Ace Combat Equestria: Shattered Clouds

by Cpt Celti

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"Admiral, please, he doesn't wish to be disturbed!"

Ba'rne ignored the scarred Chamberlain as he stormed through the halls, peaked cap under his arm. The guards saluted him as he went by, as was discipline. It was also discipline to return the salutes, even nod acknowledgement to the castle servants who moved out of his way. But the grizzled Admiral of the Royal Gryphnian Navy paid nothing a mind. He had one destination, and he prayed to the Kings long gone to time that he was not praying on a pipe dream.

Ba'rne's paws made almost thunderous pounds as he moved through the halls of the palace he had traversed throughout his career. Finally, within minutes of entering the palace, he reached his destination and, with little preamble, he shoved open the doors to King Sharpclaw's chambers before the door guards could react. A lavishly decorated room, it was accented with portraits of past kings framed in gold filigree, large artworks of different areas of Equis, even a landscape painting of the Sky Breaker valley was above his massive, mahogany desk. As always, it was polished to a near blinding sheen in the correct light. Red rugs left hardly any of the varnished wooden floor exposed, just as the paintings left barely any of the ornately painted walls to be seen. And just as he expected, the wine vault, kept locked except for special occasions, was wide open and half empty.

Ba'rne wasn't even surprised anymore. Sharpclaw was drunk once more.

"That was the bottle of port from Hibern I gave you ten years ago," Ba'rne commented to the King as he stood by the window. His talons were folded back behind his wings as his leonine tail swayed. Sharpclaw narrowed his eyes, the reflection in the window telling Ba'rne so, remaining silent. "Taken from the stash of Marshal Harker during the sacking of Westledale during the First Continental War. There's a certain Field Marshal, turned Prime Minister, who wouldn't mind getting that back."

"That's too bad," Sharpclaw commented blithely. "I will admit; it's delicious." Sharpclaw lifted the bottle from the table beside him. "Arnold Ironbeak will just have to do without. Care for a dram, Gustav?"

First name basis it was then. That suited the Admiral just fine; it would at least make the next few minutes bearable, or at least he hoped. "No thank you. Never was one for alcohol, Reginald. You know this."

Sharpclaw shrugged and refilled his glass. "More for me then." Mere seconds after being poured, Sharpclaw had downed the contents of the glass. He exhaled and closed his eyes before looking back towards the ocean. "You came here for a reason, Gustav. I'm not 'too drunk' to notice that."

Ba'rne frowned as the words hit him. He had hoped for a good natured banter before the business set in. So that's how this is going to be, he thought. "About Marcus..."

"What about him?" Sharpclaw retorted swiftly.

Ba'rne's frown got deeper with that comment. "He was your son and the last chance for your blood to remain on the throne when you're gone. You... exiled him?"

"The key word there, Gustav, is was. He was my son. He spoke out against me and my ideals as a warrior-king. What he preached was cowardice and practically treason."

"Did you ever think," Ba'rne said carefully. His next words needed to be calculated. Trusted he may be, Sharpclaw would not hesitate to shoot him on the spot. "Did you ever think, he wasn't too wrong?"

Sharpclaw ran a talon along the rim of his glass, rather roughly at that. Ba'rne stood in silence, his beak tightening as he regarded his monarch. Slowly, Sharpclaw turned to the Admiral. Doing a full-bodied turn, Ba'rne could finally see Sharpclaw's features. He was worse than originally thought; huge bags were decorating his eyes underneath, and said eyes were very sunken. His once vibrant feathers were thinning on top, as were his wings. The Gryphon King was more likely to be twice his current age at first glance.

"What part do you not understand, Gustav?" Sharpclaw grumbled. "Marcus spoke out against me. I-In my own court. He challenged me, Gustav! A-after all I've done to protect him from AEGIS!"

"Marcus was doing what his gut told him to do. I spoke with him before he confronted you. He wasn't telling you to surrender to AEGIS; he wanted you to just talk to them. Try to get a cease fire. There is no dishonor in that."

Sharpclaw's talons seemed to tighten on his glass. Ba'rne could see it; gryphon goblets, even glass ones, were know for their strength. This one seemed to be cracking with hair-thin fractures. "You spoke to him? So you... helped temper his demeanor before he challenged me openly?"

