The day dawned clear. Though it was still early when they left the Majestic, the sun was already high in the arctic summer sky as the Timberwolves flew northwest. The spastic chatter of machinery and the idle babble of sailors and marines going about their daily business gave way to wispy breaths of cold wind and the low hum of the ARC ship's engines.

"I thought PT was just flying laps around the base and doing wing-ups on the carrier deck!"

"When the Admiral says your next CAP is out near FOB Onyx after PT, your next CAP is out near FOB Onyx after PT!" Firefly snapped. "Quit your belly-achin'!"

Firefly was on edge. If it weren't for the cold wind whipping at her face, she would likely be flying half-asleep. Her prior assumption that time away from the ship would help her was gravely mistaken. She'd been so close to being able to sleep normally again, but yesterday with all its drama had very nearly undone everything. Firefly snorted in contempt of herself. She was strong. She would get through this, just like she did before.

Firefly focused on the task on hoof. Her squad was riding the frigid bow wave of the ARC ship on their way to Forward Operating Base Onyx, one of several bases scattered throughout Alliance territory in the frontier. "FOBs," as they were called in Navy parlance, served as fuel and ammunition dumps for Alliance airships and layover lodging for patrols entering and leaving the Outer Rim of Crystal Empire influence. That meant a quick breather, a hot meal, and with any luck, coffee upon arrival.

"Look on the bright side, Sunshine," Eastwind said. "We get to tour the Outer Rim for forty-eight hours instead of a month this time!"

"Always the optimist, Windy," Sunburst scowled.

Firefly sighed at Sunburst's less than enthused reply. She felt very much the same. "A temporary duty station," the CAG had called it. Their instructions were to fill in for a team stationed at Onyx that had suffered casualties. No action was expected, but it wouldn't do to leave an exploitable gap in the perimeter. With all other squads assigned, the Timberwolves had been pulled from garrison duty and placed back out on the line until proper relief could be brought in. Thankfully, it was only for one night instead of the month they had just spent away from Main Operating Base Topaz.

As the two carried on, Firefly looked to Thunderlane. The rookie remained quiet during their flight. From the steady gait of his wingbeats, he appeared to be well rested. The nervousness from the previous day had evaporated. If Thunderlane looked to be anything, it was thoughtful.

"Something on your mind, rookie?" Firefly asked.

"It's just my first time being this far north. It's really something else, commander."

"It's almost like you don't even notice the cold!" Firefly couldn't help but crack a smile at Thunderlane's wide-eyed fascination with the world they flew through. His naive sentiments were refreshing in the midst of Firefly's own troubles.

"How about you send some of that gusto my way, kid?" Sunburst called back over his shoulder. "I'm dyin' over here!"

"Still hung over, Sunshine?" Eastwind teased.

"No!" Sunburst huffed. It was enough to elicit a collective chuckle from the squad. He waited a beat before sheepishly adding, "....well, maybe a little..."

"ARC Vessel Storm Warden, this is Onyx Control, how copy, over." The voice of the base's air boss came over the airwaves, interrupting the squad's banter.

"Storm Warden copies, Onyx Control," the ARC pilot replied. "We are five klicks north of Waypoint Scepter, inbound to FOB Onyx, ETA six minutes."

"Understood Storm Warden. We have you on the scope. Continue your present course. We'll see you in six. Onyx Control, out."

FOB Onyx appeared as a collection of blocks on the horizon, but rapidly grew in size as the Timberwolves approached. Shadowed lines resolved themselves into snow and rock-filled barrier walls and toothpick-like projections became radio antennas and radar masts. Thickly insulated huts rose from the ground, connected by rat-maze-like tubes to seal in warmth while traveling between buildings. In the southeast corner of the base stood large airship hangars, each capable of accommodating several ARC vessels or heavy gunships. Mooring towers allowed larger ships to anchor themselves to weather the frequent polar storms.

The perimeter of the FOB was outlined by a series of earthworks bastions housing heavy artillery pieces. Spaced between were smaller gun pits with open turrets mounting the familiar Equestrian repeating cannons. The guns were all pointed skyward in expectation of an aerial attack, as a ground assault in the unforgiving terrain was highly unlikely.

"There it is. Thank gods, too." Sunburst's relief was obvious. "If I don't get my hooves back on the ground soon, I'm going to hurl!"

"Drink water, flap it off, old sire," Firefly said with a smirk.

"Onyx Control, this is Storm Warden. We have visual contact. Request permission to land, over." The ARC ship radio operator's voice dominated the airwaves.

"Storm Warden, this is Onyx Control," came the reply. "You are cleared for landing. Approach from the south and make your way to landing pad two. We'll see you on the ground."

"Roger that, Control. See you soon."

"Storm Warden, this is Wolf lead," Firefly said as soon as Onyx disconnected. "Head to the hangars. We need to check in with base command."

"Not to mention get coffee and chow!" Eastwind chimed in.

The ARC ship radio mare chuckled lightly. "We'll take care of the ship, Firefly. Enjoy your horseapples on a shingle!"

Firefly's stomach growled at the thought. They hadn't even eaten breakfast before they'd received the order to move out. Even rehydrated bulgur on toast, commonly called "horseapples on a shingle," sounded appealing right then. Anything beat MREs and powdered coffee.

"I've never been so happy to see rehydrated wheat in my life!" Sunburst said excitedly, barely finishing the sentence before diving into his breakfast.

"Hangover munchies," Eastwind said, rolling her eyes. "Horseapples on a shingle isn't my thing. Give me some fresh apples any day..."

Firefly began eating as well, though not as enthusiastically as Sunburst. The coffee was far more important to her than the food. Caffeine was a poor substitute for a good night's rest, but it would have to do. The drink filled her belly and warmed her from the inside. Firefly sighed as she found it a little easier to keep her eyes open.

She glanced over to where Thunderlane and Eastwind chatted away between bites of bulgur, but she hardly heard any of the conversation. Instead, her attention was diverted to the brusque click-clack of metal on concrete flooring. Firefly craned her neck and pushed herself up a little on the cafeteria stool in an effort to track the noise. Her eyes wandered to the door. The heavy metallic clacks halted. Firefly's eyes fell upon a griffon officer, broad-shouldered and powerfully built, as if she'd been milled from a solid block of steel.

"MAJOR ON THE DECK!"

A massive shuffle of hooves and talons went up as the entire cafeteria jumped out of their seats and snapped to attention. Firefly's eyes locked to the griffonness' armor. The set was just as impressive as its wearer. The armored suit was oversized and archaically-styled, reminiscent of knight armors of old. Its plating was anodized black, its surface neatly polished and trimmed with gold filigree. Even with the polish, however, the griffoness' suit bore myriad scars that obstinately refused to buff out, indications that she was one to lead from the front lines.

"As you were!" The Major barked. But her reply went unnoticed by Firefly.

Ironclad. The name rang clearly in Firefly's head. For a moment the cafeteria around her vanished. Raging stormclouds took its place, the space between filled with the dark pockmarks of flak. The acrid smell of metal salts mixed with ozone filled her nostrils. The silent scream filled her ears.

"Firefly..." The touch of Thunderlane's hoof and the sound of his voice jarred Firefly back into reality. She blinked a few times, slowly coming to the realization that she was the last one standing out of all the soldiers in the cafeteria. She quickly glanced around and slid back into her seat.

