//------------------------------//
// Bonus Chapter: The Gold Baron 
// Story: Dan Vs. The Magic of Friendship(Season 1) 
// by Barrobroadcaster 
//------------------------------//

The Director rolled his eyes as Vice Grip walked off to call Blueblood. She turned to Captain Springer. "Vice Grip may have a tactical mind but he is still underestimating the enemy. That is not a mistake I intend to make."

The captain looked puzzled. "Sir? What do you mean?"

"Our foes are more dangerous than either of you realize. The only defense is to keep them on the defensive. Vice needs time to finish his new toys and so that is what you will buy him. I'm sending you back to Ponyville."

Springer looked even more confused. "We're going back to Ponyville? Sir, I can confirm it myself, Cloudsdale was destroyed. What's left of it was dispersed and the reactor is on its way to our location via train as we speak."

"Destroying Cloudsdale was a blow but one they can recover from," the Director said, pacing. "We need to cripple them before they can rally. Even with the havoc Blueblood's causing, it's likely they'll be able to reverse things quickly. I want you to take out the dam."

"The dam? You mean the power plant?"

"The hydroelectric dam north-west of Twilight's library. I trust you remember where it is?"

Springer smirked. "Yeah, I think I remember where the damn dam is."

The Director did not laugh. "Target info will be uploaded to your HUD before launch. Destroy the dam, make sure it floods the town and they'll spend weeks cleaning it up. I'm sending you with the full wing just in case," the Director said with a cold confidence. "A few well-placed shots, solid missile blast and it should bust to pieces. You shouldn't have any problems."

The captain saluted. "Yes, sir. Uhm, I was also wondering…"

The Director turned back to her. "Yes, captain?"

"About the music video, sir… what did you think? Do you think it will help recruitment?"

The hooded creature shrugged. "I find it odd you didn't send it outside of Equestria's borders."

That thought actually made Springer laugh, though it came out as an slightly discomforted chuckle. "Heheh, well uh, you know the Enclave only accepts pegasi, anyway. I figured that with Cloudsdale destroyed, if we sent out a quick ad, we'd get a lot of displaced fliers."

A thin smiley spread across the Director's nearly-imperceptible face. "But not all of the fliers were in Cloudsdale. Pegasi aren't the only ones with wings, captain."

Springer nodded. "Of course, of course. Though the other species, like the griffons, might be able to fly, they still can't match our talent. The Enclave owns the skies now."

"Of course," the hooded one said, still grinning. "Assemble your squadrons and deploy immediately."

"Sir, consider it done," Springer saluted again. The Director had already turned away and was walking back into the darkened halls of the fortress. Springer quickly departed herself, focusing on the mission ahead of her instead of the discomfort behind her.

The Enclave's launch bays and vehicle hangars were on the second level of the fortress. They weren't as deep as the research labs or the restricted areas further below but still buried under many significant layers of stone and steel in the event of an aerial attack. Not that a true pegasi would ever get ambushed on the ground; that kind of lack of vigilance was considered a great dishonor. Still, it paid to be prepared and prepared was something that the Enclave was in almost every way it could.

Most of Captain Springer's assault wing were already assembled in the flight deck. The deck was a double-sized corridor, large enough almost for two Flutterbirds to fly through wing-to-wing. Power armor stations lined the deck's walls in a criss-cross pattern, each with its own suit and diagnostic terminal. The Enclave pegasi under her command were climbing into their assigned armor suits, pegasi technicians at their sides checking all the equipment before launch. Once each was strapped in, the light above their station turned green- go for launch.

"What happened? You forget something?" Springer's wing pony asked. "Or were you just looking for an excuse to go back to Ponyville?"

"We don't need an excuse," the captain said confidently. "We own the skies, Spinner. Always did. Now, it's just official." 

"Where?" Spinner asked. "I don't see our name on it," she smirked as the technicians hooked her into her suit. Spinner was a light blue mare, almost a pale blue that seemed to shine on the edges when light hit her coat. Her mane was yellow-gold and striped with orange swirls through it and her cutie mark was a roulette wheel. Once her helmet and armor were on, though, she looked just like the other seventy pegasi in the Enclave's elite Raptor Wing.