Ba'rne swallowed low. "Reginald, listen to me – "

"No! I'm tired of my Joint Chiefs trying to tell me how my family works! How to run my country! How to wage a successful war!" His talons tightened on the glass once more, an audible crack was heard in the silent room. "I am the one who took my father out of power. AEGIS put me here, and now they challenged me in my own borders! I ordered Sky Breaker built to defend our 'allies', and how are we thanked? Telling me to limit its use? That weapon was keeping the changelings from invading again. It's kept the Corvians from ever invading the mainland ever again! The dragons keep away from our borders now!"

"That's just it, Reginald!" Ba'rne cried. "You used it to get everything you shouldn't have in the first place; you earned the ire of our allies from the last war and they feared you. They were worried you'd use Sky Breaker for something drastic, and now... World Breaker? Are you truly going insane? Do you understand what such a weapon could do?"
"Am I?" Sharpclaw asked simply. "I know what it could do. It will be the tool to use when AEGIS thinks they've finally won. I am not blind, Gustav. I know they are coming to Fyrick. I've accepted the inevitability."

"Then it's not too late," Ba'rne pleaded. "You know, Marcus had a point. When AEGIS gets here, a lot of the people you rule over, people we've fought for Reginald, will be caught in the crossfire! Remember we fought together in the last war for Gryphnia, and we vowed to do what was necessary to defend them." He stepped closer to his king, his friend, to try and talk sense into his alcohol-numbed mind. "Talk to them. Talk to AEGIS. It isn't too late to call for a cease fire. You know what will happen should they enter the city. Sometimes defending one's people means knowing when to talk instead of fight."

"I am defending not just my people, but our way of life, Gustav. Our honor, our right to battle, our city that we have held from invaders for near five centuries now." Sharpclaw turned back towards the window. "I somehow knew my own son would speak out against me... but... not my oldest friend." Sharpclaw's gaze turned towards the Admiral. With a shake of his head, he closed his eyes and hung his head. "They are coming, but if we can just hold them back, weather the siege like ages past, we will soon have the tools to drive them back."

"Yes... I read the report from the Chamberlain," Ba'rne commented dryly. "We'll need to weather a – what – six month siege?"

"We've weathered worse in ages past," Sharpclaw retorted, taking another sip of his port.

"Yes, back when our enemies had catapults and wooden sailing ships. We're up against guns, not bows. Tanks, and steel warships; not wooden towers and rowboats. Fighter jets and not simple wooden kites and winged adversaries! We're outnumbered, Reginald! Talk to AEGIS! Save our city while we still have a city! It's the right decision."

"But it is not YOUR DECISION!" Sharpclaw screamed, his grip tightening. The glass could take no more punishment and shattered in Sharpclaw's grip. Yet he was unfazed by it as the shards of broken glass and the remaining liquids within fell to the rug beneath. "It was never your decision! It is your duty to defend this city, and I expect you to do just that! I will see this city burn to ashes around me before I give in to defeat! I will suffer my wings torn from my body a thousand times over and still never give in the demands of warmongers like AEGIS! Remember that they began this war. But I promise; I will end it. Remember your allegiance and stand by me, just like before!"

Ba'rne recoiled at the outburst. The amber eyes of his king were burning with an unbridled fury tempered by his drink. They stared at each other long and hard, neither trying to back down, but Ba'rne soon relented. He stood up straight and examined his peaked cap. Deep within, he felt something break. "Marcus was right," he murmured, "King Reginald Sharpclaw, Second Son of Dughal Sharptalon, has been long dead. My friend is dead... Marcus's father is dead. The gryphon who believed in honor and the will of battle for his people and his allies abroad; I see now he has been long dead." Ba'rne replaced his cap on his head. "Whoever you are, I owe you no allegiance. I will not stand for you."

Sharpclaw snarled at the Admiral. "Then you're relieved, my friend. But if you are still a gryphon, still a warrior, you will defend Fyrick to your last breath."

"I will," Ba'rne sneered. "But I will do it for my city and my country... not for you."

Sharpclaw said nothing, instead turning back to the window. Ba'rne turned on his heel and left the room, making sure to slam the three-hundred year old oaken doors shut behind him.

Once outside, the Admiral ran his talons down his face, shaking his head. "Oh Reginald... I miss you my friend."

The sound of rushing steps forced his gaze back up. His first officer was rushing towards him, and after reaching him, giving a quick salute after he caught his breath. "Sir! We've lost contact with the reconnaissance flight from the Windbreaker. They reported an AEGIS squadron was attacking them."

