Battle of Skyfall

The Battle of Skyfall was the first major offensive of the Second Griffon-Pony War. It was also the initial invasion of the Equestrian Army into the Griffon Kingdom.

Starting in the early morning of June 3, Solar Era 1000, the Equestrian Army stormed the beaches of the Griffon Kingdom and breached the port city of Skyfall. Skyfall was the only means of accessing the mainland of the nation surrounded by massive mountain ranges, making it an invaluable city for the Equestrians to hold.

The campaign
On June 3, five companies of Equestrian infantry staged a beach landing on the shores just outside of Skyfall. Equestrian forces pushed their way up the beachhead to the gates of Skyfall and quickly breached the griffon defenses, pushing their way into the city proper within an hour. The griffons had not been expecting such a violent retaliation from Equestria, and was poorly prepared to defend against their explosive ordinances. However, in the gridlock streets of the city, the Equestrian Army was forced to move much slower as griffons had set up roadblocks and ambush points.

The Equestrian forces fought through the griffon defense and diligently cleared the first tier of the city in an hour, and the second tier within another hour. However, the further they advanced, the more brutal the griffons became. They began to resort to more blitz and guerrilla tactics to overwhelm their opponents, forcing the Equestrians to stall for periods of time to clear small areas before advancing.

Once the Equestrians reached the fourth tier, griffon elite soldiers sent from Asgard as reinforcements entered the battle. With the Equestrians outnumbering them five to one, the griffons resorted to utilizing new advancements in their military technology to suppress their advancing enemy. When the Equestrians pushed them back to the fifth tier, the griffons unleashed a barrage of minigun fire that held the Equestrian advance back substantially. However, their tactics backfired when the Equestrians managed to overtake one of their miniguns and turn it on them.

The griffons fell back into Skyfall City Hall in a desperate defense, but were swiftly eliminated by the pressure of the Equestrians. Officer Ironclaw, the commanding officer of the griffon defense in Skyfall, was killed in combat, and all remaining griffons were executed. Captain Cuirass of the Equestrians was wounded in action. By the late afternoon, the Equestrians had secured hold of Skyfall.