"You okay, boss?"

"I'll be fine once I've finished my morning dose of wakeup juice," Firefly grumbled in response. With one swift motion, Firefly gulped down the rest of her coffee, slamming the mug back down onto the table as she finished.

"Uh, Firefly?"

Ignoring Thunderlane's concern, Firefly motioned to the griffon major with a hoof. "You ever want to see an Ironclad up close, rookie? Check it out, 'cuz this is one of the few you'll get to see who isn't trying to kill you or run you into the ground during aggressor training."

There was an awkward beat of silence. Firefly's eyes rapidly darted around the table, first to Eastwind's concerned frown, then to Thunderlane's quizzical expression, and finally to Sunburst's oblivious stare. It was obvious that he was still focused on the new arrival.

Sunburst let out a low whistle in awe. "I thought I recognized that profile. That's Major Isla Vanderfalke. She was an Aquellian Loyalist who made ace during Argent Battery assault."

"She..." Thunderlane trailed off as he gave Firefly a sidelong glance. "... looks like she means business."

"Always does," Sunburst continued, still entirely inattentive to the silent conversation that had just transpired. "Make sure you pay her respects, kid. She was out there taking down Nationalists before you were even out of boot camp."

"Noted..."

Firefly sighed softly. She needed another coffee. Before she could left the table to get one, she took one last glance at the major. The armored griffonness swiveled her head around as if looking for someone. Her eyes scanned the cafeteria, moving from table to table until they finally came to rest on Firefly. The commander shuddered slightly, but quickly regained her composure. As it became clear that Vanderfalke was headed straight for her table, Firefly stood once again, snapping to attention and bringing her right hoof up in salute. It looked like she had more pressing concerns than her state of caffeination.

"Squad, atten-HUT!" The Timberwolves scrambled from their seats at the order, snapping to attention and following Firefly in her salute.

The major stopped in front of Firefly, quietly returning her salute before dismissing it. "Lieutenant Commander Firefly?"

"Major Vanderfalke," Firefly replied. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Good to have you here, commander," the griffonness smiled, extending a talon to shake. Firefly quickly glanced up and down at her counterpart in surprise before completing her part of the hoofshake. "I just thought it would be prudent to introduce myself to the new arrivals personally."

"The pleasure is ours. At ease, Timberwolves." As she freed her squad to sit down again, Firefly allowed herself an inner sigh of relief. Vanderfalke's relaxed command would not be nearly as bad as Skywind on the Majestic, though she supposed that had something to do with Vanderfalke and herself being the same pay grade. "You have breakfast yet, Major? We were just working on ours and we have an open seat at the table!"

The griffonness chuckled and took a seat. "I had brunch already, but thanks for the offer. Bulgur isn't my thing anyway..."

"It's not for everypony. Or griffon for that matter." The offhand remark was enough to get a wan smirk from the major.

Vanderfalke glanced at the rest of the squad who had since taken to burying their faces in their food. "You were placed at ease, soldiers. Don't worry, I don't bite!"

There was a pause before Eastwind finally responded. "We're not used to having a personable commandant is all."

"I get that a lot when the fleet sends CAPs my way. Something I should know about happening back in Crystal Spire?"

"Just the same old office drama, major," Firefly said.

"Isla, please."

"Isla." Firefly rolled her tongue after speaking, as if to see if the name was palatable. Gesturing to direct the major's attention to each of her squadmates, she introduced them one after another. "Lieutenant Eastwind, my second. Chief Petty Officer Sunburst. My new trainee Lieutenant Junior Grade Thunderlane."

"Pleasure to meet you all. FleetCOM's been good about sending non-troublemakers my way. I only wish we didn't have to keep cycling them through."

Vanderfalke's expression hardened as she spoke the last few words. Firefly picked up on the subtle tonal shift and immediately recognized the euphemism. Casualties on the Outer Rim were high. Many of them must have been coming through Vanderfalke's jurisdiction on their way to the slaughter.

"Any word from the fleet on when my permanent replacements are going to get here?" The major continued.

"I was told sometime within the next forty-eight hours," Firefly shrugged. "I don't mean to disappoint you, Isla, but sending us as stopgap was the best the fleet could do on short notice."

"We'll make do. We always have. After trying to cobble together a unit from what was left of my company after the War, running a FOB seems like child's play, even with the weather and the pirates."

Firefly nodded quietly in acknowledgement before returning to her breakfast. Perhaps she and the major weren't so different. They'd both returned home as heroes in spite of all they'd suffered. Perhaps it would be best if she returned to her meal. Before she could take another bite, however, the sudden wail of the air raid siren made Firefly wince. She frowned. She wasn't even halfway done with breakfast! Sunburst and Thunderlane groaned in unison, echoing her sentiments.

"Not a good sign, I take it," Firefly said, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing good can come of that siren," Vanderfalke said as she stood from her seat. "Walk with me, commander."

"Squad on me!" Firefly ordered her Timberwolves. Turning back around, she addressed the major. "Pirate attack?"

"Early warning precaution," Vanderfalke replied. "Most of my fliers and ARC ships are out running CAPs at the Outer Rim, so my forces are stretched thin. If the pirates wanted to sucker punch us, now would be the time. I'd rather be safe than sorry."

"Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you."

"They're running as ragged. My shifts have been running double time trying to keep everything covered because of the attrition rate."

"How bad is it?" Thunderlane asked.

"Haven't seen casualties pile up like this since Valdus."

"Nothing can be as bad as Valdus," Firefly said darkly. It was enough to gain a puzzled glance from Thunderlane and eye contact from the major. Vanderfalke and Firefly shared a knowing glance before her eyes snapped forward again.

"No rest for the wicked, I suppose," the major continued. "Onyx is the link between Crystal Spire and the northernmost portion of the Outer Rim. Without our fuel and supplies, this entire sector goes dark."

The group made haste to the control tower. As they walked, ponies and griffons alike scrambled to their places around them. Tired soldiers loaded their weapons, donned armor, and carted rifles, repeaters, and ballistic lances out to their squadmates. Excited but weary chatter carried through the halls. Firefly caught snippets of conversation as she passed, all of them pointing to something ominous on the horizon.

Vanderfalke strode up the tower stairs and shouldered her way through the radar room door. She was immediately greeted by a griffon adjutant. "Major, we were about to send someone to fetch you. You need to take a look at this."

The armored griffon stepped forward, peering over the shoulder of the radar operator. A glowing line swept across the the face of the circular cathode ray screen, highlighting a bright dot at the twelve o'clock position each time it passed. Firefly followed Vanderfalke's gaze as she looked to the upper right corner of the radar display. A small rectangular screen displayed a series of wave forms that pulsed like a heartbeat, accompanied by a blinking green light beneath the screen. The neighboring red light remained dormant.

"There's no way this can be right." Vanderfalke furrowed her brow and squinted at the screen, her expression one of disbelief. "We lost the Nimbus weeks ago."

"The codes check out, ma'am," the radar operator replied. "It's definitely the Nimbus."

"Somepony care to fill me in?" Firefly said.

"We lost a patrol and their ARC ship three weeks ago," Vanderfalke explained. "Last we heard from them they were engaging a pirate raiding team at the edge of the Outer Rim. When we sent combat search and rescue after them, they found evidence of combat, but no ship or marines. The ship was presumed lost and the crew MIA."

