them on radars, callsigns Racer and Burner.”         “Roger that, Soarin’. We’ll do it the instant the show up,” Firefly responded. She asked if they would actually be good enough to assist them, but the Wonderbolt dismissed her worries by stating that being hoof-picked by one of Equestria’s finest aces has to mean something. Rainbow Dash was slightly interested in it and wanted to ask for details about the recruitment procedure, but just then, Lightning Bolt exclaimed:         “I’ve got several contacts on radar approaching from east and west!”         “It’s probably them.” Firefly adjusted her communicator’s frequency to reach the newly arrived forces.         “Racer and Burner flights, this is Flash, from Mirage squadron.”         “Roger, Flash,” a voice of an adolescent colt replied. “This is Tornado Swirl, callsign Burner 1. Good to be flying with you.”         “Overdrive, callsign Racer 1 here. What he said,” the second voice belonged to a mare. Both teams approached Firefly’s squadron and quickly got to know each other. Tornado’s squadron consisted of him and four other pegasi, while Overdrive had three additional wingmares. The ponies took a closer look on the team leaders; Tornado Swirl had a light green coat and dark blue mane, while Overdrive was sporting a lavender coat and a long, orange mane that looked similar to Fluttershy’s. Rainbow Dash was still curious on how they were chosen. She got closer to Tornado and asked him:         “So, the Wonderbolts picked you to help us?”         “That’s right,” Tornado Swirl replied. “Our main purpose is to focus any possible enemy forces on us, rather than you. We’ll keep them busy while you’ll be taking the facilities down.”         “Wow, you guys must be pretty good,” said Cloud Kicker.         “We have some talents, but we’re nowhere as good or famous as you, gals,” Overdrive stated. One of her wingmares had a different opinion, though.         “Why you’re being so modest, Overdrive? Just because they are good doesn’t mean we can’t be, too.”         “Don’t brag about it, Sea Spot. Overconfidence is your greatest weakness,” Racer's flight leader pointed out.         “What was that?!” Firefly decided to cool the situation down, stating it’s not a good time for friendly banter. Lightning Bolt was amazed how she could remain so collected. Soarin’s voice sounded in everypony’s communicators again.         “Now that you have made a rendezvous, it’s about time this operation begun. Remember, you must fly either below 1200 or above 12000 feet, otherwise their radars will pick you up. You’ll need to infiltrate their air space and proceed to The Burning Talon. Once there, take down the jamming facilities and contact us as soon as that’s done. Is everything clear?” All fliers acknowledged the information. Soarin’ ended the conversation, wishing everypony good luck. Stopping in midair and attempting to figure out the best way to reach the griffin superweapon, Rainbow Dash made a suggestion.         “Why don’t we just fly in two groups? One low and one high.” The idea seemed reasonable and simple. Flying in a group as large as three squadrons together would make it harder to maneuver in tight areas. After a brief discussion, all ponies agreed to Rainbow’s proposition. She chose Cloud Kicker and Derpy to assist her on the high altitude, while Firefly picked the other three pegasi to aid her lead close to the ground. Racer flight joined up with the Dash while the Burner team decided to follow Firefly.         “So, now we have sixteen fliers...” Medley did the counting and sighed in relief. “I feel a bit more confident now.”         “We can do it. Just stick to the objective and avoid their detector nets,” Lightning Bolt reminded.         “You should see the area they’re covering on your own radars. Stay clear of them.”         “Relax,” Tornado Swirl remarked. “It should be a piece of cake for Equestria’s top flying team, right?”         “As you’re about to see,” Rainbow noded. “I guess we should get it started, right, Flash?”         “Affirmative. Commencing operation Fire Extinguisher!” she announced, but Medley laughed quietly again. Other ponies looked at her, confused.         “Sorry. I just couldn’t resist,” she said. Cloud Kicker jokingly added that when another codename for an operation will be chosen, they should consult the Wonderbolts before it would be officially adopted. Everypony chuckled on this statement, but soon, they gathered their thoughts and flew toward the mountains, leaving Equestria and entering the enemy’s home territory. ========== 0921 hrs The Griffin Kingdom airspace, en route to The Burning Talon Having split into two teams, the pegasi entered the area under a large radar coverage. Remembering Soarin’s advice, Firefly’s squad flew below 1200 feet, an altitude so low, they had to maneuver carefully in order not to crash into numerous mountains that were in the region. The pink flier and Tornado Swirl were leading the way, with other ponies following them closely. There were moments when they had to break away in emergency so they wouldn’t run into a detector net. But