Chapter 11b: White Bird
Impatience is engulfing the heroines over the sea,
The enemy appears to be predicting their moves.
Yet darkness may be extinguished.
A beam of light ripples through the skies.
Chapter 11b
White Bird
July 4th, 2021
1000 hrs
Luminescence interior
Captain Bluehaze’s prediction about reaching Fillydelphia within two days was off. The Exiles seemed to have caught on their plans somehow and were seemingly trying everything they could in delaying their arrival. Smaller fleets had engaged the EAF ships several times. Though the Exiles could not match the 1st Fleet’s firepower and were either forced to retreat or be destroyed, they did slow down their progress. Not only that, the enemy pegasi attempted to create a massive storm that would cause chaos, but thanks to Sweeper and Mirage squadrons’ quick intervention, their plan ended in failure. Still, many soldiers were getting impatient and impulsive due to being stuck away from solid land for four days. The captain tried to lift the troops’ morale by organizing a small banquet the other day, but it wasn’t enough for some ponies. They just wanted to see the Exiles beaten and this war coming to an end already.
This situation was getting to everypony, especially the youngest. Short Circuit and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were wandering the decks without much to do, looking bored. Medley noticed it and wanted to help the young ponies lift their spirits up. Unfortunately, when she went to see them, she left in a hurry and did not take her communicator with her. Not long after she left, Captain Bluehaze ordered the Mirage fliers to go and scout the area. Rainbow and Fluttershy needed Medley for that, so they went to look for her.
Rainbow wasn’t happy with her careless act.
“I’m gonna have a little talk with Kid when I find her,” she said. “That was totally irresponsible for her!”
“I haven’t seen Rainbow being so serious in a while…” Fluttershy though to herself.
The two mares stopped in one corridor somewhere in lower decks. Rainbow’s ears perked; she heard music. They followed it to the source. Rainbow peeked through the window and found the pony she was looking for. Medley was standing in front of the door, moving her hooves to the music that was playing in the speakers of a small radio. She wasn’t alone, though. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were inside, too.
“What are they doing?” Fluttershy asked.
“Dancing, apparently,” Rainbow quipped in response.
She tried to open the door, but they seemed to be locked. She tried to bang on the metallic surface, but the sound was drowned out by the loudly-played music. Medley was only focused on entertaining the Crusaders, who tried to follow the green pony’s moves.
“Yeah! That’s it, guys! You’re doing great!” she kept encouraging them.
When the music reached the chorus part, Medley started singing along with the artist:
In the darkness, in the night
They all strive to makes things right
With their brave, courageous hearts
Against all odds, they still fight
If a danger lurks around
They won't stop until it's found
When Mirage is in the sky
Victory is always on our side!
Just as the last verse finished playing, Rainbow finally managed to kick open the door and made it to the room. The Crusaders, especially Scootaloo, were happy to see her.
“Yay! Rainbow! Hi!” they greeted her.
Medley was still focusing on the song, though.
“Victory is always on our siiiide…! Oh!”
When she turned around and opened her eyes, she almost froze in place. Rainbow’s facial expression was that of an angered superior officer who catches his subordinates slacking off.
“Kid…!” Rainbow growled.
Medley quickly leapt toward the radio and switched it off. Her cheeks were blushing furiously, her face red as a tomato.
“Oh… h-hi, Rainbow… I-I didn’t know you were there…” she mumbled.
“Maybe it’s because you’re playing that radio so loud?” Rainbow answered sarcastically. “Fluttershy and I were looking for you! We got a little scouting to do. You better come now if you want to avoid any major trouble…”
Saying this, Rainbow started dangling a headset before her. Medley gasped.
“My communicator! Oh man, I forgot all about it! Rainbow, I’m sorry! So sorry!”
“You’ll explain everything on the way! Now, move it!”
“Y-Yes, ma’am!”
Without even turning to say “goodbye” to the Crusaders, Medley bolted out of the room. Just as Rainbow turned to leave as well, Scootaloo and Pipsqueak approached her.
“Please don’t be mad at her, Mrs. Dash,” said Pipsqueak.
“This little party was our idea, kind of…” Scootaloo added.
Rainbow sighed.
“I know you didn’t mean any harm, guys, but… you shouldn’t forget in what circumstances we’re at. This is no time to have fun. We’re at war. And Pip…”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Call me Rainbow.”
With that said, the blue pegasus left the room, closing the metallic door behind her. The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked at each other with a mixture of sadness and guilt.
“I hope Medley won’t end up being punished for what we did…” Sweetie Belle said quietly.
-----------------
Rainbow contacted Captain Bluehaze through her own communicator, while Medley was putting her own on her right ear.
“Captain, we’re heading to the main deck.”
“Finally,” Bluehaze’s voice sounded. “Report as soon as you’re ready to go.”
“Roger.”
Rainbow turned to Medley again.
“Don’t go running off like that again!” she scolded her. “What if the enemy attacked us now?! We’d have to waste precious time to find you, because you forgot to take your communicator! Try to be a little more perceptive, Kid! You do that again, and I’m kicking you out of the team!”
“What?” Fluttershy exclaimed.
“No! No, please! Anything, but that!” Medley shouted. “I-I’m… I’m sorry, Rainbow… I didn’t… I’d never…”
She stammered, looking for words.
“I’m sorry. I know I’ve disappointed you. Please… forgive me…”
Rainbow stopped in place. Fluttershy looked at Medley with pity. It seemed like the green pony was about to cry. Rainbow lifted her sight.
“Don’t be so harsh to her, Rainbow…” Fluttershy asked.
Suddenly, Rainbow let out a laugh. Medley’s eyes widened in surprise. The blue pegasus wrapped her arm around her neck.
“Come on… I was only joking! Relax, I’d never kick you out. But next time don’t forget your communicator, at least. All right, Kid?”
Medley lightened up and quickly wiped her eyes.
“Y-Yes, ma’am! I won’t let you down again, ma’am!” she said with youthful energy in her voice.
“I sure hope so. Now, let’s move it!”
In a couple of minutes, the three pegasi reached the main deck. They stood next to each other. Rainbow reached for her communicator once more.
“We’re on standby, Captain. Requesting permission for takeoff.”
“Mirage team, you are cleared for takeoff,” Bluehaze replied. “Scout the area ahead. We should be closing in on Fillydelphia…”
“That’s what he’s been saying for the past four days…” Rainbow thought.
“... so make sure there is not another Exile ambush waiting for us. We’ve had enough surprises already. If you do spot any Exile ships, report back and return immediately.”
“Roger that, Captain.”
Rainbow turned to Fluttershy and Medley.
“You heard the man. Wings up! Mirage team, let’s go!”
“Roger!”
Rainbow Dash, Medley and Fluttershy ran several meters ahead, flapping their wings before the finally took off the deck and into the sky. It was covered by dark clouds, but there didn’t seem to be anything that would indicate a storm coming…
Not yet…
-----------------
The Cutie Mark Crusaders watched from their cabin as the Mirage team flew into the sky. Scootaloo waved at them enthusiastically.
“Go get’em Rainbow! Teach those scum a lesson!”
“Like she’s going to hear you from here…” Button grumbled.
“You’ve got a problem?” Scootaloo asked combatively.
Button Mash shook his head in denial, but something else was on his mind. Now that the Crusaders were alone again, the brown colt decided to share his thoughts.
“This whole situation is gettin’ to me… Everywhere we go, everypony tells us to leave and go play somewhere else. They keep treating us like little kids!”
Rumble looked at him, uncertain.