"Until now."

Vanderfalke nodded. "Have you tried hailing them, chief?"

"Yes ma'am," the radar operator replied. "IFF is squawking, but they haven't responded to our hails."

Firefly pursed her lips as she thought about the development. "What if the Nimbus has been compromised?"

"We don't know that." Vanderfalke said flatly. Despite the fact that her response seemed routine, the waver in her tone told Firefly she was still uncertain. "Things break down in the cold all the time. Combat just makes it worse. We've had plenty of ships come in with working transponders but no working radios and visa versa."

"But you still don't feel right about this."

"No. But we have to be sure. If they were in a fight — or several for that matter — they could be in a bad way. I'm not going to leave my marines to burn out there if there's even the slightest chance of getting them back safely." Vanderfalke said. "Commander, I hate to ask you to get back in the saddle without even finishing your breakfast, but I need your team in the air. I need eyes on that ship. If there's trouble tailing them I need you to be ready for them."

"That's what we're here for. Let's go Timberwolves!"

"Timberwolf flight, radio check! Firefly!"

"Eastwind."

"Sunburst."

"Thunderlane."

"Storm Warden."

The Timberwolves quickly lifted off from the receiving pad, climbing up over the airship landing circles as they ascended. Firefly instinctively checked her harnesses. Her repeater to her right and her ballistic lance to her left both were locked solidly into their hardpoints. The scramble to arm and take off had left them with precious little time to check their equipment. Firefly could only hope that a few minutes in Onyx's heated and sheltered armory had staved off breakdown a while longer.

"Signal's good," Firefly radioed. "Storm Warden, we need a vector."

As she spoke, Firefly looked up above. Barely visible against the brilliant blue of the mid-morning sky was the glint of the ARC ship's hull. The ship had launched ahead of them, taking up position at altitude to monitor the wayward Nimbus while the Timberwolves were preparing for takeoff.

"Timberwolf Lead, Storm Warden," came the reply. "Your target is at three two zero, eight klicks out."

"Roger that, adjusting heading to three two zero."

Firefly banked to adjust her heading, checking right to ensure that her squad remained on her wing. The Timberwolves fell into echelon formation with Firefly leading the line. The featureless ground below rolled quickly by, framed by the looming purple masses of distant mountains to the northeast. Whatever semblance of fatigue that had plagued Firefly evaporated. She was on mission now.

"Timberwolf, Storm Warden."

"Send traffic."

"Two klicks and closing," the radio mare announced. "You should be nearing visual range."

"Understood."

As the Timberwolves neared their objective, Firefly could make out the glint of sunlight off metal superstructure in the distance. What began as a small shining dot on the horizon quickly resolved itself into the streamlined shape of an airship. Firefly flipped the darkened sunshade lenses down on her flight goggles and squinted into the light.

"That's our mark," Firefly said. "Looks like she's alone."

Thunderlane keyed his radio. "Storm Warden, Wolf Four. We have visual contact. Definitely looks like an Alliance ARC ship. She's flying Aquellian Loyalist colors."

"Copy that, Wolf Four. I'll relay to Major Vanderfalke."

"Timberwolves, pull up alongside her. We need to get a closer look. Sunburst and Eastwind take the port side. Rookie, you're with me. We'll come about to her starboard."

"You got it, boss."

The formation split, the pegasi briefly crossing paths before peeling away. Firefly's eyes scanned the ship as they approached. The airship was a standard airborne radar and communications vessel, not too different from Timberwolf flight's own Storm Warden. The design was a low-maintenance platform, integrating wood into its structure to save both weight and cost. The main cabin stood far forward and was heavily adorned with radio aerials and radar antennas. Just aft of the cabin on the dorsal deck was a gunner's cupola with a single repeating cannon, a cupola which was conspicuously empty.

"Firefly, I see dried blood on the deck," Sunburst radioed. "Powder burns, too. Might have been grenades or close-range gunfire."

"Superstructure is intact," Eastwind added. "No evidence of heavy artillery or missile hits. But I see bullet holes in the windscreens and ricochet marks on the deck and bulkheads. Gunner's cupola has empty shell casings in it, too. These guys were in combat."

The hair stood up on the back of Firefly's neck. Something wasn't right. Even without Sunburst and Eastwind's observations, she could feel it in her bones. There was a lesson to this.

"What's your assessment, rookie?" She suddenly said to Thunderlane.

"Me?" The lieutenant sputtered.

"Any other nugget in this outfit?"

Thunderlane cleared his throat, donning a sheepish grin before finally replying. "There was definitely a fight here. Plenty of bullet holes but no significant superstructure damage indicates that they didn't want to destroy the ship outright. Which leaves only one question..."

"Where's the crew?" Firefly finished. "Eastwind, I need you to take a look inside."

Eastwind banked and slid closer to the ship's deck, careful not to land on it outright. "No movement inside. Main cabin is dark. Engines look to be running a bit rough, like they haven't been tended to in a while. Lower deck is quiet."

"A ghost ship!" Thunderlane said, not without a hint of excitement.

"This isn't a colt scout hike, kid."

"Sorry, Firefly. But this was the kind of stuff I always loved reading about back in grade school. I never thought I'd be running into it during deployment!"

Firefly cracked a wan smile and shook her head at Thunderlane's antics. She then keyed her radio. "Storm Warden, this is Wolf Lead."

"Go ahead Wolf Lead."

"Get me Major Vanderfalke."

"Patching you through."

"This is Onyx Actual." The major's response crackled through the radio. "What have you got, Firefly?"

"I've got a ghost ship up here. Crew is MIA, but the ship is running. Its present course will take it right over the base. Please advise."

"Get on board, cut the engines, and tow that thing back to Onyx. I'll have a forensics team do a full sweep of the ship. I want to find out where those pirate bastards are holding my marines."

"Understood. I'll update you when we've — what the hell is that noise?" An electronic beeping noise at the edge of perception rapidly escalated in intensity, interrupting the radio call. "Eastwind?"

"I don't know what it is, but it's coming from inside the main cabin!"

"Firefly!" Vanderfalke said. "What is going on out there?"

"Nothing good," Firefly growled.

A low rumble suddenly erupted from the bowels of the ship. The deep thrum of aether-powered engines overlaid with the high-pitched whine of turbopumps spooling up shook the very air around the ship, resonating in Firefly's chest. In the midst of the maelstrom, the beeping noise continued, colliding with the engines' hum in an ominous cacophony of machine sounds. Instinctively, Firefly grabbed Thunderlane and pushed him away from the ship.

"Firefly? What the hell?"

"Get clear! The ship is going to —"

Firefly's warning was cut short by the roar of the ship's engines suddenly spinning to full power. Gouts of purple flame replete with atmospheric shock diamonds shot out from the ship's turbine engines, painting its local airspace with unnatural light and heat. Eastwind rapidly pulled away as the ship suddenly lurched forward.

"Horseapples," Thunderlane cursed. The lieutenant's consternation changed to wide-eyed horror as the ship launched itself at the base, rapidly accelerating beyond the Timberwolves' reach.

Wasting no time, Firefly keyed her radio. "Onyx Actual, this is Wolf Lead. We've got trouble! That ARC ship is out of control! I say again, we have an out of control ARC ship on a collision course with the base!"