generally, there wasn’t much complication on their end. Rainbow’s group had an easier task, since majority of the detector nets were limited to 11500 feet. However, sometimes one or two ponies had to descend a bit, as they weren’t used to atmospheric pressure and cold on such a high altitude. One such descent, when one of the pegasi from Racer squadron went lower due to his wings becoming numb, would have ended with them being discovered. Luckily, Cloud Kicker managed to put him back in formation. It took the fliers about two hours of evasive flights and searching for a way pass the detector nets to finally clear the area. They suddenly started hearing static in their communicators, indicating they were approaching a sector under strong jamming effects. Their radars managed to remain operational, so when Medley and Sea Spot returned from scouting to confirm the facilities’ locations, it turned out some of the griffins were actually stationed nearby. While that information didn’t make the mission any easier, the ponies were prepared for that by counting their enemies as a factor in the operation. Firefly went on to distribute the squadrons. All pegasi stopped in midair and approached her.         “OK, here’s the deal,” she begun. “As expected, the feathered fellas are lying in wait for us. Let’s not allow that to stop our advance. There are four facilities that emit those signals which are making the communications difficult. We need to destroy each of them. Additionally, they are all protected by anti-air turrets.”         “Yeah... I can tell it’s not going to be easy,” Medley deduced.         “I’m not worried. As long as we’ll work together, we’ll succeed,” Rainbow spoke her mind. Firefly went on for the details.         “As discussed before, Racer and Burner teams will cover us and attempt to keep the griffins busy, while we’ll be trying to take the facilities down.”         “You can count on us,” Tornado Swirl assured.         “And us, too,” Overdrive added. The other pegasi also seemed ready to begin. Rainbow, Derpy, Cloud Kicker and Fluttershy were told to destroy facilities located to the east, while Firefly’s group, which consisted of Medley and Lightning Bolt, would attack those on the left flank. Everypony agreed and switched the communicators off to prevent statics, ready to begin the flight. Tornado Swirl and Overdrive rushed forward, their wingmates behind them in formation. The Mirage squadron flew in two separate directions and begun the assaults.  The griffins were indeed ready for the ponies. Scythe, leader of the Talon squadron, and Echo, who led the Gult squadron, spotted fliers approaching from the mountains.         “Seems like we have visitors, Scythe,” Echo commented.         “Then, let’s give them a warm welcome.” Scythe contacted the operators of The Burning Talon, who were awaiting his commands.         “Fire at will. Don’t let them through,” he ordered. His companions, Razor and Greyback, especially Greyback, who volunteered for this mission, were getting impatient. They still remembered Vulture’s demise in Cloudsdale and the latter swore to avenge him. As soon as Racer and Burner teams entered the airspace, they were greeted by The Burning Talon’s laser, but managed to break to the right side, avoiding it. The griffins took flight, initially completely unaware of Firefly’s team. Having split away, Racer flight engaged the Talon squadron and managed to put up a good fight, while Tornado Swirl’s team fought against Echo’s. He himself was suspecting that this attack was more likely a cover for bigger operation, but nopony had any intentions on spilling the beans. As the pegasi fliers were keeping them involved, the Mirage flight proceeded with relentless attacks on the facilities. While they were quite resistant, their combined efforts soon brought out the results when Lightning Bolt inflicted a crippling blow to one of the buildings. Moments later, Medley and Firefly performed a successful attack on another facility, rendering it useless. Echo suddenly noticed that the flight pattern of Racer squadron was clearly evasive and not meant for dogfighting. He tried to send one of his wingmates to investigate the area. Tornado Swirl took him down with a swift blow and remarked with a smirk:         “Once again, you underestimate the ponies’ potential. Soon, you’ll be in a world of hurt.” The Burning Talon fired again and while the ponies managed to dodge the shot, the griffins found an opening and attacked them ferociously. One of the fliers from Burner team suffered a lethal blow from Echo. Tornado Swirl confronted him personally, and they were locked in combat. Overdrive’s team managed to put up an effective resistance to Talon squadron and took advantage of Greyback’s impatience and anger. While Scythe tried to keep him under control, all of his orders fell on deaf ears. The eyes of the feathered fighter were focused only on killing the enemies before him, as he was driven into a sort of berserk rage. Overdrive and Sea Spot fought and managed to overpower him, but he had no intention of giving up. Scythe ordered him