Springer decided to let herself grin as the technicians at her side put her own helmet on, checked the seals and locked it in place. "We can write our names in it. Kick in the afterburners hard enough and we can write ENCLAVE over Ponyville like we own the whole thing."

"Pfft, nah. "Spinner Was Here", that's more like it."

"Are you two betting again?" Zephyr, the flight controller asked over their helmet comms. His voice was just on the edge of sour, which was unusual because he usually sounded completely sour.

"Just having a little fun, Zeph. What's wrong? I thought Bandwidth was operating today."

"The colonel checked himself into the infirmary, said he wasn't feeling well. So his responsibilities are mine for the day," Zephyr said, his reply sounding just a bit unsure.

Springer shook her head. "He's been acting weird since he got promoted. You'd think he'd be more enthusiastic taking over after what happened to Autumn."

Spinner shrugged. "Maybe he's just got the jitters. Vinter's probably riding him pretty hard since we lost those 'birds in the CE."

"We're not losing anything this time. Let's remind the ground pounders who's in charge."

"Wind up, wing up and win!" The pair brohoofed, clanking hydraulic-powered steel hooves together.

One of the technicians raised her own hoof but then quickly thought better of it. "All systems green! We're go for slingshot!" she yelled, both to the other techies and the flight controllers.

"All units prepped and ready for flight. Launch bay doors are opening, all personnel clear the deck."

The technicians galloped to the exits. Once the last of them had left, the lights in the corridor turned off. Seventy-two pairs of eyes glowed gold in the darkness like demons from the depths preparing for their rise to the surface. For a few moments, there was nothing but silence. Then, a distinctive hum filled the air.

White, ethereal light poured in above from square holes in the center of the room, not illuminating enough to reach the floor. Springer looked up into the slot in front of her, her own launch tube. This was how pegasi in the Enclave lifted off: they were shot out of tubes underground like bullets so they came out of the ground flying at high speed.

"All flights cleared for launch. Slingshot in five."

The power armor stations rotated forward, aiming at the open tunnels in the ceiling. Each of the pegasi arched and spread their wings, hind legs on the ground. Forelegs aimed skyward, the ground beneath them pulled back, stretching the straps on the power armor tight. The humming grew louder as the hyper spring beneath them was charged. Springer looked through the tunnel ahead of her and saw sky.

"Two, one, mark. Good luck out there."

Simultaneously, the seventy-two pistons burst beneath the pegasi along with the straps holding them in place. They launched each of the power armored soldiers into the launch bays at blinding speed, shooting them skyward. Springer rocketed through her tube, wings spread as the force of the launch carried her closer and closer to the growing sky ahead of her. She burst out of the tube and the jets on her armor kicked in. She banked right along with the other pegasi, a single motion. On the opposite side, the other half of the group did the same thing and banked left. The two groups formed up into their flight groups and headed south towards Ponyville.

"Sorry to interrupt every pony's leave but we have a priority mission that needs doing," Springer said to the wing in her suit's comms.

"Priority errand, more like it," Spinner said. Springer couldn't see her wing pony but knew she was barely a meter off to her right, as always. "TD sends us out for the latest manga and calls it priority."

"The Director said it was a priority so that's what it is," Springer responded sternly. Spinner was her friend and she enjoyed the banter now and then but there was a time and a place for it. During a mission, any mission, was not it. "Cloudsdale's gone so we won't have to worry about any counter-air." A few in the formation hooted at that remark. Without worrying about air defense, their job was essentially a cake walk in the sky.

"Our target's the Ponyville Dam," Springer continued, bringing up a tactical diagram of Ponyville on her HUD and singled out the dam. The green image appeared in the rest of Raptor Wing's displays as well. "We take it out and it'll flood the town. It'll take them weeks to recover, if not months, buying us time to get the Cogsdales working."