"Gunline! Shoot it down!" Vanderfalke shouted. "That ship is NOT getting through my perimeter!"

By now, Firefly was close enough to the base to watch the fireworks. The ARC ship's brilliant purple reheat flame could be seen as a shining beacon over the silhouettes of the base buildings. Jagged black pocks burst into the skies above the base and tracers from repeating cannons rose up to meet the speeding derelict.

"C'mon, c'mon!" Firefly pleaded, hoping against hope that they could intercept the ship. Her heart sank at the major's response.

"It's still coming!" Vanderfalke shouted over the airwaves. Though collected, there was a definite hint of strain in her voice. "We can't stop it! All base crew bunker down and brace for impact!"

"Oh no." Firefly's utterance remained flat as her emotions fell away.

The runaway ship nosed down at the base perimeter, clipping the top of one of the hangars and crashing into the tarmac on the other side. The mangled husk continued to skid under its own momentum until it finally collided with the radar tower, tearing the base struts to pieces. With no support, the radar tower lurched toward the impact, teetering precariously for one terrifying moment until it finally collapsed under its own weight.

The disconnect caused by distance between seeing the crash and hearing it was surreal for Firefly. As their guidance radar went offline and their target vanished from their sights, the base guns ceased fire. For a moment, there was only silence.

Firefly keyed her radio. "Major Vanderfalke!"

Before the response came through, there was a blinding flash from the stricken ship. A golden fireball erupted from within the hull, launching the collapsed tower's radar radome into the air. Firefly cursed as the force of the explosion turned the radome into an oversized missile, its mass sending it smashing straight through the top of the base control tower. The radome was not slowed by the collision, instead spiraling into the sky until it finally arced back to the frozen ground several hundred meters away.

"Major Vanderfalke!" Firefly frantically yelled into the radio. The Timberwolves held their collective breath as a long moment passed.

"I'm still here!" Vanderfalke coughed and sputtered. Incoherent shouts and cries of pain mixed with the crackle of flames and the wail of fire alarms punctuated the background of the transmission.

"What's going on down there?!"

"We've got major casualties and our radar is down. Main radio relay is down, too. I've only got local links to personal radios! We're blind, deaf, and cut off!"

Firefly's sigh of relief was rapidly curtailed by her immediate action plan. "Not yet we're not! Storm Warden, you're our new radar and radio relay! I need comms and tactical data routed to me and Major Vanderfalke! Dispatch reinforcements to our grid location! We need medical staff and engineers, pronto!"

"Understood," the radio mare replied. "Relaying to the fleet."

"Major Vanderfalke, I need all hooves and talons on deck. If you have any teams to spare, I need you to get them airborne ASAP!"

"Already on it, commander! I'm putting Raven team under your command. Task them as necessary!" Her voice suddenly became muffled as she turned to shout additional orders to the others. "I need to get my marines to safety. My talons are tied here, Firefly. This is all you!"

"You're safe in our hooves, major," Firefly replied. "Raven team, how copy, over?"

"Ma'am! First Sergeant Windhover of Raven team reporting!" The gruff voice of a griffon marine came over the airwaves.

"Sergeant Windhover, I need your marines in the air, now! Set up a picket line north of the base. Coordinate your fliers with any AA defense left on the ground. If any pirate sonofabitch gets past us I want you to light 'em up like the Summer Sun Celebration! Am I clear?"

"Roger that, commander."

"Get to it. Wolf Lead, out." Firefly released her radio switch and glanced back at her squad, who were still surveying the damage.

"That was a hell of a crash!" said Thunderlane.

"You mean attack, right?" Eastwind spat. "You heard that transponder beep in the cabin! They knocked out base radar to blind us!"

"And then they blew the explosives they filled the ship up with to kill anyone around them," Sunburst finished.

To underscore the point, the radio lit up again, this time with the voice of Storm Warden's radio mare. "Timberwolf, I have contacts at three two zero, one angel, closing fast, no IFF!"

"Right on schedule." A growl issued from Firefly's lips and her brow tightened into an angry scowl. She could barely make out black dots transiting the flat white of the arctic wastes, but she already knew what was coming.

"More radar contacts inbound! Two more, no, three more, no... there's so many!" The beeping of radar alarms could be heard in the background as Storm Warden continued to call targets. "Wolf One, you're outnumbered four to one and climbing! Recommend you fall back and regroup with Raven team! It's too dangerous out there!"

"No way! Danger is my life!" Firefly snarled. "We need to thin these guys out before they get to the base or Raven team doesn't stand a chance! Timberwolves, burn sky! Cut those bandits down!"

Firefly powered forward, the ARC operator's protests drowned out by the sound of wingbeats and blood rushing through her veins. Deep inside, an animalistic rage festered. Equines were docile creatures by their nature. That rage was an aberration. It was acquired. It was earned. Firefly had long ago learned how to tap into that rage. Anyone who underestimated what she could do with it was in for a nasty surprise.

"Ready to get back in the saddle, kid?" Firefly said to Thunderlane, a feral grin crossing her lips.

"Ready as I'm going to be," he quipped.

"Just like at — " Firefly stopped herself as she realized what she was about to say. The words hung in the air before her like a softly uttered prayer. Firefly gritted her teeth and flapped harder, smothering the deja vu with the adrenaline rush of pending combat. Her lingering feelings vanished in a flurry of wind and shouted orders.

"Sunburst, Eastwind, take the left flank," Firefly barked. "Rookie, you're with me! We'll take the right and pinch them in. Storm Warden, keep your eyes and ears peeled!"

The four pegasi split off by twos, each wingpony taking up position on the outside. The gap between the pairs widened as they each gamed for altitude against their rapidly approaching foe. Firefly glanced down at the fast-moving black dots below. Radar wasn't kidding. There were no less than a dozen enemies with another wave of them on the horizon.

"Firefly, we've got traffic on the net," the ARC operator said.

"Patch me through!"

"Timberwolf, this is ARC ship Derecho," a male voice spoke. "We're inbound with Manticore and Hydra flights from the southwest. ETA eight minutes."

"You better hurry your asses up, Derecho, or there's not going to be anything left to kill!" Firefly said. "I'll assign new tasking on arrival. Be advised, I have a large concentration of bandits north of FOB Onyx that we're about to engage. Approach with caution and check your fire!"

"Understood. Derecho out."

"There's more, Firefly!"

"Timberwolf, this is Typhon flight." There was wind in the background of the female speaker's voice, indicating that she was already in flight rather than resting on an ARC ship. "We were returning from assignment when we picked up your distress signal, do you require assistance?"

"Affirmative! Timberwolf flight is engaging pirates north of FOB Onyx. We are heavily outnumbered and require immediate reinforcements!"

"Understood. Typhon unit is inbound. ETA twelve minutes."

"Contact!" Thunderlane suddenly shouted. "Confirm V-ID on enemy at angels one!"

In the time it had taken to address her reinforcements, Firefly and her team had closed to visual range. The enemy fliers ahead were all griffons. Though their kit looked a little worse for wear, each one carried the same equipment: flight jackets, combat tunics, flak jackets, helmets, and goggles. Each carried what Firefly recognized to be a late-war griffon-made automatic rifle. Perhaps the most striking feature, however, was the scarlet scarves they all wore, bits of which could be seen peeking out of their flight jackets.