"They're getting closer then. I suspect they'll be here in a couple hours. Maybe less," Ba'rne murmured. "I need you to get back to the Warlord's Talon. You're in command of the fleet in the field. I'm needed here."

The young officer blanched, beak falling open as he stared at the Admiral of the Navy. The Warlord's Talon was the Admiral's new battleship since the Warlord's Claw was sunk in the Habun Harbor. From the last intelligence report he read, his prized ship from the last war was being scrapped and used to repair some of the civilian buildings hurt in the surprise attack. He could imagine worse fates for it, but it was still his ship. "S-sir! The Talon is yours! I can't take command," the officer tried to explain.

Ba'rne shook his head. "You can and you must. The rest of the Joint Chiefs, myself included, need to stay in the castle and direct the battle from here. You need to guide the Talon and her crew. She's yours now, Captain. Treat her well."

The officer swallowed, paling behind his feathers a bit. But with a sigh, the Captain stood up straight and gave a salute. "I won't let you down, Admiral."

Ba'rne returned the salute with his beak curling into a half-smile. "You haven't before, Captain. Now go."

Dismissed, the Captain turned and rushed towards the window. The guard by it quickly shoved it open. A convenience of the palace when it was built was large windows for the guards or any other winged attendants and visitors to be able to leave through them when needed. The Captain leapt from the window and spread his wings, quickly flying out to the remaining naval ships of the Gryphnian Navy. Ba'rne exhaled as he watched him fly off before proceeding down the hall, pointing to a nearby guard.

"Call Major General Holdet. Tell him to meet me at the Wyvern hangar."

Rhapsody yanked her gloves on tighter, then grabbed her helmet. She paused and took a look at the emblems on it. On the left side was her harp cutie mark, and on the right was the same insignia that was on the tail of Tomcat: A skeletal, spectral pony wrapping itself around a scythe.

The Wraith.

She couldn't help but stare at the emblem. To her, when she first became a combat pilot, she was given the callsign and emblem with the thought she'd just be another pilot in the air force. She would fly and shoot down gryphons, probably be shot down somewhere on a canyon, crash, be replaced, and forgotten. The emblem would be recycled, her callsign taken up by another poor soul unlucky enough to become the new Ghost Wing lead, like she was; a replacement. Rhapsody knew, achingly knew, she was not the first Ghost Wing leader. The first was killed, along with his entire wing, during the first Sky Breaker raid. She had been chosen as his replacement almost as an afterthought.

That was – she blinked and stared off into space – a year ago today. The very thought made her wings shiver.

Now things were not at all what she had expected; she was an ace pilot, an air force icon, a legend to all who flew with her and a terror to those who flew against. She inspired hope to her allies and fear to her opponents. AEGIS ground troops cheered as she went by while gryphons ran as she approached. She frowned deeply; did she deserve that sort of fame, that reputation? Did she really want to be seen as an icon? A hero? A terror?

Rhapsody heaved a sigh, resigning to the fact that she was, indeed, an icon of the war. Onyx Karat's words echoed in her mind once more, telling her that her skills were top of the line and everypony saw her as a hero. Once again, she resigned herself to admitting that, while she felt her reputation was overblown, she was indeed a hero to AEGIS. From a letter she got from her mother, everyone at her little brother's school wanted to hear more about her: "Was she pretty?" "Was she really an ace pilot?" "Was she single?" The last question made her tail flick in annoyance.
Closing her locker, she made one last check to make sure her suit was secure, going over General Iron Wing's battle plan once more in her head...

"We need our best on this attack. It will last for a few hours, possibly a full day's worth of fighting," General Iron Wing had said. "As I'm briefing you, our ground forces are getting ready to launch their attack. While it's not exactly paramount to the air force's attacks, the AEGIS leaders have put together tasks forces from varying Special Forces teams; one to capture the bridges so we can advance into the city through more than one avenue, and the other to enter the castle to capture Sharpclaw.

"Your job is significantly easier. You will shoot down any aircraft in the immediate city, while strike fighters will attack enemy armor on the bridges as well as the roads within the city as well," he said as he aimed his stick at the map behind him. "That'll be mostly reserved for Vulture and Reaper wing, but those of you with bombs will have your own chances. There's more than enough ships in the bay and the submarine base just outside the city. Note that those ships carry SAM sights so watch yourselves."