"And then the whole planet's ours!" Hydra-three, Razorang, exclaimed. She wasn't the brightest pegasus but she was deadly at close range and bloodthirsty. The Enclave's dominance meant that she could exercise some of her more violent tendencies and not suffer consequences for them.

"Heh, there'll probably be a few more priority errands before that, Raz," replied the voice of Hydra-four, Ransack, the squadron's designated heavy hitter. He was a very focused stallion but tended to lose sight of the objective. He carried most of the heavy weapons and was the one responsible for precisely targeting Cloudsdale's foundation, allowing Springer and the others to steal the reactor and destroy the city.

"I'm fine with errands if it means we get the opportunity to 'acquire' some new supplies."

"And new targets." Icebox and Fireball respectively, Hydra-five and Hydra-six. They were brothers, newcomers to Hydra Squadron to replace Blast Fuse and Blast Powder after their sudden defection. Ice handled tech support and Fire was the explosives expert. Together, Hydra Squadron was the top team in the Enclave. And that made them the best fliers in Equestria, at least in their minds. It might not've been far from the truth, however, and Springer was determined to make sure things stayed that way.

"It won't always be this easy, remember that," Springer reminded all of them. "Let's not screw this up. All squadrons, Hydra has lead. Throttle up and keep your formations tight in and out." Raptor Wing's jets flared and the squadrons soared for the border.

The jungles south of the Prosperity Mountains blanketed the ground in sage green all the way to Equestria's purple mountains. Recently renovated railroads were the only things that stretched into the jungle, dividing the tree bed like highways. Despite the fact that Vice Grip's faction and Equestria were almost at war, they still shared the same railroads. The line Raptor Wing was currently flying over actually connected to both Ponyville's Main Street Station and Prosperity Base. Vice Grip had overlooked this small detail when elevating the rails to trap Dan in Ponyville but even modified, they still functioned.

If Dan ever made the connection, he could essentially take a train right to Prosperity Base itself. Or Vice could transport Magic Gears right into Ponyville. It was almost poetic, the odd way the hearts of both their operations were connected. Neither Dan nor Vice Grip knew about this connection. But the Director did.

Raptor Wing's power armor jets allowed them to close the distance to Equestria faster than even a train. Before long, the purple peaks that Canterlot clung to were on the horizon. "Approaching Equestrian airspace!" Spinner announced.

"All units, arm missiles," Springer ordered. "Odd flights take point, even watch their backs. Hydra has lead, weapons hot!" There wasn't a cloud in the sky as they approached. The flight soared over the purple mountains separating the Equestrian land from the jungles and tundra. Ponyville came into view, the quaint colored buildings surrounded by acres of farmland. And immediately, Springer saw something wasn't right about it.

"Cap, I'm picking up a secondary power signature."

"Eyes up, Ice- it's staring at you."

A giant translucent blue dome covered Ponyville. Underneath it, it seemed Ponyville itself had changed. The buildings had skyscrapers and were blanketed in fog. It was like someone had dropped a snow globe of Los Angeles right on top of Ponyville.

"Energy shield, break off!" Springer yelled. She lead Raptor Wing around the top side of the dome to the left, pulling over the domed city.

"We didn't bring anything big enough to punch through a shield!" Ransack called.

"So much for the errand."

"Cut the chatter!" Springer cue'd her comms system. "Hydra-one to Control, target is shielded, repeat- shielded, please advise."

"…rzz…rzz…"

"Control, this Hydra-one, do you copy? Zephyr, please respond."

Down inside Ponyville, or Bluebloodburg as it was currently known, Dan and company had just left along with the prince to do some activities he had planned. Dan's security system had been deactivated after he and Phoenix had so much difficulty turning it on in the first place and with them out of the house, there wasn't any of the group left at home to activate it. But despite the fact that Twilight and her friends had left, the Golden Oaks Library's security system did indeed activate.

"Hydra-one to all units, my comms are down. Anypony have a signal to HQ?"

"I can," Mace-one, the leader of the squad behind them said. "Oh wait, sorry. That's just a radio station. My bad."

"You're picking up a radio station?" Springer asked. "Out here?"