"This is Timberwolf Four, tally four pirate raiders, lightly armed," Thunderlane reported.

"Red moon, red scarves, red banners... Red Talons." Firefly repeated the mantra that she'd heard many times before in the last war. "Stay close to me rookie."

"Do what now?" Thunderlane said.

"I said STAY CLOSE!" Firefly shouted. She maneuvered herself into the lead position, putting herself between the incoming pirates and Thunderlane. "These aren't criminal scum from the southlands!"

"Horseapples, was that a red moon I just saw?" Sunburst's curse only reaffirmed what Firefly had seen.

"Storm Warden, relay to base. We are in contact with Red Talons. I say again, we've made contact with Red Talons!"

"What's going on?" Thunderlane kept up with Firefly as instructed, but continued to question. "I don't understand!"

"Red Talons!" Firefly shouted between wingbeats. "An Aquellian Marine battalion that went missing after the war!"

"More griffon aces came out of the Talons than any other unit," Eastwind filled in. "They don't buck around!"

"This is for real, kid," said Firefly. "If you don't watch out here, you die."

Firefly glanced quickly over to Thunderlane as she spoke. The lieutenant met her gaze, his eyes at first unsure. Grim determination soon swept over his face, however, and he nodded silently in assent. Firefly clicked the switch to spool her repeater as she spoke. The glowing green reticle from her reflector gunsight flickered into view as the familiar whine of her gun's aether chamber charging caressed her ears.

"Timberwolves, you are weapons free!" She ordered.

To Firefly's left, a burst of purple tracers from Eastwind's gun marked the first shots fired in the engagement. It was quickly answered in kind. Blazing green tracers arced across the sky and the staccato report of griffon assault rifles echoed across the frozen plains. Firefly banked right and selected her first target. A tip of her pinions launched her into a steep dive.

"Rookie, on my wing! Come in from the right and get that guy in the flank. I'm coming in from above!"

"Roger that, boss!"

Thunderlane shot ahead of Firefly, coming in from the griffon's right as instructed. Just as Firefly predicted, the griffon juked left to avoid Thunderlane's repeater fire, right into Firefly's sights. Firefly squeezed the trigger. A subtle tweak of her tail was enough to place her aetheric burst right into the griffon's center of mass. A gurgling cry at the end of a trail of choking black smoke was feedback enough for Firefly. Her prey spun wildly, clawing for altitude, but eventually succumbed to aetherburn and plummeted into the white void below. Firefly flared her wings and nosed down to boost her speed before climbing to regain lost altitude.

"Good, you can still follow instructions!" Firefly shouted to Thunderlane. "Next target, rookie!"

"Tally pirate raider, two o'clock— WHOA!" Thunderlane cut his transmission and suddenly pulled hard right.

Instinctively, Firefly maneuvered in the opposite direction as two streams of glowing green bolts shot between them. Her nose wrinkled at the acrid smell of tracer compound and rifle propellant. Firefly quickly slewed her gun in the direction of the shots and blindly loosed a quick burst from her repeater. She banked and prepared to circle back around as the two griffons attacking from above slipped past her after their head-on attack.

"Thunderlane, get the one on the right. I'll take the one on the left!"

"You got it, boss."

Firefly and Thunderlane finished their ascent, crossing paths and looping back around as they dove after their attackers. Firefly's repeater sang again. Purple lances of hard aether flashed between pony and prey. Despite her altitude advantage, Firefly had difficulty landing a hit. This griffon was craftier than Firefly's first victim. Small movements of his wings and tail let him slip back and forth, pushing him out of the way of danger at just the right time. Firefly growled and tucked her wings to close the gap.

"Splash one bandit!" Thunderlane radioed.

"I need you on top cover, Thunderlane!" Firefly yelled the response to dismiss Thunderlane, freeing her to continue her pursuit. "I've got this one!"

In a surprise maneuver, the griffon whirled around and flared his wings. Flying backwards, the Talon shouldered and fired his rifle, spraying hot lead at his attacker. Firefly flared hard, twisting her wings and spiralling out of the way as bullets snap-cracked past her. Squeezing the trigger on her own gun, Firefly retaliated in kind. Tracers streaked between them as the two combatants fell from the sky. Burst after burst, Firefly fired until finally her repeater beeped its overheat warning and shut down. Mashing on the trigger did nothing.

Thankfully, it appeared that the griffon had run into the same problem. Firefly caught him discarding his spent magazine and fishing for another one from his combat harness. This was her chance! Firefly tucked her wings and dove after him. She flipped out her combat knife, a wicked-looking curved blade that locked to her wrist. With a wild battle cry, Firefly charged her prey.

As Firefly closed, the griffon abandoned all hope of being able to load his rifle and reached for his sidearm, but it was too late. The pistol spun out of his grip from the impact of Firefly's hooves, disappearing into the formless ice below. In a last-ditch effort to defend himself, he drew his own blade. A quick stab at Firefly's chest was blocked by locking forearms with the griffon. The two traded blows as they continued to fall, the rapidly approaching ground threatening to snuff them both.

"You want us both to—" the griffon snarled a taunt, only to be silenced by a powerful left cross to his beak.

"I didn't ask you!" Firefly roared back, making the griffon wince at the sudden burst of ferocity.

Firefly capitalized on her opponent's momentary shock. A slash to the face with her knife blinded him with a spray of his own blood and a quick kick to the gut with her hind legs flipped him head over paws, stunning him. Firefly caught the drag handle on his load carrying harness with her hoof and pulled him into her blade. The knife pierced the back of the griffon's neck with a sickening schlick. Her handiwork completed, Firefly kicked the griffon's corpse away, watching it plummet limply to the ground.

There was still no time to waste. Firefly quickly stowed her knife and splayed her wings to arrest her descent. The risky attack had placed her in a precarious position. In air combat maneuvering, altitude was speed and speed was life. If the griffons caught her or her squadmates like this, they would be dead within seconds. Firefly flapped hard to regain lost altitude.

"Timberwolf, I need a SITREP!" Firefly stowed her knife as she pushed for a situation report.

"We're hanging in there, but the longer we stay out here, the more pirates get through!" Eastwind shouted into the radio above the din of gunfire. "A couple already slipped through our lines while we were engaging their friends. Raven team better be on the money with their point defense!"

"Sergeant Windhover! What the hell is going on back there?" Firefly keyed her radio again.

"Nothing good, commander! There's too many of them for us to get them all! They've started hitting the gun emplacements with ballistic lances. I've lost several marines from my flight and we only have one functional heavy AA battery left!"

"Storm Warden, what's the ETA on those reinforcements?"

"Imminent! Hold out just a little longer! I have friendly transponder signals on the horizon!"

"Raven team, Timberwolves, stand your ground!"

This was it. They could halt the attack. They just needed a little longer.

"Firefly, heads up!"

Firefly snapped her attention to the shouted warning. Eastwind barreled past her at breakneck speed, followed by a spray of green tracers. Thinking quickly, Firefly whipped out her knife again. Her back was to the sun and Eastwind's pursuer was focused entirely on her. Her timing would have to be perfect. Another burst of tracers streaked past her. The griffon had no idea what was coming.