He then pointed at the city itself. "They're going to be sending up everything in their arsenal. Bombers are still grounded though, but they will be sending up everything from A-10s to the rarely seen Su-47s." Murmurs of disbelief echoed through the room. The Su-47 was one of Gryphnia's more prized, elite fighters. It rivaled the F-22 Raptors in terms of agility, while only partially stealth. "Because of the magnitude of this attack, we've been forced to ground a few wings while others have been sent to the front for the actual fight. Those of you assembled are the air force's first choice." He aimed his stick at each wing leader in the room, respectively. "Timberwolf, Windigo, Emerald, Gold, Vulture, Reaper, Saber, Wonderbolt, Ghost."

"Are the Navy and Marines sending their own pilots?" Aquamarine asked.

Iron Wing nodded. "They're sending Hellcat, Harpy, and Taurus. But they'll mostly be on strike missions and fleet defense. The heavy lifting, as always, falls to air force." A few chuckles were shared in the room, a welcome sound to the tension that had been building. Once the plan had been given, the wing leaders made way to their hangars to relay the orders.

Rhapsody closed the locker and headed into the hangar. Mythic, Sprig, and Amethyst were waiting for her. She stopped in front of them and looked them over. All three of them stood tall as they regarded their leader. The pegasus mare exhaled and met their eyes.

"Never was one for speeches, so I'll make it simple," she said. Rhapsody gave a smile and stepped up closer, putting her hand in the center of them. It was swiftly joined by Mythic Dusk, Sprig Root, and Amethyst Karat until four hands had joined one on top of the other. "It's been an honor to share the skies with you. We may be down one, but we're not weaker because of it. I do wish Ditzy was here to face this with us, though."

"She's watching it on TV I bet," Amethyst said. "This is gonna be news worthy for years to come."

"She may end up putting herself back in the hospital with cheering when Fyrick is ours," Mythic added.

"And we'll have our own celebration to do when it's over," Sprig concluded.

Rhapsody smiled as she regarded her friends – no. After so long, so many battles, watching each other's backs, consoling, dining together, flying beside each other, they had become family. And she loved all of them like family. She truly wanted no other wing to fly with. Ghost Wing was friend and family to her.

Slowly, they parted their hands and tapped their helmets together. "Then let's not waste more time with mushy crap," Rhapsody commented. "Let's end this war today." All three gave cheers of agreement, Mythic and Sprig sharing a fist pound, before they moved to their planes. Rhapsody extended her wings and landed on the top step of the ladder to her Tomcat's cockpit. She took one look at the back seat, where Ditzy's picture was practically sewn into the material. Rhapsody quickly kissed two fingers before patting the headrest of the seat.

"See ya soon, Ditz."

Sharpclaw hissed as he finished the bottle of port. Slowly, he looked out on his city. A city built on strength, honor, the will of his people, was being threatened. But like his grandfathers past, King Reginald Sharpclaw planned to die defending this city.

He expected no less from his subjects.

Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Ironbeak, and Kaubr sat beside each other at the table set up for them in the Command Center of HMS Midnight. Beneath them, General Twilight Sparkle, Prince Shining Armor, Kaubr's son General Tadeas, Ironbeak's General Anita, and General Black Forest stood with headsets on as they shared quick comments and paced in front of the massive battle map of Fyrick. Beside General Tadeas was the female gryphon colonel that had joined Marcus when he arrived at the palace. On adjacent screens were cameras mounted on firearms from team leaders, and a helmet camera attached to, Black Forest knew, Colonel Apple.

Another was attached to a Hippogriff Captain's vest. The Special Wing Service was Hibern's elite Special Forces team. They were inside of a C-17 plane preparing for their insertion. As they all watched, The Captain turned, and while they could not hear what was said, he was indeed speaking to his soldiers. Celestia made a small noise of complaint when she saw Prince Marcus in the plane. Luna caught it and put a hand on her sister's. "Too late for second thoughts, sister."

Celestia simply nodded and turned her eyes back to the screen.

Next to the screen from inside the planes was one that indicated the user was under water, but judging by the growing light, it wouldn't be much longer.

Sharpclaw turned his eyes to the sky, fighters under their banner were flying all over the city. He turned towards the ocean. His navy was facing outwards, prepared to handle any threat. Per his order, the Warlord's Talon was attempting to move further into the city. However, it seemed to be struggling as it made its way down the river.

Sighing, he shook his head to look for another bottle.