“Maybe because… we are?”
Button leered at him.
“But didn’t we prove that we are capable of taking care of ourselves?! They seem to think otherwise. We gotta do something about it!”
“Say, Apple Bloom…” said Sweetie Belle. “That reminds me, you told Applejack about our plan, didn’t you?”
Apple Bloom lowered her sight dejectedly.
“Yeah…”
“So… How did it go?”
“Take a wild guess.”
Sweetie Belle scratched her chin briefly.
“She… wasn’t convinced?”
“She didn’t even wanted to talk ‘bout it!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. “Hay, she said that if I’d mention that plan again, we’ll all be booted back to the Crystal Empire!”
“Wow… Your sister’s a bit overprotective,” said Button.
“Hay of an understatement,” Apple Bloom mumbled.
“So, where do we go from here? Sitting in place won’t do us any good,” Pipsqueak pointed out. “Any ideas, Button?”
“I have something in mind… But I’m still working on the details.”
“Button…”
A quiet voice sounded from the corner of the room. Dinky rolled to the side.
“Whatever you are planning, I hope it won’t involve killing other ponies. Because I won’t take part in that.”
Button rose his right eyebrow.
“Huh? You’re still feeling sour about that sabotage that you, Rumble and Scoots did in Stalliongrad?”
“Mm-hm…”
The other Crusaders had their eyes focused on Dinky, but she kept staring at the floor instead. Button Mash came closer to her.
“You gotta get over it! If it weren’t for you guys, things would’ve gone to hay! Even Miss Twilight and Miss Firecracker said so!”
“You weren’t there…” Dinky whimpered. “You didn’t see… those crippled bodies… that thick, black smoke… and that soldier, dying before us… It was horrible…!”
“Come on, already!” Button exclaimed. “You heard Rainbow! This is war, we do what we gotta do to help ours! Even if it means taking those scum out!”
Dinky’s eyes flocked with tears.
“Don’t say that…! It’s not right…” she cried.
“Pfft! I can believe a crybaby like you got accepted into our—”
“SHUT UP, BUTTON!”
A piercing shriek sounded in the room. It was Sweetie Belle. She looked angry.
“Don’t you DARE talk to Dinky that way!” she exclaimed.
“Yeah,” Pipsqueak backed her up. “Everypony has the right to voice their opinion. And frankly… I don’t feel up to killing other ponies, either.”
“This ain’t like in your video games, chump!” Scootaloo jumped in. “It’s not like those who die will respawn after a while. When they go to a ‘big sleep’… When they die, they are gone for good! Miss Cheerilee taught us that, remember?”
“I know that!” Button said loudly.
“Guys, calm down!” said Rumble, earning the Crusaders’ attention. “I think we should stick to what we’ve been doing since we formed the team. You know… getting intel, scouting… We were doing fine with that and without much risk, too.”
The others looked at each other.
“He’s got a point…” Apple Bloom admitted.
“Yeah, maybe we shouldn’t overreach too much,” Pipsqueak added.
Now their sights focused on Button. The brown colt felt nervous.
“Uh… Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Tell Dinky that you are sorry!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed. “She deserves at least that!”
“Alright, alright! Geez, don’t treat me like a bad guy.”
Button walked up to Dinky and tried to put words together.
“Listen, Dinky, I… I’m sorry for yelling at you like that… I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry, really…”
Dinky got up from her bed and touched Button’s face with her left hoof before she embraced his neck with it. She was smiling again.
“It’s all right. I don’t blame you. Let’s just keep all misunderstandings aside, everypony. We have to stick together. That’s what my Mom always told me.”
“You miss her, huh?” Apple Bloom asked.
Dinky nodded her head.
“But I’m sure I’ll see her soon. I have to stay strong… for all of us.”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders regained their good moods. Rumble suddenly had an idea.
“You know, I think Apple Bloom should be considered our leader in a sense. After all, it was her idea to form this scouting team.”
“Yeah, and she’s on good terms with Ms. Twilight and Applejack,” Pipsqueak added.
“Who thinks Apple Bloom should be our leader?” Rumble asked. “All in favor say ‘Aye!’”
Dinky, Sweetie Belle, Rumble and Pipsqueak voiced their approval. Scootaloo and Button Mash were a little less enthusiastic. The orange pegasus filly wanted to be considered a leader herself, but Apple Bloom said to her:
“You can be my ‘right hoof,’ in a sense, Scoots. And… thanks for your trust, everypony.”
The young earth pony bared her teeth in delight, then turned to Sweetie Belle.
“Sweetie, turn the radio back on! Maybe we’ll find a nice song to listen to!”
She tuned in just in time for a little break from music. A lively, female voice sounded in the speakers.
“Yo! How’s everypony doin’? Here’s your favorite DJ-Pon3 with some fantastic news for you, guys! Rumor has it that our fellas from the Crystal Empire are moving on to take out the Exiles! Oh yeah! They’re chargin’ in like rhinos, folks! I’ve got a feeling a lot of positive things are about to happen! And, just to keep everypony’s spirits up, here’s another hit single: ‘Our Aces So High’! Let’s rock!”
As the music started to play, the Crusaders lined up before the radio and started dancing to the tune. They were no longer worried about the events from the last few days.
==========
1100 hrs
Bridle Shores, Fillydelphia airspace
Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Medley finally reached their position. If Captain Bluehaze’s assumptions were correct, they were only about 25 kilometers away from Fillydelphia. Not wanting to risk being picked up by enemy radars, Rainbow sent Medley ahead to scout, assuring her that she and Fluttershy will keep their eyes out for possible adversaries. As the green pegasus pony was getting closer to the city, she noticed grim, dark clouds looming over the bay area, where several ships were docked.
“I though the weather in the area was supposed to be clear,” Medley thought to herself. “Strange… Maybe it’s the Exiles’ doing it. Hmm… What do we have here?”
The young flier squinted her eyes, then checked her radar. The IFF confirmed to her that the ships were hostile. She quickly reached for her communicator to try and contact Rainbow.
“This is Mirage 7. Mirage 1, come in.”
“I hear you, Kid. What’s up?” Rainbow’s voice sounded in the small speaker.
“There are no less than ten enemy ships docked at Delamare Bay right now,” Medley replied. “Let’s see… There are some destroyers… two Aegis-class ships… a few frigates… even a pegasus carrier!”
Rainbow tried to picture said fleet in her mind.
“That would make it about as strong as our 1st Fleet,” she said. “Got any more details about the ships?”
“Not really…” Medley admitted. “I’ll try to get closer and…!”
Just then, her radar picked up three signals, marked as green arrows, leaving one of the ships (marked as big, red dots) and heading in her direction. She quickly realized that she’d been discovered.
“Uh-oh… Never mind.”
“What was that supposed to mean?!” Rainbow exclaimed.
“They’re coming after me!” Medley shrieked in response.
Rainbow growled in frustration.
“Get back here, Kid! We’ll intercept them!”
“Okay!”
Medley turned around and started flying back to Rainbow and Fluttershy. The three Exile pegasi that were chasing her, however, were quite fast.
“I guess we really were spied upon, after all!” said a lime green pegasus. He was wearing a yellow vest with a lightning bolt on its right side. He also carried a small bag with him.
“Relax, Wind Edge, we’ve got this!” one of his companions, a bulky flier, responded. “Ain’t no way that fink is gonna escape us!”
They started closing in on Medley. She briefly turned around and noticed their attack formation.
“Dang… they’re catching up to me…!”