With expert timing, Firefly snagged the griffon with her knife as he shot by, wrapping her legs around him to maintain her grip. The griffon cried out in pain and surprise as the adamantine blade pierced armor and bit into flesh. Firefly yanked the knife out, giving the griffon two slashes across the face and using her wings to spin him around until his back faced the ground. A mighty kick from her hind hooves sent him shooting downwards. Firefly wasn't done yet. Tipping her wings, Firefly nosed down and hammered the trigger on her freshly-cooled repeater. A spray of aether lances shredded the faltering griffon below. Firefly looked to her wingmare as Eastwind circled back around.

"Too much for you to handle, Eastwind?"

"If it was, I'd be dead. Just keeping you on your hooves!" The signature impish smirk was plastered across Eastwind's face.

"If I'd spent any more time on my hooves, I'd be in the Army still! Now where the hay is Thunderlane?"

"I thought he was with you?"

"Splash another bandit!" The radio callout was distinctly of Thunderlane's voice.

"Wolf Four, report in!"

"Sunburst and I linked up. We're handling top cover to the south and screening Raven team from high fliers."

If Firefly squinted, she could make out bursts of purple tracers where her other squadmates were trading fire with the enemy. They were indeed forward of Raven team's position closer to the base and seemed to be doing a good job of keeping the pirates occupied. While they were occupied, however, more fliers were on their way. Sunburst seemed to see them at the same time.

"Thunderlane, look out, we've got more coming in!" He shouted.

"Sorry, commander. Hard to chat while we're in combat! I'll give you a SITREP when I'm done." In spite of his cheeky response, it was apparent that the fight was no small endeavor. Thunderlane's microphone picked up the snap-crack of passing bullets and the woosh of rapid maneuvering. "Sunburst! Going to need a little help here! This guy's not going down easy and I'm taking fire from range!"

The breath caught in Firefly's throat. The color drained from her face. Her heart pounded in her chest and her hooves shook with every pulse in her veins. She couldn't just float there. She had to do something. Without another word, Firefly launched herself toward Thunderlane's position.

"No, no, no, no, no..." Her utterances trailed off into unintelligible whispers as she pushed herself faster and faster.

Eastwind's protests went unanswered. Pains in her wings from flying at a dead sprint went ignored. Gunfire and griffon shouts vanished into nothingness around her as Firefly blanked everything else out of her mind. The radio chatter coming through her headset was muddy, as if she were underwater. Her peripheral vision blurred away until it was nothing but black fog at the edge of her sight. In her haze, however, Firefly could just make out Thunderlane's exchange with Sunburst.

"I have him," Thunderlane said.

"He's dumping speed!" Sunburst said between bursts of repeater fire.

"Stay with him!"

The gouts of violet flame and aether lances in the distance resolved themselves into the forms of airborne pegasi and griffons in combat. Firefly's wingbeats thundered by her ears. Her heartbeats hammered her chest so hard she thought her ribs would shatter. Her pulse pounded in her skull, driving her onward until she finally arrived at a vantage point above the firefight. Barely taking time to catch her breath, she dove back into the battle below.

"Lost him! Damn there's one on my tail!" Thunderlane's response was clouded with repeater fire and wind noise. "This is Timberwolf Four, I'm defending!"

"Hold on, I've got him!" Sunburst's response was calm and collected. "Just keep him busy!"

"Hang on, Thunderlane!" Firefly frantically shouted into her radio. "I'm coming!"

"Firefly?" Thunderlane's response was one of disbelief.

"I'm coming, Thunderlane!"

Sunburst shouted something, trying to get Firefly's attention, but it fell on deaf ears. The griffon behind Thunderlane loomed in Firefly's gunsights. She had this. She could do it. She could save him.

"Break right!" Firefly was only vaguely aware of Sunburst's barked order to Thunderlane.

Doing as he was told, Thunderlane flared hard and whipped his legs around underneath himself, pulling hard to his right. The griffon dumped his speed and attempted to follow. Without hesitation, Firefly squeezed the trigger. Violet lances spewed from her repeater, filling the space Thunderlane had just vacated with burning aether. The griffon blundered right into it. His wings flared in an attempt to arrest his approach, but it was too late. He covered his face with his arms in a vain attempt to protect himself as he was shredded by magical gunfire. Firefly blew past the tumbling mass of smoking feathers, banking to the left and pulling out of her dive.

As Firefly's peripheral vision began to return, she finally noticed the tracers flashing by her. The other radio calls began to fade in. The smell of gunsmoke and tracer compound finally shook her out of her fugue. Even as she had closed on Thunderlane's pursuer, another pirate had come up behind her.

"Firefly!" Sunburst's warning finally got through to her. "You've got one on your six!"

"I'm coming about!" Thunderlane radioed. "Keep this guy busy, commander! I can pick him off!"

"Negative! Disengage! I have have him!"

"But Firefly —"

"I SAID DISENGAGE!" The response was less spoken than snarled with animalistic fury.

Firefly grunted and flared hard, splaying her pinions and nosing up to offer maximum air resistance. At the same time, she threw her hind legs and tail forward, using the momentum to whip herself into a tight kulbit flip. The griffon behind her overshot, a look of surprise crossing his face as he glanced incredulously behind him. Firefly grinned ferally. This was too easy. Before she had even completed her loop she was hammering down on the trigger. The repeater sang again, peppering Firefly's target with burning aether. Firefly continued to fire as she completed her loop, using her tail to keep herself aligned with her prey. The griffon ate the entire burst of repeater fire, sending him spiralling headfirst into the ground below. Firefly's pulse pounded in her skull as she leveled out. Two quick kills while maneuvering and shooting. That's one for the books!

"Firefly." Thunderlane said flatly. The stallion pulled up beside Firefly, the edge in his voice betraying a strange mixture of irritation and honest concern. "No offense, ma'am, but we had that one."

"I—" Firefly paused. Her cheeks burned at her lapse in awareness. What just happened? She said to herself. She gritted her teeth and retorted in spite of her self-doubt. "So did I! Stay close, rookie. We're not done yet!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Firefly could see the mixture of vexation and bewilderment look on Thunderlane's face. She was sure that Sunburst had the exact same look — at least the vexation part — if the incoherent but clearly angry mumbling from his radio was any indication. Firefly bit her tongue and forced herself to focus. There was no time to think. They still had a battle to fight!

"Timberwolf, Storm Warden. Incoming traffic on the net."

"Patch it through!"

"Timberwolf, this is ARC ship Derecho. We've arrived at FOB Onyx and are clearing base airspace with Manticore flight. I have Hydra team available for tasking."

"Thank gods," Firefly mumbled to herself. Reinforcements had finally arrived.

"Dispatch Hydra team to the furball north of the base. Be advised, we are engaged in close combat with Red Talons, so check your fire! Timberwolves, form a line and advance!"

With Hydra backstopping them, Firefly's team advanced with repeaters blazing. Griffon machine gun tracers were answered with aether bolts, swords, knives, and claws, returned with hooves, knives, and gunfire. They'd done it. They'd beaten the enemy back.

Firefly felt the incoming round long before she saw it. She tucked her wings and dropped like a stone, trading altitude for speed. She barely had time to look up before the concussion wave sent her spinning away like a foal's rag doll. She cursed as she twisted her wings, tail, and legs to right herself. Firefly craned her neck in time to see the remnants of a flak burst behind and above her.

"Artillery fire! Scatter!" Someone shouted over the radio.