to retreat from the area, to which Greyback remained ignorant. This caused confusion among the griffin ranks and gave the ponies a sort of advantage. Meanwhile, Firefly’s team just destroyed the third facility by using a clever trick: when Fluttershy went toward the turret to make it focus fire on her, Lightning Bolt and Medley attacked it from behind. The resulting force of the blow sent the turret’s rubble flying straight on the facility, rendering it vulnerable to combined assault. Their communications were almost back online, so Firefly tried to contact Rainbow Dash, asking for their progress. Rainbow answered the call as she was about to smash into the last building, but managed to pitch up, and it was Cloud Kicker and Derpy’s turn to bring it down, while the blue pegasus kept the turrets focused on her. Thanks to her superior agility, no bullet managed to scratch her body. Soon, the last facility collapsed. The Burning Talon was practically defenseless now, although it still remained operational and just fired another laser, forcing Mirage squadron to dodge. When Rainbow reported about the destruction of the last jamming facility, Firefly praised the team and ordered a regrouping. Then, when all seven pegasi met, she contacted Soarin’, who was more than pleased with what he heard.         “Job’s done, Soarin’. The facilities are history. We’re off to the Burning Talon now.”         “Great work, Mirage! Keep it up,” the stallion responded before speaking to Rainbow.         “Dash, now it’s your time to shine. Show us what you can do.”         “We’ll provide cover. Just focus on doing the Sonic Rainboom,” Derpy assured her.         “Consider it done,” the blue pegasus responded. Echo noticed additional pegasi approaching the combat zone. Greyback broke completely out of Scythe’s control and flew toward the Mirage fliers. They noticed he lost his mind and was ignorant to anything else around him. Lightning Bolt went to clash with him, while others joined Racer and Burner teams in fighting.         “YOU!” Greyback yelled. “A white pegasus! You’re responsible for Vulture’s death! I’ll make you pay, with your own life! Prepare to meet your maker!”         “How sad...” Lightning Bolt shook her head. “You fail to see his death was his own doing? His brash thinking and carelessness led to his downfall. Now you want to share his fate?”         “NO! I WILL kill you, or die trying! For the glory of the Griffin Kingdom!!!” With that primal yell, he charged head-on toward the white pegasus. She knew that he was desperate for revenge, but had no intention of going easy on her attacker. While Lightning was busy fighting Greyback, Echo noticed Rainbow Dash flying higher than anyone else, almost disappearing among the clouds. He tried to contact the Burning Talon operators.         “BT Crew, you saw that blue pegasus? What is she up to?”         “We’re not sure, sir, but it seems like she’s going to attack!” the operator responded.         “Is she insane? The Burning Talon is impregnable! Besides, if she’ll keep ascending, she’s gonna choke herself to death due to lack of air,” one of Echo’s companions remarked.         “Let’s just leave her alone and swat those annoying flies from the sky, Gult 13.” But Echo remained careful, saying:         “We all have witnessed firsthand that ponies are more dangerous than we’ve anticipated, Gult 6. I cannot allow more losses on our side. I’ll try to intercept her.” While the griffon tried to protest, Echo didn’t change his mind. He ordered his squadron to carry on engaging the pegasi and flew after Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy noticed it and tried to inform her. Just then, another laser fired from the Burning Talon, and she was forced to quickly evade the attack. She found herself face to face with Razor. Initially, she couldn’t bring herself to budge. Her opponent scoffed at her.         “What’s the matter? Are you scared? You should have stayed in Equestria, like your animal friends.”         “How... h-how do you know? ...Did you...!” Fluttershy babbled.         “That’s right. The two griffins who were searching your cottage were sent by me. I told the General that the Elements of Harmony would have been perfect gifts for his victory ceremony. Though it seems I’ll have to scratch those plans.” Anger started to take Fluttershy over again when she remembered what the griffins did to Angel and her friends, wounding them and not sparing anyone. She quickly turned to Medley and asked her to inform Rainbow about Echo’s attempt to intercept her, which the green pegasus acknowledged. Then, Fluttershy’s sight became focused solely on Razor.         “I’ll never forgive you for that. I used to think of this war as nothing, but a huge mistake... and I still do. But it’s a mistake YOU griffins did by starting it!” Razor seemed completely unmoved and prepared for combat. In the meantime, Medley contacted Rainbow Dash, who was already high enough that she couldn’t see the blue flier, even with her great sight. But Echo was missing, too, and that made her feel anxious.         “Rainbow, come in! Echo went after you! He’s trying to stop you!” While it was a little hard to decipher her at first, Medley clearly heard Rainbow saying:         “Let him try! I’ll engrave him into the Burning Talon if he gets in my way. You girls just worry about not getting shot down by other bandits. I have this one.”         “But, Rainbow...! It’s very dangerous!” Medley tried to make her realize the situation.         “Hey Kid, “danger” is my middle name!” the blue pegasus replied smugly.         “Just trust me, I know what I’m doing. You’re ought to be careful, so you’ll get to see the show in front seats!” Medley had no answer to that, and she had to avoid attacks of the griffins, too. She decided to put her faith in Rainbow and wished her good luck, then returned to aid Overdrive and the rest of Mirage flight in confronting Echo’s squadron. Their additional problem was the small laser turrets around the superweapon, which they completely forgot to shut down. Tornado Swirl’s squadron said they will take care of it, and they broke away from combat. Scythe saw it and went after them with his two other wingmates, but not before looking behind himself and noticing Greyback engaging Lightning Bolt. The look on the Talon leader’s face showed clear signs of concern, cursing the angered griffin’s misfortune and recklessness         "You're obsession with that pegasus is going to get you killed." ========== 1217 hrs The Burning Talon airspace Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and proceed to swoop down toward the main tower, where the laser was mounted. She was at an extremely high altitude of 50000 feet and started flying down at a fast rate. Aware that one of the enemies will try to stop her from reaching her goal, Rainbow only picked up the speed and flapped her wings as strong and fast as she could. The increasing speed made the wind blow straight into Rainbow’s eyes, almost producing tears. She didn’t allow that to slow her down. After blinking twice and clearing the eyes, she carried on descending, gaining more and more velocity with every second. When the blue pegasus was about 30000 feet away from the target, her radar picked up a single contact in front of her: Echo!         “So he’s serious about trying to stop me,” Rainbow thought.         “Tough luck for him. I have no intention on stopping. I’ve got a job to do and I will do it!” Echo noticed Rainbow flying down at extremely fast rate. He knew it would be dangerous for him, but he decided to stand in her way and take the whole force of the blow on himself. Every soldier with a bit of patriotism in heart would have done the same. Unflinched, he saw Rainbow getting closer, but remained on her path. While Rainbow could have avoided him, this would decrease her speed greatly and not give her enough time to regain it and perform the Sonic Rainboom. She decided to bet everything against the odds and flew down even faster. It seemed like Echo and Rainbow stared into each other eyes, as the blue pegasus was approaching her prey... But suddenly, the griffon captain was attacked and knocked away by someone. Rainbow was surprised and slowed down a little bit... then, as she looked to the left... She saw the one who attacked Echo... the mysterious blue stallion with silver mane who saved the Mirage squadron over Gildsedale plains! The very same! He was flying right beside her.         “It’s... it’s you! Mobius!” Rainbow exclaimed. While he didn’t respond, his smile and nod confirmed it. It’s like he was trying to say: “Good job. Fly toward victory”. Rainbow returned it with a smirk and increased her speed again. Echo regained his senses and saw Mobius, too. There was no way he could have forgotten him; when they fought in the past, the blue stallion was being the one who decimated most of his seemingly invincible squadron all by himself. But the griffon had to worry about something else. Rainbow Dash was about 10000 feet above the Burning Talon and pierced through the clouds. She reached her top speed and a few seconds later, a huge sonic boom surrounded by a beautiful rainbow graced the skies. The ponies and griffins stopped fighting and saw this phenomenon. Rainbow Dash targeted the very top of the main tower and, with a loud yell, she broke through the walls with immense force, creating an opening. The pegasi started cheering, with Racer and Burner flights, as well as Firefly, staring in amazement.         “Holy turnips, so it’s true! The Sonic Rainboom!” Overdrive made several back flips in the air out of excitement.         “Wow...!” Tornado was awestruck. He did not even noticed the Burning Talon was about to fire another laser. Firefly grabbed him and managed to move him out of the way. Unfortunately, Greyback, whose only desire was to kill Lightning Bolt, failed to notice anything. He managed to wound the white pegasus in the left wing and was about to strike again. She tried to dodge, hearing her radar signaling incoming impact from the laser. Putting everything in the line, Lightning performed a maneuver that seemed like she was about to attack Greyback, but ascended at the last moment. The operators at the Burning Talon were surprised by Rainbow’s successful breach and the force of the impact rendered the main laser unstable. When it launched, Greyback was directly in the line of fire. While Lightning Bolt tried to warn him, and he ultimately saw what was happening, he noticed it too late. The laser blasted him with full power. With an ear-splitting scream, Greyback suffered lethal burns; his body turned into charcoal and begun plummeting down to earth. Lightning watched it in horror. She never wished such fate for anyone, even the worst of scum. Before he died, he tried to reach his claw out, as if trying to grab onto something... but then, he shared Vulture’s fate. Carelessness became the death of them both. Tornado Swirl and Overdrive went to recover the wounded Lightning Bolt. To their relief, the wing wasn’t badly damaged. Firefly called her wingmares and ordered them to follow Rainbow Dash inside the Burning Talon. They were going to bring the generators down. Razor, enraged by Greyback’s demise, tried to stop them, but Cloud Kicker got in his way, preventing the feathered soldier from going any further. Fluttershy initially wanted to assist, but the purple pegasus said she’ll be fine. When Lightning Bolt contacted Soarin’ and told him about a Sonic Rainboom being performed successfully, he couldn’t express his gratitude. Gale was more than surprised. The white pegasus then transferred the location of the three generators to the five pegasi who flew inside the superweapon so they could destroy them. 1240 hrs The Burning Talon Once inside, the Mirage fliers went to look for Rainbow. She was found below the rubble, and despite several bruises, she could still fly. Firefly took a glimpse around, noticing the large amount of free space, indicating this superweapon could be something more than just military facility, a base of a sort. After marking the locations of the three generators, Firefly and Medley went to destroy the one located in the east sector, while Rainbow Dash and Derpy flew to the southern one. Fluttershy was left alone, her mind still swarming with what Razor told her. She tried to focus and bring herself to shut down the generator. As she was checking it for any possible leaks or weak spots, the wall behind her suddenly collapsed. Someone flew through it and crashed into the side of the room. To Fluttershy’s horror, it was Cloud Kicker. Razor managed to overpower her and he, too, flew inside. As he was towering above the purple pegasus, he prepared to strike the killing blow. Cloud Kicker tried to stand up, but was utterly at his mercy. Fluttershy didn’t hesitate.         "Let her go!" She immediately flew into Razor and sent him away with a kick, then turned around and checked on her friend.         “Cloud Kicker! Are you hurt?”         “I’m... I’m fine. Just a little dazed. He took me by surprise,” she answered. The griffon was just recovering from Fluttershy’s attack. He decided to finish Cloud later, as she was unable to move at this point anyway. Enraged at seeing her friend being wounded, Fluttershy could not stand for it. She and Razor engaged in combat. The gentle flier decided to fight on her own will for the first time during this war. In the meantime, the other pegasi were slowly making progress in eliminating any resistance they encountered on their way to the generators. Eventually, after several minutes of searching, the fliers found their targets and, using powerful and precise blows, rendered them useless. An alarm suddenly flared and then, a computer-generated voice begun stating that the base was expecting an overload and an explosion might occur, should the situation will not be stabilized. Firefly attempted to contact Fluttershy and ask her if she destroyed the last generator, but there was no reply. The yellow pegasus was too occupied with fighting Razor, or rather, avoiding his attacks. She still couldn’t bring herself to harm anyone, even if it was her enemy, who did so many evil things... Razor openly mocked her.         “You’ll keep flying like that and you’ll die really soon! A battlefield is no place for wimps!” Fluttershy knew he was right. But she still believed that there could have been another way. She tried to reason with the griffin, telling him what happened to Greyback, but he already knew.         “That idiot deserved it! A soldier is always aware of what’s happening around him. He was a disgrace to our military and got what was coming to him!” These words shocked Fluttershy. Razor had no respect for lives of others, even his own wingmate! Cloud Kicker managed to stand up and muttered:         “You’ve got some nerve saying that... coward!” This statement infuriated Razor. Ignoring Fluttershy, he dived at the purple pegasus and stabbed her side with his claws. Although the vest protected her slightly, Cloud Kicker screamed, feeling immense pain. Fluttershy watched this, terrified, but she started to realize that war kewn no mercy. Angered, she flew toward Razor and knocked him away from Cloud Kicker. Despite the attack, the wound wasn’t serious. Both pegasi