"Yeah, you want to hear?"

"Not exactly, Mace-o-"

"Here it is."

"Okay, let me make this clear. I AM a GATOR FAN and I AM CALLIN-"

Springer grabbed the side of her helmet. "Dammit Thorny, cut that crap off!"

Mace-one did as he was told. "Sorry, cap."

"Geez."

The main targeting console right next to the door identified a flight of seventy-two inbound contacts that were unknown. Not only that, from the contacts' own targeting systems, the library was able to determine that their intent was hostile and their goal was to destroy the Ponyville Dam. The dam actually powered part of Dan's security system via a three-mile long extension cord Dan had plugged into an outlet in the dam's break room next to the coffee maker. It provided the security system with five percent of its secondary generators' auxiliary emergency backup power, which was almost negligible and would not impact performance except on redundant systems. The library determined this potential loss of power unacceptable. All contacts were reclassified as imminent threats.

"Dropping in announced again, I see." A deep, male voice said over Springer's comms. "You Enclavers sure like starting a party but you don't stick around to clean up when it's over. You guys forget something?"

Springer raised hoof to her radio. "Unidentified contact, this is restricted airspace, you're violating-"

"That sounds like my line, Springy," the voice interrupted. "I mean, I've been here this whole time… you're the ones invading Ponyville. For the second time in the past couple days, too. Oughta check the rules, sweetheart."

"Sweetheart?" Ransack repeated.

Spinner chuckled. "Ohhh snap, that cheek's been slapped."

And Springer's cheeks had indeed reddened. "Identify yourself. Now."

"I am the Gold Baron," the voice said confidently. "And this is my airspace you're violating. This is the second time you guys have shown up to wreck my town. The first time, Cloudsdale was unprepared but now it's under my protection. So Springy, since you came all this way, how about a rematch?"

"Rematch?" Springer shook her head. "What the buck are you talking about? Cloudsdale's destroyed."

"On the contrary, Cloudsdale remains. You missed a spot."

A signal appeared on Springer's HUD, a small dot on her map identified as Cloudsdale directly over the center of Ponyville. Springer looked in that direction and saw a single, small white cloud barely big enough for a pony to stand on let alone live in. A single pennant stuck out of the top of it, like a flag on a single island in the sky.

"You gotta be kidding me. You're calling THAT Cloudsdale?"

"A piece of it, yes. You're obviously no Rainbow Dash because if she'd cleared the sky, she would've gotten it all. Taken less time than you did, too."

Captain Springer felt her chest burn. "Do NOT compare me to that Wonderbolt wannabe! I am NOT some showboat stunt mare!"

"Agreed, you're a bit out of her league, anyway. Wonderbolts', too."

"Wooooww," Spinner said. "This guy's good."

"SHUT UP!" Springer shouted. "This isn't our mission. Ponyville's obviously changed, we're done for today. Break off and head home," she ordered. Despite being angered by the taunt, she wasn't about to give into it. 

But the Gold Baron persisted. "They just sent you on a quick in-and-out, huh? I'm not surprised. Guess the Director's using you as her own personal delivery service now. Too bad you'll never be as good as Gilda."

"Form up, Hydra has lead," Springer ordered, ignoring the voice and her own rising anger seething through her veins. 

"They'll probably have you out delivering mail next."

"Throttle up and keep formation."

"Then you'll even get beaten by Derpy."

"THAT'S IT!!" Springer spun around, kicking in her jets at max power. "Where the heck are you, Gold Moron? You want a challenge, here we are."

"Finally game, are we? Good. You'll notice there's a flag on what's left of Cloudsdale. Now, here's how we play. Rainbow Dash can clear the sky in ten seconds flat, as you'd be aware if you ever bothered to care about sky that wasn't your own. So, if one of your Hydra Squadron 'claviers can hold onto this flag for ten seconds, I'll lower the shield over Ponyville. Only condition is that the rest of your wing sits back and watches, no interference."