Rhapsody flexed her fingers around her control stick, taking a gander at the fighters around her. They were far over the ocean now, all of the wings clinging together. She knew these pilots well, and she found a particular joy seeing the Wonderbolts and their F-15S's flying above, Spitfire leading the way. Though he would never admit it, everypony could tell Soarin was happy command of the Wonderbolts was taken from him and Spitfire assumed control again.

Nearby, Timberwolf's MiG-29s, Saber's Typhoons, Gold's Fighting Falcons, Emerald's Hornets, and Saber's brand new F-15E Strike Eagles from Saddle Arabia as a gift, soared beside and behind her. Close by her, Mythic's Typhoon flew close and he gave her thumbs up. She returned it with a smile behind her oxygen mask. Sprig and Amethyst's Hornets were flying to Mythic's immediate right.

Just a little farther. Rendezvous with the Navy and Marine squadrons and their next destination was Fyrick.

Wiping the blood from his knife, the thestral slung his silenced sub machine gun behind him as his comrades watched the doors. The dark-furred and even darker armor thestrals of the Equestrian Night Stalkers, under the command of Princess Luna herself, kept their fingers on the triggers as two began to dispose of the bodies of the bridge crews into the river they had swam up to reach this area. They were military, so there was no hesitation to kill. With nimble fingers, the lead thestral's dragon-like eyes scanned the keyboard and put in the override codes for the bridge, provided by Gryphnian defectors. "All teams," he said into his radio, "Begin uploading codes, those armor kids will be here soon. And we need to hold these points so the Gryphons don't close them off again." He spun around, ordering, "Gloom, Rock, get your Gustav's loaded. We'll be getting company soon."

Through the cameras, he watched the bridge begin to extend.

"Harpy wing lead to Bolt lead," a voice called. "We're approaching from your three o'clock. Ready to end this war?"

"Always. Hope you sea-skippers can keep up." The four F-14As were followed by four F-4Es. The Navy and Marines had linked up, forming forty planes in the formation.

"Heh-hey! That the Wraith I spy beside you?"

Rhapsody snickered. "Sure is, Harpy Lead. How you doing?" She grinned when she saw Harpy Wing and their Tomcats fly a little closer to Rhapsody.

"Better now. It's a guaranteed victory today, boys!" A shared 'Hooyah' was sounded through the radio.

"Hey, everypony," Sky Gazer suddenly called. "I have a special request."

Captain Rainbow Dash suddenly spoke up, "What's up, Scoots?"

Scootaloo was silent for a moment, before she said slowly, "It's obvious the war's outcome rests on all of you, but... if it's not too much to ask... the end of the war would be a nice birthday present."

Rainbow laughed through the radio. "Consider it wrapped and ready, kid. Right, Wraith?"

Rhapsody laughed and nodded her head. "Of course."

Sharpclaw uncorked the new bottle as he looked back towards the throne room that he just entered –

"Your majesty!" one of his palace guards roared as he entered the throne room.

Sharpclaw snarled at him as he stood up. "What are you thinking, soldier, interrupting this court?"

"The bridges are extending! And we've lost contact with the crews!"

The royal guards within the room lost all composure as they looked at one another in disbelief. Sharpclaw didn't bother trying to tell them to regain themselves. Letting the bottle drop to the floor and shatter, the King launched himself to the windows. Turning his eyes east, the bridges, all four, pulled back when AEGIS took Glacier, were reaching our like wide stone fingers towards the other side of the huge river running through Fyrick. Looking farther east, his eyes narrowed dangerously when he saw armor.

Large explosions came from the bay and he turned to see his ships engaging the AEGIS Navy that was just beyond. The sound of jet engines made his eyes go up, seeing AEGIs aircraft firing on his tanks below and the fighters above.

They had arrived.

Clenching his fist, Sharpclaw roared and sent his fist through the glass.

Ba'rne smoothed the feathers on his head before replacing his cap. Looking upwards, he saw the massive air battle above that had begun mere seconds ago. Forward, he could see the Navy he commanded for twenty years engaging the vastly larger and substantially more armed AEGIS fleet. Turning around, he saw AEGIS tanks beginning to move towards the bridges. Once across, there would be no stopping them. Their air force was already over the skies, and he was chagrined to hear that Sharpclaw had ordered his battleship into the river to defend the palace. The river wasn't very deep; running aground was inevitable.

Sighing, he turned back to the Marines with him as he stepped away from the General.

"Move all the anti-air away from this hangar. Don't give AEGIS an excuse to bomb it." He looked at the lone occupant of the hangar as the doors began to close behind him. The shape was covered by a tarp, but it was still a sight to behold. "If anything is to remain, at least this must."