One of the Exiles swooped toward her. Medley managed to avoid his attack. She also avoided the pegasus wearing a vest. But the bulky one finally struck her, sending her flying downward. He pinned her on one of the clouds. Medley tried to to throw him off, but his body weight was bigger than hers. The pegasus delivered a powerful punch to Medley’s face, dazing her briefly. The other two pegasi were hovering next to their companion.
“What do you know, guys?” the bulky pegasus asked. “It’s a mare. Still young and cute, methinks.”
“G-Get off me, you…! Agh!”
Her assailant hit her in the face again.
“Hey, I recognize her!” the pegasus with the vest said. “It’s one of the fliers from Mirage squadron! You know, ‘Angels’ and all that stuff.”
“For real, Wind Edge?” the bulky pegasus asked in surprise.
“Talk about a shame,” the third one interjected. “To see such a youthful mare wasting her life serving Celestia. She should pledge her loyalty to the true ruler of Equestria that resides in Canterlot Castle now.”
Medley tried to shake the bulky pegasus from her again, gritting her teeth with anger.
“Don’t you dare… mock the Princess, you…! Aaugh!”
She received another punch in the face.
“Be quiet!”
The bulky pegasus turned to the one wearing a vest.
“You know, Wind Edge, I don’t think we’re going to convert this one.”
“Figured as much,” Wind Edge replied. “Guess there’s only one thing left to do… Silence her!”
“Hah! With pleasure!”
Medley got smacked in the face two more times. She was groaning in pain, unable to fight back. The bulky pegasus pressed his front hoof on Medley’s throat, trying to choke her. She was struggling, but only briefly.
“Can’t breathe…! Everything… going dark…! Help!”
“Relax! I’ll finish you in a moment…” the bulky pegasus said to her.
“Not so fast, buster!”
With a loud yell, Rainbow Dash pierced through the cloud, thrusting her back leg forward, aiming to deliver a flying kick to one of the Exiles. The bulky pegasus, although surprised, managed to duck and avoid being hit, but his companion wasn’t so lucky. Rainbow’s hit sent the pegasus spiraling downward. Dash reached him and delivered a series of punches straight to his gut. One more kick in the face sealed her opponent’s fate.
“Damn! An ambush!” Wing Edge exclaimed. “We have to retreat!”
The bulky pegasus stopped choking Medley, but before he flew upward, he hit her in the face one more time, causing blood to dribble from her lips.
“You’re lucky, shorty!”
Fluttershy saw him punching Medley. Just as he was taking off, she flew over to him and appeared right before his face, surprising him. Fluttershy’s expression was angry, but her voice was strangely calm when she said to him:
“I’m sorry. I can’t let you leave.”
The bulky pegasus laughed.
“Ha, ha! Oh yeah? And how are you gonna stop me?!”
In response, Fluttershy smiled briefly.
“I’ll kick you.”
“Huh…?”
The next moment, Fluttershy thrusted her right rear leg square into the bulky pegasus’ gut, causing him to bend forward in pain. Immediately after, she followed up with a chop to his neck. Finally, she wrapped her arms around him and looked deep into his eyes, saying:
“Hurting my friend was your last mistake. Rainbow!”
Fluttershy let the bulky pegasus go. He couldn’t force his wings to flap. Rainbow saw him falling. She quickly flew toward him, reared her right arm back and delivered a devastating uppercut to his jaw. The bulky pegasus fell down into the cold water below.
“He’s done,” Rainbow quipped.
Fluttershy approached Medley, who finally managed to recover from the beating.
“Are you all right?”
Medley coughed up a few times before she replied.
“I… I think so…”
Wind Edge was the only one left. He came to a realization that the tables turned on him.
“This ain’t how I pictured it…!” he said to himself before turning around and bolting.
“He’s getting away! I’ll stop him!” said Rainbow.
“No…! He’s mine!” Medley exclaimed, getting up from the cloud and flying after him.
Rainbow didn’t even have time to call her out to stop. Wind Edge quickly noticed that Medley was chasing him. While he initially thought to lead her toward the port area so she could be gunned down by the anti-aircraft fire, he had a thought. He started circling around the area, forcing Medley to tail him. She was frustrated that her opponent was toying with her and not taking her seriously.
“Hmph. Aren’t you persistent!” Wind Edge exclaimed.
He suddenly turned around and started flying back to the port. Medley picked up the speed, her sight focused ahead…
“You’re not getting away from me!” she yelled.
Wind Edge reached for something in his bag…
“Wanna bet?” he asked quietly.
The pegasus slowed down and turned around to face Medley. Surprised, she slowed down herself. Wind Edge reared back, throwing a small, round object at the Mirage flier…
“Catch!”
About two seconds later, a bright burst of light engulfed the area. Medley stopped, hovering in place. She let out a scream and covered her eyes, thrashing around in pain.
“AAAHH!!! M-My eyes! Help!”
Rainbow and Fluttershy finally caught up to her. Rainbow made a quick decision.
“Go help her! I’ll deal with that creep!”
Fluttershy nodded in response. Rainbow picked up the speed, disappearing in the clouds ahead, while Fluttershy got closer to Medley.
“Calm down,” she pleaded.
“F-Fluttershy?” Medley asked in a high-pitched voice. “W-Where are you?! I can’t see…!”
“I’m right next to you. Don’t worry!”
Fluttershy touched her with her hoof. Medley still covered her eyes.
“M-My eyes… burning…!” she yelped. “Help me…!”
Fluttershy instructed Medley to calm down first, then told her to keep her eyes closed for a few more seconds, then to uncover her face and finally, slowly open her eyelids. When Medley did that, she squeaked in pain as she was seeing things more clearly now.
“Uhh… too bright…!”
“Open them slowly… little by little... Do you see me?” Fluttershy asked.
Medley rubbed her eyes.
“So… blurry…”
“Don’t worry. Your sight will return to normal in a few seconds.”
“For a moment, I thought my eyeballs were going to burst out…” Medley said quietly.
Rainbow Dash returned back to her friends. She seemed annoyed.
“Horseapples!” she cursed loudly.
“Rainbow! Did he…” Fluttershy inquired.
“He got away,” Rainbow confirmed. “I’ve lost him in the clouds. Bastard is pretty fast.”
The blue flier looked at Medley. She could see that Rainbow was anything but pleased. Medley lowered her sight in regret.
“I… I’m sorry… I thought I had things under control, but… I screwed up… again... I’m…!”
“Come on, Kid, pull yourself together!” Rainbow interrupted her whining. “That wasn’t your fault. Who would knew that guy had a flashbang with him?”
“A… whatbang?” Medley asked.
“I’ll tell you later. First, I’d better contact Captain Bluehaze and tell him everything.”
Saying this, Rainbow reached for her communicator, adjusted the frequency and said:
“Luminescence, this is Mirage 1. We have a problem…”
-----------------
“They saw you?!” Bluehaze exclaimed.
“‘Afraid so, Cap,” Rainbow replied. “The Exile that escaped will probably sound the alarm.”
The earth pony closed his eyes for a brief moment. When he spoke to Rainbow again, his voice was full of vigor.
“No matter. Whether we will fight in the bay or on open waters, we’re going to break through their fleet and reclaim Fillydelphia! After all, this is what we came here to do! Stay where you are. We will reach you shortly.”
“Roger.”
Captain Bluehaze changed the frequency in his own radio and proclaimed:
“Attention all EAF units! This is Captain Bluehaze of the Luminescence. I want all available pegasi to assemble on the main decks and be ready for takeoff. All troops to battle stations! Ready the guns!”