Captain Springer thought carefully about her options. It was just a flag and she was twice the flier Rainbow Dash was.  "Six-on-one capture the flag?" She looked back at her wing ponies. All five gave her a single, solemn nod. "What happens if we lose?"

The Gold Baron uttered a low chuckle. "Well, there's always tomorrow, isn't there, Captain?"

She hesitated, hovering over the side of Ponyville. The flag fluttered in the breeze, a frail and tiny thing but attached to a what looked to be like a sturdy pole. The symbols A88 were imprinted on it in bold. It was Rainbow Dash's cloud, the one she lounged on. The one she claimed was Cloudsdale while under Discord's influence. Now, it really was all that was left of Cloudsdale. All that remained of loyalty was what endured through betrayal.

The Enclave's betrayal. "Challenge accepted, 'baron'. Hydra Squadron, close on my wing. All others, secure our exit vector."

"Aye, captain. Mace-one has lead, breaking off." Sixty-six of the pegasi in Raptor Wing broke formation and banked back north to the way they came. Springer and Hydra Squadron closed on the target.

"Ten seconds, captain. That's all it will take to claim the skies. The clock starts when you grab the flag."

"This sounds like a trap, cap," Spinner said.

"I'm not detecting any additional power readings," Icebox said. "Sensors are clear and the flag and cloud don't seem to be explosive devices of any kind."

"It's still too easy," Spinner replied.

Springer had to agree. But it was her decision, her call to make and she had made it. "It's only ten seconds," she said, bitter determination in her voice. "I'll take the flag. Watch for anything suspicious. If something happens, you guys get back to base."

"Understood, ma'am," Rans said.

"Aye, captain," Spinner nodded.

The flag grew closer. It dominated her view along with the cloud underneath it. Her heart was racing. She narrowed her eyes and reached out as she raced towards it. "Close formation. Hydra-one, taking point now!"

Barreling towards the pole at high speed, she grabbed it with her right hoof, plucking it off the cloud in a single motion. In seconds, she was past the cloud, flag clutched between both her hooves. Immediately, her eyes began looking around, scanning the skies above for anything coming at her. But there was nothing.

"Hydra-one has the target! Hydra-one has the target!" Springer exclaimed. "Where is he? Does anypony see anything?"

"I don't see anything," Ransack said, also scanning above. Three seconds.

"Ha… that was easier than I thought it would be," Springer said, panting a bit. "Anything on the sensors, Spinner?"

But Spinner didn't answer. Springer turned around, looking to where only seconds ago, her wing pony had been. And she was gone. Six seconds.

Springer stopped, looked back and saw a creature that seemed to be made out of gold. It was the same size as a pony, only solid gold with two large eyes on either side of its bird-like head. A hose from the end of its beak connected to the jets on its back and behind it were twin gold wings that looked like the Enclave's own Hailstorm power armor, except once again, gold. The creature looked at Springer as it sat on the cloud they had just passed. In its right claw it held Slicker by the throat.

"Forget something, Springer?" Nine seconds. Springer's jaw dropped. So did the flag.

Spinner grasped at the metallic claws gripping her neck, struggling to get them to release her. They were like a vice around her, not quite choking but yanking her and forcing her to follow even against her jets.

Teeth gritted, she looked at the creature. "S-songb-bird! Songbird!"

"Not exactly." The Gold Baron flew off the cloud, his own armor jetting him upwards. He then flew back down, still gripping Slicker by the neck and plunged towards the energy shield. He pulled up at the last second and grinded Spinner's back into the dome.

"AAAAHHHHAHHAAHAA! OHH GAWD THAT TICKLES!" Spinner screamed as high-voltage electricity surged through her armor, electrifying her. The Baron dragged her back against the energy shield causing sparks and surges of electricity to erupt from the shield like a miniature lightning storm without clouds.

"SPINNER!!" Springer screamed.

"Sir! You dropped the-"

"HELP HER, STUPID!" the captain screamed at the squadron. "ENGAGE! ENGAGE NOW!!"

Spinner's jetpack exploded, blasting the pack, her armor and her wings into pieces. "AAAAAAAaaaahhh, oh crap, my clothes."