The ARC ship's radio warning confirmed Firefly's suspicions. "Timberwolf, be advised, new radar contact! Enemy airship, high tonnage!"

"What is it now?!"

"Signature looks like a cruiser, Talon-class!"

"Holy shit!" Sunburst cursed. "Where did they get a Talon?!"

Firefly slowly turned her gaze to the mountains where a menacing shadow had just appeared. Its silhouette was outlined by a beak-like prow and sleek hull lines not unlike a bird of prey. The ship was still a long ways off, but the booming thunder of its massive guns was already echoing across the arctic plain. Jagged pocks of airbursting artillery shells marked the sky in front of the Timberwolves, slowly pushing them back with a threatening wall of high explosive and shredded metal.

"We're going to need more firepower to take that thing out!" Eastwind said.

"Raven Lead, this is Wolf Lead! Do you copy?" Firefly keyed her radio. "Request artillery support for fire mission!"

"Negative, Wolf Lead! My team is no longer combat effective and we have lost all heavy AA batteries! I say again all heavy AA guns are down!"

"Horseapples..." Firefly growled.

Without the base guns, they wouldn't be able to stop the enemy ship. If they couldn't stop the ship, the base was lost, even with their reinforcements. As the flak field continued to advance, Firefly pared away her options until she was only left with only one.

"Timberwolves," she said grimly. "We have to take out that ship. Arm ballistic lances. Come in high and fast, hit it from the top with plunging fire. Target its engines and altus gas reservoirs!"

"Are you crazy?" Sunburst shouted. "That's suicide!"

Firefly was well aware of the risks of a direct attack against a capital ship. Heavy repeaters with armor-piercing bullets that could shred combat fliers to bits. Flak cannons with explosive rounds that could rupture every organ in her body in an instant. Griffons toting machine guns and donning impervious Ironclad armor patrolling the deck.

"We're the only ones here, so it's up to us! If we don't stop that thing, everypony else here dies!" She cried.

It was crazy to be sure. But Firefly had done crazy. She'd done dangerous. She knew what it was like and she knew how to handle it. Perhaps most of all, she knew that she deserved it. With grim determination, Firefly prepared to launch herself forward.

"Let's do this!"

"Wolf Lead, this is Onyx Actual! Hold up!" Major Vanderfalke's voice finally broke over the airwaves.

Firefly growled. Why did they have to wait? Ponies were dying out there! She was ready! But as she looked back at her squadmates, she paused. She was ready to fly into the face of death, but was she ready to send them into the same?

"I have a solution!" Vanderfalke continued. "We've got a Sleipnir gunship parked in one of the hardened hangars. Now that our airspace is clear we can launch it! It has a ship-killer gun, but we need cover for it until we can get it airborne!"

"How do we stop their fliers with that flak field in the way?" Firefly said.

"Timberwolves, I might have an opening for you," Storm Warden reported. "That flak field goes both ways. It looks like they've left a clear air corridor for their own forces to get through! Drop altitude to fifty meters to stay below the flak field and advance on heading three one two. That should put you into position to intercept the next wave."

"That's enough of a plan for me! Hydra team, I need you on station at the edge of the flak field cut down anyone that gets past us! Timberwolves, on me! We're going pirate hunting!"

Firefly dove for the deck. The air physically changed as she descended, becoming thicker and colder. The space around them seemed to thrum with unearthly energy, a product of the artillery rounds bursting overhead. Below, what appeared to be a perfectly flat plain resolved itself into icy scree punctuated by pillars of broken ice. The Timberwolves ducked in and out of the pillars, rapidly approaching the radar contacts marked by their ARC ship. By a stroke of fortune, the area pointed out by Storm Warden was in the center of a small basin filled with cracked ice and broken stone — the perfect place to take cover for an ambush.

"Timberwolf, you're approaching target area for intercept."

"Timberwolves, weapons hold," Firefly ordered. "Take up positions in the basin!"

Firefly dropped into the basin and flew up to a vertical chunk of ice, flipping out her knife to cling to the sheer surface. Her other squadmates did the same, each taking up position on a bit of icy cover. The large bowl-like depression hid the Timberwolves from view and enemy radar. Firefly took a deep breath, letting her heartbeat settle with the exertion of fast flight at low altitude. Timing was critical. A strange lull settled in as the Timberwolves waited for their prey.

"Enemy approaching, Timberwolves. They'll be passing over you any second now."

Firefly kept her eyes skyward. Black scars opened in the azure sea above, gently ruffling her mane with the near constant drone of artillery airbursts. Finally, they arrived. Birdlike silhouettes blotted out the light from above, casting sharp shadows on the rough ice. Firefly quickly glanced at her squadmates. They idled in various positions, repeaters and knives standing ready, muscles coiled to launch them at their opponents like vipers. The sound of passing wings and jangling combat gear slowly began to fade into the rumble of artillery.

With only a quick glance of acknowledgement to her squadmates, firefly kicked off from the icy pillar to which she clung. The Timberwolves silently slid up behind the griffons. Their wingbeats matched those of their prey and their approach was masked by both the noise of artillery and the movements of their targets. Finally, they were within range.

"Weapons free." The command was issued in a flat, emotionless whisper. Over both radio and earshot, it was sure to be lost in the background noise.

The raucous roar of Equestrian repeaters burst forth from behind the griffon formation. Caught completely off guard, many dropped from the sky before they even realized what was happening. Those who managed to survive the first barrage blindly fired their rifles behind them at an enemy they could not see.

"Advance!" Firefly shouted the order and surged forward.

The four pegasi charged forward, guns spewing superheated aether all the way. As they pierced the heart of the formation, Firefly gave hoof signals to split. The squad split into pairs, slicing the griffon formation into parts. In and out of each gaggle of confused griffons they circled, repeaters ripping at them like predators into terrified prey. One after another the griffons fell, by gun, by blade, and by hoof.

Firefly spat the taste of gunsmoke and ozone from her mouth as she removed her knife from her latest kill. The bursts of tracer fire finally stopped as the last griffons fled or were shot down. A choking miasma lingered around the battle space. Black snow fell from the ash and cinders of airburst artillery above. Columns of steam rose from bullet and aether bolt impacts in the ice. Firefly's muzzle was covered in soot and her coat reeked of sulfur. She was dirty, cold, and angry, but she'd gotten the job done.

"Storm Warden, Wolf Lead! We've just finished mopping up the first group. Give me a SITREP on that gunship!"

"Timberwolf, gunship is ready for launch. Be advised, you have another wave incoming from the cruiser. They know you're there!"

"Of course they do," Firefly growled. "Timberwolves, stay sharp! We've got more incoming!"

Tracers flashed overhead as the next wave of griffons closed the gap. Firefly took a deep breath and steeled herself. She had already lost track of the number of takedowns they had racked up. With a mighty roar, she launched herself into the fight once again. One kill blurred into another. Every gunshot, every swipe of her blade, every aerobatic maneuver to avoid fire or counterattack chained together in one blisteringly fast dance of battle.

"I'm hit! I'm hit but I'm still airborne!"

"Hold on, Sunburst, I've got you!"

"Thunderlane, watch your six, there's another one on you!"

"Ballistic lance! Break! Break!"

"I got him!"

"Where's Firefly? I can't see her!"