-----------------
1120 hrs
When Wind Edge finally returned to the Fillydelphia port, he went straight to the outskirts of the city. There, a large bronze dragon was waiting on the plains. He growled when the pegasus approached him.
“What do you want?” he asked.
“The enemy is approaching, General Gyges!” Wind Edge replied.
Gyges seemed unfazed by this news.
“So they are… Then you know what you must do. Destroy them!”
“What about you?”
“I’m here as an emergency plan, so to speak, in case you’ve forgotten… You should take care of them without my help.”
Wind Edge frowned.
“You sound confident, dragon.”
Gyges growled again.
“And you… You shouldn’t be relying on my assistance. Remember, we are not friends. I am here only because my King Brother ordered me to. You must fight your own battles… unless you are a coward by heart.”
“I’m not!” Wind Edge retorted.
“Hmph. The sound of your voice doesn’t sound very convincing. … Go and prove your worth alongside your comrades… or die with them.”
Wind Edge couldn’t understand Gyges’ behaviour. Still, not wanting to anger him, he complied and left. Gyges watched him fly back to the port.
“Fools… the lot of them. Like lambs to the slaughter. All in the name of some foolish ideals...” he said to himself.
-----------------
1130 hrs
After several minutes of waiting, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Medley finally started picking up friendly signals on their radars. The 1st Fleet was approaching. About a dozen red dots appeared as well from the opposite side. The two fleets were about to engage in a battle.
“Captain, we got visual. The Exiles are advancing!” Rainbow exclaimed.
“So, they’ve decided to come out and face us openly, eh?” Bluehaze’s voice replied. “All for the better. I have all soldiers on standby. As soon as we get within firing range, we’ll shower them with lead. Rendezvous with our pegasi forces. I want you girls to keep the skies clean.”
“You got it, sir!” Rainbow assured him.
Medley started wiggling in place, impatient. When Rainbow told her about flashbangs — grenade-like items that produce a blinding flash of light upon detonation and can be used to temporarily render anypony without protecting goggles vulnerable to attacks — she was on a collision course with Wind Edge.
“I still can’t believe he tricked me! When I meet him again, I’m gonna knock his jaw straight off his face!” the green flier exclaimed.
Fluttershy looked at her, disturbed by her statement, but Rainbow only chuckled.
“At least you still got spirit, Kid. Just watch yourself. Come on, let’s get going!”
The three pegasi descended toward friendly ships. All preparations were already finished. Twilight Sparkle and her unicorn battalion promised to defend Luminescence from enemy attacks. Applejack’s team was prepared for eventual boarding attempts and fending off the assailants. All pegasi were only waiting for permission to take off and engage the enemy.
Just then, Captain Bluehaze’s voice sounded in their radio speakers.
“All units, we’ll have a Wonderbolt operator monitoring our operation. I’m opening a comm link…”
A mature and calm male voice sounded.
“Ahem… This is Heavy Cloud. I’ll be monitoring this combat op. As this is going to be a naval battle, I want you to keep one thing in mind: the enemy isn’t just going to sit there and take it. The Exiles will also be going our own fleet, so you need to defend as well as attack. Keep your eyes on the battle situation and adjust your roles properly. All units, you are cleared to engage!”
“Roger that, Heavy Cloud,” said Captain Bluehaze.
As Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Medley got closer to the 1st Fleet, two pegasi squadrons took off from Luminescence. Fluttershy recognized them. They were the ones that Big Bear assigned from his post in Stalliongrad. Rainbow switched frequency to contact them.
“This is Mirage 1, do you read?”
“Roger, Mirage,” one of the pegasi responded. “This is Sova 1. We’re going to be your eyes in the sky. We’ll keep a lookout for enemy air units.”
“This is Osa 1, Mirage,” another voice sounded. “We will co-operate with Sova to keep the skies under control. We welcome any support from you.”
“Understood, Osa. Let’s move!” Rainbow replied.
The two squadrons joined them in formation. Soon, they found the first three enemy ships ahead: two frigates and a corvette. Two pegasi from Osa squadron were wearing strapped-on machine guns and could engage the units directly. But before that idea was even suggested, Medley noticed additional signals on her radar. Enemy pegasi were near.
“Let’s keep them busy for a while!” Rainbow ordered.
Though their foes were prepared for a fight, Rainbow’s quick moves prevented them from keeping focus on their surroundings, as they had trouble keeping up with her. The pegasi from Osa squadron took care of the assailants. Within the next few minutes, the two fleets finally engaged in combat. A barrage of bullets and missiles followed from both sides. The pegasi took off from carriers as well. Rainbow’s team was reinforced with Lancer and Sweeper squadrons, as well as a Garnet squadron from the Crystal Empire.
“All units, destroy the enemy ships and clear the skies of enemy pegasi! Mirage, I leave the command of our air force to you,” Captain Bluehaze’s voice sounded.
“We won’t let you down, sir,” Rainbow assured him. “All right everypony, let’s get’em!”
One of the crystal ponies from Garnet squadron contacted Rainbow.
“This is Garnet 1. We’ve got the bombs to blow the enemy ships up. We’ll need you to provide support for us, Mirage.”
“Understood. Let us know when you’re ready to attack.”
Rainbow and her friends flew next to the five crystal ponies, each carrying a large bomb. The Osa squadron went ahead to keep some of enemy fliers busy. When the Garnet squadron got a visual of the three enemy ships, they started their attack run. Rainbow Dash and Medley prevented two Exile pegasi that tried to interfere. This allowed the crystal ponies to drop their bombs on both frigates and the corvette. All three went down to the bottom after a series of explosions. The enemy fleet had been weakened.
“Garnet, good work down there,” one of the Osa fliers praised them.
“Thank you, Osa,” Garnet 1 replied. “We’re heading back to Luminescence to get more bombs. We’ll deal with the enemy battle cruiser next.”
“Sounds good to me,” said Rainbow.
Her team went to help Quick Chaser and his Sweeper squadron against some Exile fliers, who were heading toward the 1st Fleet ships. The four bomb-carrying pegasi were escorted by another squadron, but once Mirage and Sweeper engaged them, the bombers panicked, releasing their bombs early. They fell into water and sank. One of the bombers picked up the speed and tried to reach the ships anyway, but was stopped by Medley’s diving attack.
While Captain Bluehaze kept observing the battle, he noticed that the enemy fleet had split, leaving one of the battle cruisers unprotected. He ordered the Garnet squadron to take it out. However, when the crystal ponies started their attack run, their bombs were destroyed in midair by an intense gatling gun barrage. Sova squadron attempted to act as a distraction, but it didn’t work. One of its fliers tried activating a jamming signal, a chaff, but he got wounded in the right wing in the process. Still, the gunfire barrage seemed to have weakened for a short time. The squadron leader relayed to the others about his discovery.
“This is Sova 1. We may have a solution to this barrage. Their guns can’t seem to handle targeting multiple targets at once. We should perform a saturation attack and strike it from all angles!”
“I’m liking this plan,” Quick Chaser replied. “My team is ready whenever you are!”
“All right. Mirage and Sweeper squadron will provide Garnet squadron with distraction. Try to keep the barrage on you. Osa squadron, use your machine gun fire to destroy the guns on the cruiser,” Heavy Cloud ordered. “You’ll need to succeed on the first try!”
“This is Osa 1, roger. We’re starting the attack!”