"You're out." The Gold Baron held up the smoking pegasus and threw her over his shoulder. She made contact with the shield, was zapped again and bounced off of it.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow-OOOOF!!" Spinner sparked as she bounced down the shield, zapped each time, until she finally landed on the ground in a smoldering heap.

"Spinner!" Springer yelled. "Spinner, do you copy?!"

"I'm okay…" her voice came back wounded. "The charged electron particles broke my fall… and my spine."

"Just stay down, Spinner!" Springer ordered. "We'll pick you up when we're ready to head back!"

"Okay, sounds good…"

The baron banked around the edge of the dome and back towards the remaining pegasi. "Who's next?"

"Switch to plasma casters! Take him out!!"

Her squad mates closed on her wing. Their targeting systems interlocked with Springer's. The plasma casters on their sides swiveled to face forward, their pronged barrels glowing green with energy. He was coming at them head-on. With all of them firing at him, he was going to get shredded. Springer throttled up towards the target and opened fire the moment he was in range, followed by Ransack, Raz, Icebox and Fireball. Green bolts closed the gap between the black armored pegasi and their golden foe.

The Gold Baron barely adjusted his flight course as the plasma blasts raced towards him. He angled down as they tracked him, bolts bouncing off the energy shield just behind him. As they came closer, his eyes turned red again and he began an upward spin, corkscrewing into their path around their fire. He blasted past them upside down, leaving them staring back in his wake.

Springer immediately realized that none of their shots had him. "Pull around for another pass!" she ordered. Three acknowledgment lights appeared in her heads up display indicating her squad mates understood. But she had four squad mates. "Rans? Copy?" She looked behind her as she banked. Ransack was out of formation heading south, losing altitude.

"Crap… he got me, captain. My stabilizer's gone and I've got no control over anything."

"Ransack, pull up! Pull up!!"

"Really wish I could," Rans replied. "Can't control my armor right now. Sorry, cap."

The stallion's left side was sparking from deep gouges in his armor. His left maneuvering thruster and plasma caster were both missing, as was his jetpack. The remaining thruster carried the pegasus in a slow spiral and eventually down into the energy shield. He skipped across it twice before he exploded. "GAAAAHHHH!!!"

"RANS!!" Springer screamed. "Dammit." She watched through the translucent shield as Ransack's unconscious form rolled down the energy shield to the ground below.

"Having second thoughts are we, Captain Springer? Your dedication to your squad comes a bit too late. Admit defeat to me and I will show mercy."

"Kiss my tail."

"Oh, I'll do better than that."

Razorang pulled up close to her. "Captain, let me take him. Cover me and I'll hit him from behind," she said, deploying her green plasma gauntlets. The shimmering energy blades were attached to her forelegs, hind legs, tail and wings and head where a horn would be. Strong enough to cut even through arcicite, they would make short work of anything in power armor.

The captain nodded once. "Make it happen."

The blades electrified as Raz banked right and dove out of the formation, flying low until she was out of sight. The other three took up a delta formation with Springer in the lead once again. The Gold Baron was banking around in a long turn towards them, a slow turn that would give him full view of his foes while maintaining distance between them. It was a careful move, not an aggressive one. Even an amateur flier would recognize it as a defensive maneuver which told Springer he wasn't invincible.

He had predicted them. The first attack was an ambush; he had been hiding in the cloud, waiting for them. The second, they had came in fast and hard, trying to overwhelm him and he had anticipated it. But now, he was being defensive, showing them that he didn't know what they would do next. She knew exactly what to do.

Springer spearheaded towards the Baron, forcing him to cut his bank early. They were headed directly at each other again for another lethal pass. Flares ignited on the Gold Baron's armor, accelerating him forward. Springer, Fireball and Icebox opened up on him again with the plasma casters and again, their foe juked each blast. But instead of flying at him again, Springer and her group pulled a sharp dive to the right, forcing him to change course.

The Gold Baron shot past them, looking over his shoulder as he did. He pulled up and cut his thrusters, a choice that cost him speed but allowed him to keep close on the Enclave pegasus' tails. Reigniting his thrusters again, he changed directions and pursued them.