The flurry of radio messages flashed past Firefly as she continued to move from target to target. Golden fireballs from airbursting ballistic lance suddenly blossomed in the maelstrom of tracers, snow, and radio callouts. Firefly barely managed to avoid flying into one, tucking her wings to allow the blast wave to wash over her without tearing her feathers from their sockets.

"She's over there!"

"Holy shit, there's so many of them!"

"We have to help her!"

Firefly's bones ached and her head spun from the concussion. When her vision finally cleared, she saw the silhouettes of multiple griffons closing in. She bit her tongue and silently cursed herself. In her blood-lust fueled rage, she'd worked herself into a hole. But it didn't matter. She still had a job to do and if they intended to kill her she'd go down fighting. Firefly spat her taunts and epithets at the enemy and charged the closest one.

"Push harder! Get in there!"

"We'll never get to her in time!"

"Typhon One, Fox Three."

Firefly's ears suddenly perked at the new voice. Fox Three. She knew that brevity code. It was only used by magic users to denote that a seeking projectile had been fired. Firefly grunted and quickly swiped at her opponent's face with her knife and used his body as a vault to launch herself away. A bonechilling wail from behind escalated into an unearthly howl as a ghostly javelin streaked past her and skewered the griffon through the heart. The body briefly convulsed with pulsing white light before disintegrating into dust.

"All Typhon elements, fire at will." The flight commander's voice was unnervingly calm, as if all the slaying she was about to do was merely routine.

"We have a runner!"

"I see him. Fox three."

The first magic missile was not the last. All around her other self-guided javelins found their marks, vaporizing her attackers in sprays of translucent aether. Firefly weaved between the barrage as she powered her way out of the kill zone. Suddenly, the ominous howling noise of a guiding javelin sounded behind her. A quick glance to the rear was all it took to see that one of the spears of aether was in hot pursuit.

"Typhon One! Typhon One!" Firefly shouted. "Check your fire! Timberwolf is buddy spiked!"

Firefly juked left and right, doing her best to shake it off, but it continued the chase, quickly gaining on her as she burned her speed to maneuver. She rattled off every curse she knew as she struggled to keep ahead of the single-minded spear of aether. Even if she did manage to call off the attack, there was no way for the caster to stop the javelin once it was airborne. She clawed for every bit of extra speed, but soon realized that she would never be able to outrun it. Suddenly, an idea struck her.

Firefly slewed her repeater toward an oncoming ice pillar and fired a quick burst into it. A fount of steam erupted from the pillar's glassy surface, quickly coalescing into a small cloud. Firefly grabbed the cloud with her hooves as she shot by, kneading it into a miniature stormcloud as she flew. Another quick peek behind showed that the missile was far too close for comfort.

Firefly gave the cloud one last squeeze and let it go, giving a swift buck with her hind hooves as it swept past. The miniature storm cloud erupted in a dazzling display of sparks and miniature thunderclaps. A brilliant flash lit the entire basin as the javelin collided with the cloud and exploded.

"Typhon One, cease fire!" Firefly shouted again. "Blue on blue! Friendly fire!"

"Typhon unit, weapons tight!" Typhon's commander quickly rescinded her order. "Only engage positively identified hostiles! We have friendlies in the kill zone. I say again we have friendlies in the kill zone! Check your targets!"

"I swear to Celestia, I'll—" Firefly stopped dead as the pieces fell into place. She recognized the voice of the flight leader. They arrived and shot too fast to be unicorns on an ARC ship. Firefly glanced quickly to the new arrivals, her eyes going wide as they laid waste to the griffon forces with blasts of fire and smoke. "Roshina!"

"Firefly." Came the flat response, just a hint of amusement playing at its edge.

Firefly gritted her teeth and violently shook her head. Of course Roshina would treat combat as merely routine. But now was not the time to get mad. There were more important things for Firefly to worry about than the previous night's almost bar fight. She shoved the thoughts out of her head, but made sure to leave a note of the incident. There would still be a bone to pick later.

"This is gunship Hresvelgr." At long last, the gunship commander's voice came over the airwaves. "We’re airborne now. Thanks for the cover. Let’s give that cruiser something to chew on!"

BOOM.

The battle stopped. For a moment, griffons, dragons, and ponies alike were given pause by the earthshaking roar of the Hresvelgr's main gun. A ghostly keening in the distance escalated into a terrifying screech. Borne on wings of fire, a single massive shell streaked overhead.

BOOM. BOOM.

The cannon spoke twice more, hurling shells that glowed like fiery brimstone at their distant target. The flashes of exploding ship-killer rounds could be seen before the explosions were heard. One gout of flame turned into two, then three as the gunship's barrage found its mark. The flak field vanished as the cruiser's guns were smashed to splinters by high explosive hellfire.

Black smoke poured from gaping wounds on the once-mighty capital ship. The vessel began listing heavily to port as violet flames burst from ruptured altus reservoirs. By some divine miracle or valiant effort from the crew, the ship did not capsize or fall from the sky. But with no guns and crippling damage to its superstructure, either could happen before long. The wounded beast turned tail and ran. Seeing their ship crippled and their offensive blunted, the surviving griffons fired their last shots and fled. A collective cheer went up from Alliance forces as their foe retreated.

"Enemy forces are retreating!" Despite her efforts to remain professional, the ARC operator clearly breathed a sigh of relief. "Picture is clear. All units report in."

"Onyx."

"Hydra."

"Typhon."

"Timberwolf." Firefly's response betrayed the sudden onset of fatigue.

She rubbed her forehead and groaned. Every bit of her body ached. The combination of concussion and shrapnel from explosions and blunt trauma and lacerations from close-quarters combat ensured that she'd have plenty of cuts, bruises, and sore spots the next day.

"All elements, you are cleared to return to base," Major Vanderfalke's voice came over the airwaves. "Good job everyone!"

Good job, Firefly mouthed to herself. Then why didn't it feel like one? Something wasn't right. The hyperawareness that normally came with combat was absent. She felt like she was wandering around in a haze. The last few minutes of the fight had been nothing but a blur. Whereas she could clearly remember the first two kills she'd made that day, everything else ran together into one colossal kaleidoscope of destruction. What changed?

"This was nothing like Trotislava..." Thunderlane's voice broke Firefly out of her rumination.

In her absentmindedness, her squad had already regrouped on her without her notice. Firefly breathed deeply and exhaled slowly. She was okay. They'd all gotten out of this mess alive and that was more than enough for her right now. Firefly forced a self-sure smirk as she addressed Thunderlane.

"Welcome to the Wolf Pack, kid."

Author's Notes:

Musical Index
AC: Assault Horizon - Inferno
AC: Assault Horizon Legacy - Mad Rush

Squadrons Featured (in order of appearance)
Timberwolf
Pax Equestria Allied Commerce Entente (PEACE), Task Force Paladin
108th Alliance Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (VFA-108), CFT-1

Onyx
Aquellian Republic Marines, Task Force Paladin
1st Aquellian Marine Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion, Bravo Company HQ

Raven
Aquellian Republic Marines, Task Force Paladin
1st Aquellian Marine Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion, Bravo Company, CFT-3

Manticore
PEACE, Task Force Paladin
VFA-108, CFT-2

Hydra
PEACE, Task Force Paladin
VFA-108, CFT-3

Typhon
Kingdom of Pyre, Pyrian Asymmetric Conflict Group (ACG)
44th Squadron, Alpha Team