As Rainbow’s team and Quick Chaser’s squadron kept circling around the battle cruiser, keeping most of the gunfire on them and still avoiding getting hit, the two Osa fliers dived down toward the main deck and quickly disabled the gatling guns. The Garnet squadron just returned with another set of bombs, ready to drop them. While Mirage and Sweeper squadron still kept the cruiser’s crew main focus on them, the crystal ponies performed a successful attack run. The five bombs were dropped down, causing fires on the most important points of the ship, including near the ammo dump. When the flames reached it, a huge explosion ripped a hole in the ship’s deck, sending the battle cruiser and most of its crew to the bottom.
“That was some wicked explosion!” Medley exclaimed.
“Heavy Cloud, advise all teams: one of the cruisers is out of the game,” Rainbow Dash reported to the Wonderbolt.
“All right, that’s what I’d like to hear. Continue the attack and help in taking out the remaining ships.”
Wind Edge and his wingmates were observing the battle cruiser’s destruction. Victory was slipping away from the Exiles. They needed help, and they needed it now. The pegasus in the yellow vest tuned his communicator to contact Gyges.
“Think you’re tough, eh? Well, let’s see how you’ll handle him…”
-----------------
“What?! You can’t be serious!” Gyges roared when he heard Wind Edge’s report.
“I’m dead serious, General. The cruiser’s history. We need you here!”
Gyges let out a frustrating growl before replying.
“Fine. I will be there soon.”
He cut the link and muttered to himself.
“Those idiots… They would never have gotten this far with our assistance. I guess it’s time to take this matter into my own claws.”
The bronze dragon spread his wings, ready to fly...
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
Hearing the new, gruff voice, Gyges turned his head around.
“Who are you?!”
His eyes rested on a gray, scarred pegasus with a blue mane.
“Don’t let that concern you now. We need to talk… General.”
Gyges glared at the mysterious intruder. He felt that he had something important to tell him…
-----------------
1200 hrs
The Exiles’ fleet suffered greater damage with an Aegis-class ship and another corvette being destroyed by Daybreak and Nightfall’s combined assault. Not even an attempt to teleport a strike group from the carrier into Luminescence for a boarding was successful. Twilight Sparkle, along with other unicorns, created enough chaos in the enemy ranks with their own magic spells to allow Applejack and her company to literally kick the Exiles off the deck and into the water. Shortly after that, the enemy carrier came into firing range of Daybreak and Nightfall’s guns and artillery. The two ships, along with Garnet squadron performing another attack run, successfully sank it.
Wind Edge was losing his composure. He had only one choice left.
“My Lady, this is Volt 1, please respond!”
“... What is it?” Aurora’s voice sounded.
“My Lady, our fleet… It’s almost gone. We need immediate assistance!”
“Calm yourself, Wind Edge. What about General Gyges?”
“He’s not responding. I’ve tried to contact him several times…”
After a brief moment of silence, Aurora spoke confidently.
“Fear not. I felt that he cannot be fully trusted, so I’ve prepared a little backup myself. You will see soon enough…”
Wind Edge didn’t know what she meant, but hoped that her statement was correct. Dark clouds from over Fillydelphia finally reached the sea battlefield, completely covering the sun.
Meanwhile, the EAF managed to gain a great advantage in the battle. Heavy Cloud noted that the enemy fleet only had three major ships left: a battlecruiser, an Aegis-class ship and a destroyer. In the meantime, the 1st Fleet only lost one frigate and had two other ships damaged. Once the last few enemy ships were gone, there would be nothing standing between the 1st Fleet and reaching Fillydelphia… or so they thought.
“Continue to engage the enemy,” Heavy Cloud ordered. “We’re well on our way to—”
“Wait!” Fluttershy suddenly interjected.
Her radar caught a new signature about 20 kilometers away from the main battlefield. It matched a pattern she’d seen before...
“Missile fired from enemy sub!” she shrieked.
“What?!” Medley exclaimed.
“Get out of there, Medley! And everypony else, too!” Fluttershy urged.
Rainbow also realized what was going on.
“C’mon, everypony! Get your altitude about 5000 feet!”
Heavy Cloud caught on everything, too.
“Submarine missile launch confirmed! It’s most likely a burst missile, with multiple warheads that separate in mid-air! Get above 5000 feet and stand by!”
Just as the pegasi were starting to gain altitude, Heavy Cloud said:
“Wait… I’m getting a command override from somewhere. ‘Data link to White Bird…’ What is this?”
A few more seconds later, something started shining up in the sky. A beam of energy rippled through the dark clouds, targeting an area away from the main battlefield. Most ponies stopped dead where they were upon seeing this phenomenon. When the beam disappeared, Heavy Cloud’s voice had a mixture of relief and amazement in it.
“Missile vaporised in midair!”
“What was that? The sky just lit up!” Medley exclaimed.
“We’ve seen this somewhere before…” Fluttershy wondered. “Was that…?”
Then, a new, yet familiar sounding female voice spoke through the ponies’ headphones.
“This is the White Bird… I will protect you from the missiles.”
That voice brought a new dose of confidence into the EAF soldiers. Heavy Cloud announced:
“Missile destroyed by an energy beam! It’s the White Bird! We’ve got the White Bird. All units, continue engaging the enemy!”
At the same time, the Exiles were utterly confused when they learned their attack had failed.
“The missile disappeared!”
“What’s going on?!”
“What was that? What happened?!”
Wind Edge tried to keep the situation under control, but this confusion allowed the Sova squadron to search for the source of the launch. They soon reported their discovery.
“This is Sova 1! We’ve detected a submarine operating outside the combat sector by sonobuoy. Sound pattern analysis produces a match with the Scinfaxi.”
“Scinfaxi, huh… Can you confirm its exact location?” Heavy Cloud asked.
“Negative. Still looking for that, comrade,” Sova 1 responded. “They will most likely attempt to fire another missile. Maybe then..."
“Understood. Continue your search. Report once you discover it. White Bird, do you copy?”
“... Yes, I copy,” the female voice replied.
“We’ll send you the data as soon as we detect another missile. We’re counting on you.”
Now the Exile’s secret weapon had been unveiled. Their powerful submarine was somewhere nearby, and the fact that their other ships were potentially threatened by White Bird’s attack didn’t help. Wind Edge didn’t know what to do.
But the Garnet squadron did. Using the confusion, they managed to conduct another successful attack run and showered the Exile destroyer with guided penetration bombs. The ship was blown to little pieces.
As Sova 1 predicted, Scinfaxi’s crew prepared another burst missile and launched it, not intimidated by the initial failure. Sova squadron intercepted the signal. Heavy Cloud then linked the data to White Bird. Within the next twenty seconds, a second beam of light pierced through the clouds, destroying the missile.
“All right! We did it!” Heavy Cloud exclaimed.
Seeing the situation turn in their favor, one of the crystal ponies from Garnet squadron made a somersault in midair to express his joy.
“We’re going to make it back. I know it!”
Osa and Lancer squadrons attacked together. They managed to disable the Aegis-class ships’ CIWS, which could prevent the bombs or missiles from reaching their destination. The ship was left wide open to be attacked. One guided penetration bomb thrown by a bomber pegasus was enough to sink it. All that was left now was the battle cruiser.
Just as Garnet was heading back to Luminescence to get some more bombs, Rainbow Dash and her team focused the cruiser’s attention on themselves.
“Rainbow, you think this ‘White Bird’ can avoid hitting us?” Medley asked.
“Yeah, it seems to be highly accurate,” Rainbow replied. “I wonder if that is who I think it is…”
The Exiles were completely overwhelmed. The few remaining soldiers under Wind Edge’s command had no concept on how to deal with White Bird’s assistance. But he was not about to give up.