Applejack dropped her binoculars back into her tank, pulled the charging handle on her machine gun, and grabbed her radio.

"Listen up ya'll! This is the fight of our lives. I want everyone's eyes open, their fingers on their triggers, and we end this war today. This is Gryphnia's capital, and we're in for one hell of a fight, and they won't give up an inch, not a one. Remember that not every gryphon shooting at us is a soldier. The police and even the citizens themselves will be opening fire on us. We're here as peace keepers, not conquerors, so show restraint in your fire."

She looked ahead, seeing the bridges fully extended. The Night Stalkers that were keeping them that way were taking heavy fire. Applejack's gunner aimed the gun forward. He fired off a round and it rammed into the Gryphnian T-90. It promptly exploded and the enemy fire was divided between the bridge control room and the advancing AEGIS forces.

"All units, let's end this today!"

Admiral Pippington, Pipsqueak to his friends, and the youngest Admiral in Equestrian Naval History, grabbed his radio and switched to the fleet wide channel.

"All ships, this is Admiral Pippington. The last time we were here, we were defending Fyrick from a surprise attack by the Changelings. Today, we return to defend it once more. Not from an enemy invasion, but from the enemy within. Sharpclaw has vowed that he will sacrifice every citizen in the city to protect it. He's mad with power, and we will see his tyranny brought down! Let the ground troops and the air crews do their job. Support them as best you can."

The HMS Midnight's main guns aimed upwards.

"Main guns, port side, locked to the Carrier Valor Fire!" the Petty Officer reported from his fire control station. "Enemy cruise missiles launched!"

"All batteries! Open fire!"

"Crystal Soldiers of the Empire!" Commissar Karat shouted from atop his Laclerc tank. "We have taken the fight to the city our enemies had deemed impenetrable! We now show them that they know nothing of such things when they could never reach ours!" A cheer rose up. "We show no mercy for the lack that we received by their filthy claws."

"General Armor to Commissar Karat! You've entered effective enemy range and they're all over! Be careful!"

Onyx laughed. "General, you are mistaken! They have entered our effective range and we are now in a target rich environment! This day is to be remembered as a glorious victory for the Empire!"

"The civvies are not the main target, Commissar, so show restraint on your attacks. Otherwise… give them hell."

Onyx raised his sword. "We will make you proud, General! My friends! My brothers and sisters! CHARGE!"

"Vulture wing dropped their munitions and are pulling back from the fight to rearm," Sky Gazer reported. "Reaper has already been engaged the ground forces, as have our land forces. Taurus wing has also engaged enemy aircraft and have their hands full."

"Anything to say, Major?" General Iron Wing suddenly asked.

"Absolutely sir," Spitfire replied. "Alright everypony, listen up. We're entering the strongest Gryphon held location since Sky Breaker. They will be throwing everything short of kitchen sinks at us. Everyone down there is going to be fighting their hardest, and we need to do the same above them. No one slacks off, no one does a half-assed job, and no one gets reckless." Murmurs of agreement resounded through the joined fighters. "Remember your training; the Joint Chiefs, the monarchy, and every service member in Canterlot right now is counting on us. Tank crews, ground troops, specforce kids, especially us; we all need to be on our best game and better."

The nozzles on the tail of her fighter suddenly opened wider, indicating she was throttling up. The rest of the fighters followed suit, Rhapsody feeling her Tomcat roaring as it seemed to sense the coming battle.

"I trust every single one of you to do your best. You all know I don't lie to my pilots, and not many of us are coming home after this. But to those who fall, you're gonna kick and scream and take as many gryphons with you as possible! We are AEGIS, and we are the continents guardians!"

Rhapsody stared forward, seeing the coast line of Fyrick a ways off. She could make out flashes as the AEGIS navy engaged Gryphnia's. She also spotted several plumes of smoke and billowing flames. The battle had already begun within the city. There was no chance of turning back. "This war ends today, everypony! We end it here and now, and we go home as heroes! You all have it in you to be the best pilots that ever lived, I know it and, most of all, you know it. Earn those wings, everypony; today, you become legends! Should we win the day, remember this day for your lives as the rest of Equis will! You become warriors today, and should you fall, know that it will be a fate to be worthy of remembrance!"

Sky Gazer suddenly cried, "Enemy fighters closing fast!"

"All wings," Spitfire screamed, "ENGAGE!"