decided to support each other and through focused assaults, they slowly managed to overcome Razor’s initial advantage. Cloud answered Firefly’s call and told her about what was happening, to which the mare replied that they were coming back to help them. Razor seemed to be in dire situation, outnumbered and without hope for support for himself. Nevertheless, he was not willing to surrender. Extending his wings, he charged at Cloud Kicker again, but she was prepared. Before he managed to strike her, the purple pegasus suddenly dived down and, putting her whole strength into it, sent the griffon toward the ceiling with a strong kick. He was coming directly at Fluttershy... She suddenly remembered the first mission... the situation was exactly the same. But this time, the yellow pegasus had her mind set on helping others.         “I... I will not run! You will not hurt my friends again!” she screamed. Seemingly avoiding Razor at first by flying up, Fluttershy suddenly kicked him downward with her rear legs, sending him to crash directly onto the third generator. Razor tried to lessen the impact, but failed. Upon contact, it begun to sway around before finally collapsing onto the feather soldier. Razor attempted to remove it and carry on fighting, but he was pinned down by the heavy construction. A series of tremors shook The Burning Talon; it was falling apart. The rest of the Mirage squadron returned, and they all flew out through the opening made by Rainbow. Not a few minutes after the ponies had managed to escape, several gigantic explosions ended the existence of the griffin superweapon. All fighting stopped. The half eagle-lion creatures were staring blankly at the smoking remains of their once powerful trump card. Echo ordered all of them to retreat from the area. Scythe tried to reach Razor. However, he never responded. Grieving upon the loss of majority of his squadron, he followed Echo. The ponies rejoiced on their victory. Rainbow Dash immediately went to reach Soarin’ and report it to him, but not before looking to the clouds above her and noticing Mobius flying away. It was thanks to him this operation was successful. He appeared and disappeared like a ghost...         “Soarin’... this is Rainbow Dash. The Burning Talon is destroyed. Mission accomplished.” She could hear loud cheering in her communicator and the rest of the ponies heard it, too. This enormous bliss was well deserved. They had managed to succeed, despite huge odds. Once more, it was proved that by teamwork and support, they could achieve everything. Tornado Swirl stated that one of his fliers fell in the fighting with Gult squadron, while Overdrive checked on her friends and noticed some of them were mildly wounded. Both Lightning Bolt and Cloud Kicker were hurt, too, though they rejoiced seeing each other alive. The purple pegasus tried to thank Fluttershy for saving her life... but the yellow pegasus didn’t say a word. Her eyes were gazing at a giant cloud of smoke. Firefly ordered all ponies to return to Canterlot in order to attend to the wounded. Tornado Swirl promised to give a detailed report to Princesses Celestia and Luna about the operation and the Mirage squadron parted ways with Racer and Burner teams. Medley and Derpy had to literally drag Fluttershy with them, as she seemed completely unaware of what was happening. They could only hear her blabbering to herself:         “What.... what... wh—what have I done? What have I done...?” Rainbow was worried about her. What could have been the cause...? ========== 1542 hrs Canterlot, Mirage squadron’s base The Mirage’s return to Canterlot was greeted with a huge celebration. The streets of the capital were literally covered in flowers, an orchestra was set to perform and all ponies were cheering for their new heroines. But when the Royal Sisters arrived, they announced that an actual ceremony will be held later and asked the pegasi to come with them. While slightly disappointed, the crowd left the castle grounds and spread around the city. Once in the squadron’s base, Fluttershy left the other ponies and went to the Mission Control, demanding to be alone. Everypony were surprised by that statement, especially Rainbow Dash. She knew Fluttershy the best of them all. Seeing her good friend leave like this made the blue pegasus feel uncertain. She decided to go after Fluttershy. Other pegasi stayed in the room to discuss matters with Celestia and Luna. When Rainbow entered the Mission Control, she found Fluttershy sobbing in the corner of the room. As she was approaching her, the yellow pegasus whimpered:  “Leave me, Rainbow! I want to be alone!”         “No, I’m not leaving you like this!” the rainbow-maned pegasus replied.          “Rainbow, please! Listen to me for once,” Fluttershy asked her with desperation.         “I’m not leaving until you’ll tell me what’s wrong!” Not wanting to say anything at first, the saddened filly eventually opened up and told Rainbow Dash about Razor trying to kill Cloud Kicker and how she stopped him from doing so. The explanation brought some light on this. Fluttershy mentioned how she sent Razor plummeting toward the generator and making it fall on him. Even if he didn't die from that, the explosion that occurred later on was certainly fatal for him. Tears were streaming from Fluttershy’s cheeks as she carried on and her voice was getting more squeaky, about to break completely.         “Don’t you understand, Rainbow Dash? I... I-I-I I killed him! I killed a sentient being! ME!” Covering her face with hooves, Fluttershy was crying her eyes out. While she could grasp how terrible Fluttershy must have been feeling, Rainbow Dash tried to remind her of Razor’s actions.         “He was your enemy. His death was more than certain. Besides, that wasn’t your fault. You saved Cloud Kicker’s life!” Fluttershy looked at her best friend, biting her lips and sobbing uncontrollably.         “B-B-But... it was my fault! He died because of me! I-I-I... I don’t know... This is too much for me... I-I can’t go on like thiiiis!”         “FLUTTERSHY!” This sudden rise of volume in Rainbow's voice surprised and scared the yellow pegasus. Dash excused for that outburst and placed her arms on Fluttershy’s shoulders, looking into her green eyes, full of tears. The blue pegasus wiped them away and said quietly:         “You may not believe me, but I understand how you feel. Every pony feels horrible when they do something awful for the first time, especially if they kill someone. Unfortunately, killing is one of those things that become easier to bear the more you do it. During the war, all of ponykind’s worst instincts may surface. It’s important to not let them take you over." Pausing briefly to take a breath, she asked Fluttershy:         “Listen, have you done that intentionally?”         “No, I would never kill anypony on purpose!” Fluttershy exclaimed with a high-pitched voice.         “I did it because Razor was threatening to kill Cloud Kicker!”         “That’s right,” Dash confirmed.         “It wasn’t your fault, then. You've done nothing wrong. So don’t blame yourself.” Suddenly, the rest of the Mirage squadron fliers entered the room. They’ve heard everything.         “What Rainbow says is true,” said Lightning Bolt, now having her wounded wing wrapped in bandages.         “You can’t blame yourself for every single death in this conflict.”         “Losses in war are inevitable for both sides,” Firefly spoke.         “If you’ll keep thinking you’re responsible for all this, you’ll eventually go mad.”         “Don’t kick yourself. You did what was necessary to save Cloud’s life,” Derpy added. The purple pegasus approached misty-eyed filly and said gently:         “I’ll never forget this, Butterf— um... I mean, Fluttershy. You have my thanks. If it weren’t for you, I would have been dead.” Hearing all of her friends praising her rather than turning their backs on her for killing someone made Fluttershy confused. Rainbow noticed it and stood on her rear legs, using the wings to lift herself up. She extended her arms before the timid pegasus and asked with a warm smile:         “Hey, Fluttershy... want a hug?” This was too much for her. Fluttershy cuddled into Rainbow and wept loudly. She couldn’t hold her emotions anymore. Crying and sobbing, she kept mumbling: “I’m sorry! Please, forgive me!” as the blue pegasus hugged her tightly, letting Fluttershy’s tears fall into her beautiful mane. Firefly didn’t know what to do, but the others had sympathized with the yellow pegasus. They approached, cuddled and nuzzled her, too. To Firefly’s surprise, Fluttershy was slowly calming herself down, although she still seemed unstable. Realizing that it would be the best thing to do, the pink pegasus came to her as well. Just then, the door suddenly opened and the whole room was instantly lightened up. Princesses Celestia and Luna were inside, though not alone. Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Applejack were here, too. The Mirage fliers bowed before the Royal Sisters, as they came closer to the crying Fluttershy. Luna embraced her with wings.         “Dry your tears, Fluttershy and put your worries aside. Razor perished, indeed, but you were not the cause of his death.” Princess Celestia told the ponies about the report that Tornado Swirl sent to her. Apparently, the superweapon’s emergency system blocked all entrances and exits out of the building soon after the Mirage squadron left it, preventing anyone else from escaping. Then, the explosions that occurred inside The Burning Talon, due to the core’s overheating, claimed the lives of those who were trapped. When the Royal Sisters left, Twilight and Applejack also added that Fluttershy’s act of saving Cloud Kicker was that of great courage. Despite the initial confusion, the yellow pegasus started to smile again, much to everypony’s joy. Firefly decided to leave the room to let Fluttershy have some time with her friends and motioned other pegasi, besides Rainbow, to come with her. But then, the pink-maned mare approached her and spoke with a shaky, albeit grateful voice.         “Please, stay with us, Firefly. After all, we are... friends.” The pink pegasus wasn’t expecting these words. But she had no reason to decline Fluttershy’s plea. She looked at her with a grin and the two pegasi embraced warmly. The other ponies looked at them with soft smiles. Medley noticed tears were forming in Firefly’s eyes.         “Flash, are you... crying?”         “Don’t be silly! I just... have something in my eyes, that’s all,” Firefly exclaimed.  “OK, if that’s what you say...” Before the pink pegasus could respond, Derpy called all ponies in the room to the window and they saw a lot of citizens on the streets, celebrating and rejoicing.         “They must be having a party. Shouldn’t we go down and join them?” the grey pegasus asked. They were about to go join the celebration, but Rainbow suddenly said:         “I’ve got a better idea. We’ll make a party of our own! Hey, Pinks, you still have that cannon of yours?” All of a sudden, Pinkie Pie drew out a big blue cannon, much to everypony’s surprise. Rainbow Dash approached Firefly, saluted before her and spoke in a very formal tone:         “Flash! Requesting permission to start the party!” The pink pegasus chuckled visibly, but returned the salute, granting permission. Derpy hoped that some muffins and other sweet snacks would be a nice addition and Pinkie lamented she forgot to bake cupcakes! Just then, someone knocked in the door.         “You called?” It was Spike. By Twilight’s request, he managed to gather some cookies and a giant cake with strawberry frosting from the Sugarcube Corner. The Wonderbolts came along, having helped the young dragon with transporting the sweets. They wanted to congratulate Mirage squadron for destroying the Burning Talon. Spitfire turned to Rainbow:         “Princesses Celestia and Luna will be holding an official ceremony to celebrate your victory at the Canterlot Castle Grounds by sunset. Are you interested in coming?” Rainbow Dash thought about this for a moment and replied, though her answer was surprising:         “Sure, but we’ll come later... if you don’t mind.”         “OK then, see you there. And have fun.” When the Wonderbolts left, Rainbow looked at her friends. They were staring at her in disbelief. Did she just turned down the invitation from her idols? Applejack came closer:         “Ya sure about this, Rainbow?”         “Yes, I am. Who knows when we’ll have another chance to celebrate like this. And... To be honest, I’ve missed you, gals. We’ve got a lot of things to catch up on. Since we have the time...” Twilight understood the message and proposed to start the party. Pinkie pressed the button on her cannon, covering the room in balloons, streamers and other decorations. When Applejack told those interested about a successful recapture of Trottingham made a few hours ago, Rarity instantly went to sew and stitch Cloud Kicker’s vest. Soon, it was as good as new. Pinkie provided the entertainment with various tricks and tunes. Time slowly passed, with the ponies finally reunited and having wild fun. As the sun was setting, Rainbow Dash decided to fly to the castle. Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack and Rarity were ready to go with her and so were the fellow pegasi. Before they left, Fluttershy approached Rainbow Dash and whispered to her:         “Thank you.” ========== 1956 hrs Canterlot Castle Grounds The citizens of Canterlot and other ponies, who had been relocated here in the past few days, were exclaiming their happiness about the hard-earned victory. As Firefly led her wingmares on a ceremonial flight over the streets, hearing orchestra accompanying it, everypony who saw them was cheering for the pegasi who made the seemingly impossible happen. Twilight and her friends were following the fliers closely until all of them reached the Castle Grounds. Greeted personally by the Wonderbolts and the Royal Sisters, the Mirage squadron, with their companions from Racer and Burner teams, who were also present, received a great amount of honors from all who came for the ceremony. But Celestia and Luna reminded their subjects that the war hadn’t ended yet. The enemy was still capable of fighting. Additionally, Firefly stated:         “I hate to say it, but this war has only just begun. The griffins suffered heavy casualties and need to reorganize. Unfortunately, the same happened to us. But we have something our enemies lack: friends and the power of harmony. It unites us in our darkest hours! We want to give our word to you, ponies of Equestria: as long as the Mirage squadron will soar through the skies, this land will not fall! Long live Celestia! Long live Luna! Long live Equestria!!!” Earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns, stallions and mares, colts and fillies who were gathered on the grounds; all of them responded with loud cheers. Treated like great heroines, Firefly, Rainbow Dash, Cloud Kicker, Fluttershy, Lightning Bolt, Derpy and Medley flew beside the Wonderbolts in a celebratory flight over the castle to thank the ponies for their support. Though the conflict was far from over, it seemed that, on this day, the stars were shining brighter than ever before over the ponykind.