“We haven’t lost yet!” he assured his troops as he sent a coded message to the Scinfaxi.
The Sova squadron was still patrolling the area outside the main battlefield and noticed several signals appearing at once. Those few signals filled them with dread.
“Oh, no! They are launching more missiles! Number 3, number 4, number 5… There’s too many!”
“They want to sink us that badly, huh?” Captain Bluehaze wondered. “Well, bring’em on! Our ships are reinforced. We can take a burst missile or two. They won’t stop us!”
Meanwhile, the Garnet squadron was just about to perform a saturation attack on the Exile cruiser and deliver the finishing blow. When they heard about the multiple missile launch, they didn’t hesitate.
“We’re going to finish this! Mirage, cover us!” Garnet 1 hailed. “All attackers, follow me!”
“White Bird, please protect us!” Fluttershy requested. “The crystal ponies will get killed!”
“Get out of there, guys! Climb!” Rainbow Dash urged.
A third beam of light shot through the clouds. Heavy Cloud confirmed that the missile was destroyed. But two more were still coming...
“Looks like you spoke too soon, Garnet 3…” one of the crystal pegasi said solemnly.
“I-I’m sorry, sir…”
“It’s all right… At least we’ll do what we have to do. Garnet squadron, sink that cruiser!”
All five pegasi descended, clasping bombs in their hooves. Once they were within distance, they dropped their payload onto the Exile cruiser. The explosions ripped the ship’s deck in half, forcing many ponies aboard it to abandon it.
“Direct hit! Great job… Garnet squadron,” the leader praised his wingmates.
There were only ten seconds left to the missiles’ impact… Rainbow Dash and Medley kept on shouting to the crystal ponies to climb and escape the incoming attack. But the Garnet fliers knew they were not going to make it. Though most of the pegasi from EAF were outside of the blast zone, some were still struggling to reach a safe altitude.
The burst missiles went off. The five crystal pegasi disappeared amidst the fireballs. Only their horrifying screams were heard for a brief second and then… nothing but static.
When the fireballs dissipated, they were gone. No signal or trace left of them… Nothing. Several other pegasi were also killed. Those who were lucky only suffered burns on wings or legs. Most of the 1st Fleet’s ships, including Luminescence, also ended up in the explosion’s radius, though most units were still operational.
The Exile fleet got wiped out, but one target was still elusive.
“They’re gone…” Fluttershy whimpered.
“Damnit! They’re going to pay for this!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “Captain Bluehaze, are you all right?”
Heavy breathing answered the blue flier at first, followed by an male voice.
“I’m still here. So are your friends and my crew. Most of them managed to hide inside the ships in time. Unfortunately, most of our anti-air guns got fried by the missiles… At least the enemy fleet is no longer a factor… much.”
“We have to find Scinfaxi… Sova squadron, what’s your status?” Heavy Cloud asked.
“Still nothing... We can’t get a bead on that monster,” Sova 1 replied. “Hang on. We’re dropping a new sonobuoy.”
When it seemed that the situation looked uncertain, the female voice, sounding much more tired than before, made a request.
“Sova 1, this is White Bird… Requesting sonobuoy data link.”
“... Roger. We’re sending it to you now. What are you going to do?”
“I still have… enough power to do… this…!”
Another beam of light, much bigger than the previous three, was fired into the water. The clouds partially dispersed, revealing the sun. Nopony was certain what was this about, but Sova 1 quickly made a positive report.
“Explosion in the water! The beam damaged the submerged Scinfaxi! Picking up sounds of main ballast blow. The Scinfaxi’s surfacing!”
About thirty seconds later, a massive submarine, nearly 300 meters long, emerged. This intimidating sight briefly halted all ponies in place. On it sides was an emblem that resembled a black and red sun, looking vaguely similar to Princess Celestia’s cutie mark. In addition, it had three black stars surrounding it.
“It’s huge…” said Fluttershy.
Heavy Cloud managed to keep a cool head.
“Looks like it lost its diving ability. It’s floating like a cork! All units, commence attack!”
Wind Edge wasn’t expecting for things to turn around so drastically for the Exiles.
“Shoot! Scinfaxi surfaced! We must defend it!”
His squadron soon got reinforced by additional pegasus fighters that took off from the large ship. There were about twenty of them.
“Sova squadron, stand by,” Heavy Cloud ordered. “Mirage, Sweeper, Lancer, engage the enemy fliers if you see an opportunity!”
“Roger that!” Rainbow Dash replied. “Take’em down, guys!”
Scinfaxi’s armor was incredibly durable, and the submarine itself wasn’t harmless. Its guns kept shooting toward the EAF pegasi and it still could launch another burst missile. Unfortunately, White Bird informed Heavy Cloud that they must deal with this threat themselves. When Scinfaxi fired another burst missile, it was away from the 1st Fleet. Now it was up to the pegasi to finish this battle. The remaining fliers managed to safely reached 5000 feet altitude. As some Exile fliers tried to follow them, two fighters from Lancer squadron sent them downwards with some precise punches, causing the Exiles to be incinerated by the burst missile’s explosions.
Wind Edge saw that and he was slowly losing control of his emotions. He went to confront the fliers from Mirage squadron directly.
“You guys are a real thorn in Lady Aurora’s side! We’re going to finish you!”
“What are you, dumb?” Rainbow said to him. “Look around you. You guys are outnumbered and outmatched. It would be best if you just fly away while you can.”
Wind Edge only laughed. Medley noticed that he still had a bag wrapped around his body.
“Let’s see if you’re so tough…”
He reached for his bag and pulled out another round object.
“... without your sight!”
Wind Edge tossed another flashbang toward Rainbow, Fluttershy and Medley. Even though they managed to shield their eyes at the last moment, they were still stunned by a sudden burst of light. Seeing his attack as successful, Wind Edge tried to strike Fluttershy with a vicious punch. But instead, he was the one who got hit in the face. Though he recovered, the pegasus was taken completely off guard.
“What the hay…?”
“Did you really think that was going to work?!” an energetic, youthful voice reached him. Medley was hovering right before him.
“H-How did you…!” Wind Edge stammered.
“Cheap tricks are not enough to take us down, punk!” Medley exclaimed. “Now I’ll pay you back!”
She charged toward Wind Edge with a loud yell, delivering another punch to his face. Medley followed up with a series of quick strikes to his chest and a kick to his stomach. Wind Edge was stunned by the force of the blow. Medley flew over her opponent. She then dived at him with her rear legs first, hitting him in the back. Wind Edge felt down into the water.
“And stay down!” Medley shouted after him.
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy finally regained their sight. When they got closer to Medley, they were relieved to see that she didn’t fall for Wind Edge’s surprise attack. While he was keeping them busy, Scinfaxi was preparing to launch another burst missile. The attacks from the EAF pegasi were doing little damage. The ships from the 1st Fleet were told to remain away from the missile’s blast radius.
Rainbow quickly turned toward Luminescence and returned a few seconds later, carrying a guided penetration bomb. She glanced at Medley.
“Kid, I think we oughta turn that thing into scrap. Whaddya say?”
Medley nodded.
“I’m with you, Rainbow!”
The two fliers held the bomb firmly in their hooves and began descending quickly, toward the submarine. They were greeted by a barrage of machine gun fire, but just by maneuvering to left and right, they managed to avoid it. When they were just 800 feet away from the ship, the bomb’s mechanism locked on to it and the fliers dropped it. Medley winced when she felt a bullet grazing her left wing. Rainbow also made a painful grin — one of the bullets hit her left rear leg, as the two ponies turned away from their target.