He was closing fast, golden claws deployed once again. If he had ranged or homing weaponry of any kind, he hadn't deployed it yet. Whether it was because of lack of equipment or abundance of pride, Springer didn't care. She and her wing ponies swiveled their casters behind them and fired in their wakes right at him. He dodged each blast again and continued gaining on them.

Hydra Squadron flew with their backs pointed to the surface, looking back at their pursuer while gunning at him with everything they had. They had to do something to slow him down but he was dodging their shots too quickly. Springer aimed at him and fired faster, the barrels of the casters at her side burning hot and never losing the glow of green. Her heart was in her throat as the Gold Baron closed the distance effortlessly.

Finally, Hydra-three's signal appeared right in front of them. "Break now!" Springer ordered.

The three Enclave ponies shot away in different directions. In the center of where their formation had been, Razorang rocketed down the alley right towards the Gold Baron, plasma blades drawn. They were flying at each other head on. If he tried to adjust course or stop, she'd have him and if he tried to dodge, she'd be able to counter it. He was all hers.

The Gold Baron twisted his wrist. An explosion of smoke erupted right in Razorang's face, obscuring her vision. Despite the fact that her HUD was designed to allow her to track targets regardless of visibility conditions, it erupted into static. The chaff grenade blinded her sensors, deafened her comms and made the visor screen in front of her a distorted blur. She cut through the smokescreen but her blades came into contact with nothing.

Her systems rebooted quickly, allowing her to see once again. And what she saw was the energy shield heading straight up for her. "OH SHIII-" She hit the shield face first. "AAARARARARARARARARA!" It was a shock to her in more ways than one, as the Gold Baron who held her in place had intended.

The baron electrified the pegasus' armor and then raised her up with one claw. Turning toward the other pegasi, she through Razorang at them.

"DUCK!!" Springer shouted. Fireball and Icebox were not quick enough. Raz collided with both of them and the three crashed to the shield, each of them exploding, landing on it and bouncing off it all the way down to the ground below.

Springer watched her remaining wing mates as they lay prone on the ground, burnt and smoldering. She then looked up to see the Gold Baron staring back at her.

"And then there was one."

She swallowed. He charged at her. "NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!" she yelled, spraying her plasma casters at the approaching foe while trying to slip away. But he was too fast, too evasive and soon caught up to her. "WHO ARE YOU?!!"

"You know who I am! We both have masters, sweetheart!" He swooped in on her and grabbed her with a single, shiny gold claw. "Mine just show me a little respect! Be seein' you!"

"What?!" The baron placed a single claw into Springer's jetpack and punctured the fuel line. Her jets ignited and she went spiraling off in a a blaze of fire and smoke.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!" Springer collided with the shield just once and rebounded off of it with the force of her own name. She landed in the Everfree Forest, oddly enough near the Temple of The Elements.

In the skies above Ponyville, Mace-one led several of Raptor Wing's recon flights to scout for Hydra Squadron. They found nothing except for the energy shield they already knew had been there and a single cloud hovering above it with a flag sticking out. Nervous, Thorny ordered the rest of the wing back to base.

It was sunset by the time Springer regrouped with the rest of the downed members of Hydra Squadron by the train tracks outside of town. What was left of their armor, they fashioned into crutches, casts and various supports for their battered limbs. They would not be flying home.

Springer winced as she lifted her left foreleg, the one that held her armor's now un-integrated CLIPbuck. The screen was cracked and it had no power, like the rest of their equipment and weapons. "Outpost Halberd is closest. We should be able to make it there before sundown."

Spinner, both her hind legs broken, limped up to her. "So that's it for the mission, huh?"

"Not now, Spin."

"Hey, cap?"

"What?"

The battered blue mare grinned at her. "You realize we went from owning the skies to getting owned in the skies, right?"

Springer frowned and kept her eyes forward. "Shut up, Spinner."

"Heh."

The group limped northward to the outpost leaving defeat behind them.