It really didn’t matter. A few seconds later, the bomb hit Scinfaxi, causing a big explosion. The massive submarine started diving slowly. Smoke was coming from it. Some fliers were afraid that it could get away… but just as the submarine almost disappeared from sight, another, bigger explosion occurred, shooting the water around it upward.
All ponies from the Equestrian Allied Forces started celebrating loudly. Captain Bluehaze, having seen the explosion, breathed heavily out, saying “Good show” to himself. Heavy Cloud attempted to contact White Bird to tell her about the success, but there was no response initially. However, another female voice sounded in everypony’s headphones.
“This is Black Bird. White Bird is currently resting. She will be fine. Well done, brave ponies. You have earned this victory.”
Now it became clear to the EAF troops that the “White Bird” was none other than Princess Celestia herself! By channeling her magic and directing it toward the sun, she could focus a beam of energy to be fired from a long distance, making it appear as if it was shot from the sun itself. Princess Luna helped her older sister in channeling magical energy during the fourth attack, which uncovered Scinfaxi’s location and exposed it. Heavy Cloud was in contact with them the entire time, providing both alicorns with necessary battle data. If it weren’t for the Royal Sisters’ support, the casualties on the EAF’s end would become much more severe.
The battle was over. Scinfaxi sank to the bottom of the sea along with nearly 700 soldiers that remained onboard. Both sides suffered great damage in this fight. The entire Exile fleet was obliterated due to combined efforts of the 1st Fleet, the pegasi fliers and the princess’ support. The Exiles lost over 2000 soldiers, while EAF’s initial reports mentioned about 30 pegasi killed, including the entire Garnet squadron from the Crystal Empire, as well as nearly 850 earth ponies and unicorns killed or wounded by burst missiles or during the actual battle. The 1st Fleet lost only two ships, though two others were also heavily damaged and needed to be repaired.
Hoping to not encounter any additional trouble, Captain Bluehaze ordered his fleet and all allied ponies to head for Fillydelphia. But there was one more threat lurking there…
==========
1300 hrs
Fillydelphia outskirts
While the sea battle took place, Gyges was still conversing with the mysterious gray pegasus. The dragon turned his communicator off, so Wind Edge couldn’t contact him. He didn’t want to be disturbed. The pegasus gave him a sort of warning.
“You should run a check on this Aurora mare… She doesn’t look credible,” the gray flier said. “I don’t think her actions are motivated solely by desire to help her fellow ponies.”
“You’re saying… Lady Aurora has some sort of ulterior motive?” Gyges asked. “My Brother, the king, trusts her completely…”
“Doesn’t that bother you?” the pegasus interrupted him. “Didn’t you find it suspicious that a large group of ponies suddenly arrived in Drakonia’s vicinity and immediately paid themselves into the king’s favor?”
Gyges thought about it. It was true. He wasn’t very fond of Aurora and the Exiles since their arrival. But after his King Brother dismissed his worries years ago, saying Drakonia will flourish with riches and power once more, he wasn’t paying much attention to it. Now, after all that he heard, as well as some recent events in mind, doubts started to return to him…
“I suggest you return to your Brother and do a little investigation,” the gray pegasus said.
This, however, only angered the dragon, as he growled in frustration.
“Don’t try ordering me around! Why should I even believe you, stranger? Maybe you’re just trying to sow the seeds of strife between allies?! What is your stake in this, anyway?”
Before he got a reply, Gyges heard some screams from a distance. He looked behind and noticed a commotion happening in Fillydelphia.
“What’s going on?” he wondered aloud.
The mysterious pegasus smiled dimly.
“So… they actually did it.”
“What? … You mean…!” Gyges slowly realized what just happened.
“Yeah… the 1st Fleet will get to Fillydelphia shortly. And there’s nothing left of the Exiles’ ships to stop them,” the gray pegasus said calmly.
Gyges roared.
“Damn you! You’ve turned my attention away from the battle!”
“Not exactly… I only wanted to speak with you, General. I didn’t think they could actually win that battle… or destroy Scinfaxi. Yet they did. Seems like they had a bit of assistance… Do you think you have a chance against them? They could be weakened from the battle, but I still wouldn’t take the risk of taking them on, if I were you...”
Gyges could hardly believe it. Did the powerful submarine really sink? The bronze dragon tried to come up with a possible solution. To the Exiles remaining in the city, he was most likely their last hope. He heard how some of them were expressing worries of what would “Celestia’s servants” do to them, if they were to lose control over Fillydelphia.
The gray pegasus spoke again.
“If you have even a little piece of common sense left, you’ll take my advice, General. Believe me, that is for the best.”
Gyges looked at the stranger, glaring at his face. He knew this was no ordinary pegasus… Finally, after a brief silence, the dragon nodded his head.
“Very well. Though your words are hard to believe, I know that you are not lying. The dragons can see through anyone’s lies and are not easy to trick.”
“Hmm… I wonder…” the pegasus muttered quietly.
Gyges didn’t look like he heard that.
“You came to face me without an ounce of fear, too… Just who are you, stranger? Won’t you tell me your name?”
The mysterious flier seemed slightly annoyed when he replied.
“My name is not important. I’m just a phantom… a phantom created and fueled by conflict. Wherever the flames of war ignite, I follow. I have seen many terrifying things… Forgive me if I sound rude, General, but a single dragon is hardly intimidating to me. Besides...“
He paused for a moment before he got closer and looked sternly at Gyges.
“... You’re not the first dragon I have met in my life.”
That one sentence made Gyges ponder on the identity of this pegasus. He squinted his eyes.
“... I see,” he replied after a moment. “In that case, ‘phantom,’ I will look into this matter. Perhaps I’ll find answers to some questions that are troubling me…”
“Perhaps… Maybe,” said the pegasus.
He then watched as Gyges spread his wings and take off the ground, heading in the direction opposite of Fillydelphia. The commotion in the city only got louder. The gray pegasus acknowledged this turn of events with a smirk.
“Now… one more thing to do…” he said to himself, as he flew toward the Bridle Shores.
-----------------
1310 hrs
Unbeknownst to Medley, Wind Edge managed to survive her retaliation. He managed to swim almost all the way to Fillydelphia, despite feeling pain in his back. When he got some of his strength back, he flew up to try and get to Gyges and order him to protect the city. Just as he was getting closer to the city area, he noticed the dragon spreading his wings… and flying away. Wind Edge was furious:
“Come back here!” he yelled. “COME BACK, YOU TRAITOR! Dammit! DAMMIT, that bastard! Oh, no… Lady Aurora will not forgive you for this! She will hear it all…!”
“She won’t be hearing anything from you.”
A gruff, yet calm voice caused the Exile flier to look behind him. He saw an unfamiliar face: a gray pegasus without a vest.
“W-Who are you?!”
The gray pegasus didn’t answer. Wind Edge was in a combative mood.
“Look dude, if you don’t wanna get your face messed up more than it already is, I suggest you back off and—”
“Silence!”
The mysterious flier spoke with a tone of anger in his voice. This, along with his grim expression, managed to intimidate the Exile flier.
“You dare to call yourself a soldier…? You keep on using others to do your dirty work. In battle, you only resolve yourself to dirty tricks. And you flee on the first sight of trouble or when you find yourself in danger. Punks like you… Loathsome cowards like you is what I hate the most.”
“S-Shut up!” Wind Edge blurted out. “I’m not a coward, damnit! What do you know?!”
The gray pegasus ignored that sentence. He started getting closer to Wind Edge, keeping his bloody red eyes focused on him. Wind Edge felt a cold chill slither through his spine. Everything was about to fall apart for the lime green pegasus…
“S-Stay away from me! You stay away!!!” he screamed.
When the mysterious flier was inches away from him, Wind Edge winced and closed his eyes, covering them with his front hooves. After a few seconds, he slowly opened them. The gray pegasus was gone. The Exile flier breathed in relief, thinking it was just a scary imagination…
“Whew… I’m safe.”
“Are you certain of that?”
That gruff voice… Wind Edge’s eyes widened in horror. He quickly turned around and saw the stranger again… only this time, he seemed much more demonic to him, with torn wings and glowing, red eyes. Was his tormented mind playing tricks on him…? A scream escaped his throat.
“You don’t deserve to be a soldier…”
Saying this sentence, the gray pegasus suddenly lunged toward Wind Edge and delivered a powerful punch to his gut, stunning the Exile flier. Then, he wrapped his right arm around Wind Edge’s neck and started punching him in the rib cage several times. With each hit, Wind Edge let out a terrified gasp.
Within the silence, only the harrowing sounds of strikes were heard. But no one was there to help Wind Edge. He was alone against a seemingly otherworldly foe that was much more powerful than him…
After several hits, Wind Edge started coughing up blood. He felt excruciating pain in his chest. The mysterious assailant most likely broke his ribs with his powerful attacks. He released his grip on the Exile, but Wind Edge heard one more statement before everything started fading before him:
“You don’t even deserve to live!”
Then, the gray pegasus hit him three more times in the face. The final punch was so strong that it snapped Wind Edge’s neck. He then fell down, into the water, and did not resurface this time. The mysterious flier looked at his blood-smeared hoof with satisfaction.
“One less piece of trash in the world…” he muttered to himself before flying upward and disappearing amidst the clouds.
-----------------
1330 hrs
Fillydelphia
Captain Bluehaze received reports from Heavy Cloud that one of the Drake Generals was positively ID-ed to be remaining on the Fillydelphia outskirts. Rainbow Dash and her team weren’t feeling up to fighting him, but decided to fly ahead and inspect the situation. When they arrived to the port side, they saw something unlikely. Several Exiles that were remaining in the city as an emergency backup were waiting for them. But all of them were keeping their hooves up in the air, with weapons being tossed aside. There were about forty of them. When asked what they were doing, one of the Exiles said:
“We are surrendering. Further resistance is pointless. We were abandoned. Do whatever you want with us…”
Rainbow Dash and Medley were taken aback by that submissive attitude, but the green flier noticed that the dragon that Heavy Cloud mentioned was missing. Rainbow decided to contact the Wonderbolt operator and tell him the news.
“Heavy Cloud, this is Mirage 1. The situation is under control. The remaining Exiles have surrendered. The dragon is nowhere to be seen.”
“Huh? Really?” Heavy Cloud sounded positively surprised. “But I was certain that…”
“He must’ve got the word about us trashing the Exile fleet, so he decided to turn tail and run away while he could,” the blue flier said smugly.
“I don’t know… But still, this is great news. I’ll let Captain Bluehaze know right away. We’ve got a lot of wounded on our end. They must be taken to all available hospitals in the city for treatment. Can you help us with that, Mirage?”
“Sure thing, Heavy Cloud. We’ll keep an eye on these remnants until our guys get here. Rainbow out.”
The 1st Fleet finally reached the shores of Fillydelphia in the next few minutes. The Exiles were taken prisoner and escorted away. Twilight Sparkle and Applejack, as well as Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Medley helped guide those who were in the biggest need of medical assistance to the nearest hospitals. Things slowly started to settle down; the citizens of Fillydelphia welcomed their liberators warmly.
As Medley was helping one of the soldiers of the battle cruiser Nightfall, she noticed a body floating on the water, close to the beachhead. When she got closer to it, she recognized Wind Edge. The green flier pulled him to dry land and had Fluttershy examine him. He had multiple broken ribs, bruises, and his head was bobbing freely upon being budged, indicating a broken neck. Medley knew that she couldn’t have crippled Wind Edge this much with her attacks. She decided to tell Rainbow about this later, but she got so preoccupied with helping the wounded that she wasn’t really that bothered by it. The ponies from Mirage squadron were then dragged by the Cutie Mark Crusaders to join in the celebration of the EAF victory.
By the end of the day, Fillydelphia was finally free of Exile control, and Heavy Cloud announced that Operation Eternal Liberation can now enter its second phase. Now that the control on both east and west was maintained, the Equestrian Allied Forces were to rally in one point and prepare for an offensive toward Canterlot, in hopes to topple Aurora’s usurpation of the castle.
Little did they knew that Aurora, despite losing a powerful asset in her army, still had a plan that could help her in ultimately overthrowing Celestia, as well as removing the one obstacle that kept getting in her way…
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Fine by me! Quality over quantity, I always say.
Not a bad move, Gyges. Though I'm beginning to see a death flag slowly being raised above your head...
I also like the way you portray Cipher's "Knight" side and his "Mercenary" side by berating and killing Wind Edge. Now the difficult part is his "Soldier" side...
On further note, I can't wait until Hrimfaxi show itself.
It seems the Princesses are getting more and more involved with the war---could they take to the field personally soon? :O
And it seems Cypher isn't a COMPLETE psycho, talking Gyges down like that....
Keep 'em coming!
And...poor Dinky, she's still traumatized from the sabotage mission. No child should EVER have to deal with having taken a life...
6197488 When war came. Innocence can be lost in the cruelest ways.
Trying to escape the blast, or still in combat?
6278119
The Exiles tried to get out of the blast radius. Lancers made sure they won't.
6278300 So they're Combat Pragmatists? :)
6278699 You could say that.
6278717 Well, knocking a foe who's just fleeing for his life like your team is isn't quite fighting clean...but then again, no one ever won a war by playing fair.
6279182 A basic rule in any combat: Do whatever it takes to win. Screw honor, it will get you killed.
Why am I sounding like a mercenary from ACZ...?
6282803 Fair fights are for boxing rings, NOT battlefields.
(Because Mercenary is the best alignment, of course!)
6283650 More money to buy aircraft and weapons and get the chance to see Barlet, Pops and that guy from 8492nd squadron.
Yep Mercenary is the best :)
6283976 Right on the money!
No offense but this massive space between chapters being written has become awful.
6486730
I am aware of that and I'm sorry. Unfortunately, lack of time and real life prevent me from working as fast as I wish.
6488062 Ah, np, I'll wait.
6488062 Glad that my own real life problems kept me busy, replacing the boredom of waiting for another chapter to come out.
6507647
Well I hope you'll be ready for more soon, because I got things arranged for finishing the chapter. I just need some time to put everything together.
Okay, this is either Cipher, as one guy has commented, or some sort of ponyfication of the "Razgriz" legend from the Ace Combat series, specifically Ace Combat 5. Think about it. First, he appears as a reasonable pony who convinced Gyges that something wasn't right with how his brother had backed Aurora so quickly. Then, he shows up looking much more demonic, almost like some horrific monster. That's mighty iffy, especially considering that I don't recall Cipher's Knight, Soldier, and Mercenary titles being anything other than honorifics with no real superstitions surrounding them, unlike the Ghosts of Razgriz from AC5.
6523008 I would love to explain why this pony is Cipher, but it would spoil too much. So let's just wait.
6508281 Currently I barely have any control of anything.
i.imgur.com/c4jt321.png
I think I'm good and ready if any updates came in.
Well done here, Polish!