Spiral Pegasus

"I've already been infected by the Virus... I'm destined to be retired by you once I become a Maverick, so go ahead, take me down..."

- Spiral Pegasus

Spiral Pegasus, known as Spiral Pegacion (スパイラル・ペガシオン) in Japan, also known as The Skiver, is a Pegasus-themed Reploid from Mega Man X5. He held an Orbiter Wing needed for the Shuttle Operation to destroy the Eurasia colony.

Characteristics
Spiral Pegasus has the head of a horse and the wings of a bird, similar to the mythological creature he is based upon. He possesses a tall mohawk and the Repliforce logo on his head. His armor is white with royal highlights of red and gold, giving him a refined and militaristic appearance.

Pegasus was in the early stages of the viral infection when the Maverick Hunters encountered him. He also had many unresolved issues with the Maverick Hunters, implying he wanted to question Zero about why he killed Colonel, and he refuses to cooperate. He orders to be taken down in an duel without hard feelings: However, if he is confronted later into the game he can be found to have already gone Maverick, shouting at X and Zero and crying that he will avenge General and Colonel.

History
Pegasus was a young director of the Repliforce air wing. He looked up to Repliforce leaders Colonel and General and had a good relationship with Iris, the sister of Colonel. His youth and passionate enthusiasm for the job lead to him sometimes making mistakes when doing his duty as a soldier. He would survive the Great Repliforce War that occurred during the events of Mega Man X4, which left the organization decimated and thousands of members dead. Having lost his purpose in life, he then began overseeing an Air Force base staffed with the remnants of Repliforce's air wing near to the west coast of Norway, also known as the Reploid Air Force.

Fortune would not smile upon him for long, as the Eurasia crisis during Mega Man X5 again ensnared him in the Maverick conflicts. When Sigma spread the Maverick Virus all over the Earth, Pegasus and the airport he was in charge of were heavily infected. When the Maverick Hunters' came to him to request his Orbital Wing to help destroy the descending Eurasia colony, he instead informed them of his Maverick condition, and requested that they defeat him through battle one last time to finally give him peace. The Hunters' accept and after a decisive battle Pegasus is killed, giving the soldier an end to his long battles that had haunted him for so long.

Strategy
Spiral Pegasus flies about and uses his Wing Spiral attack, but can be trapped by Dark Hold, so use this to your advantage. Zero is recommended for this battle, as he can still perform his other skills (that do not require Weapon Energy) when using Dark Hold, unlike X, who is only limited to buster shots when the weapon is in effect.

Pegasus will also attack with a quick afterimage dash strike, the W-Shredder. The player can avoid the afterimage if he jumps at the right time, and as soon as the afterimage's position is level with the player, it will split and fade into nothing.

Other appearances

 * Spiral Pegasus is fought alongside Neon Tiger, Dark Necrobat, and Blaze Heatnix in three stages from the X Challenge in Mega Man X Legacy Collection and Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2.
 * Spiral Pegasus is an unit card in TEPPEN.

Data
Nickname: Air Force Prince (エアフォースプリンス)

Powers and Abilities

 * Dash Tackle (ダッシュ体当たり) - He flies around at high speed to tackle the target.
 * Hurricane (疾風) - He will dash and create an after-image with W-Shredder.
 * Wing Spiral (ウィングスパイラル) - Creates a tornado with Wing Spiral.
 * Shoryuken (昇龍拳) - He moves to the bottom of the plane and rises with an uppercut.

When Playing as X
Needing the Orbiter Wing= Spiral Pegasus: X! I've wanted to meet you... But considering the situation, we don't have time for small talk. Soon, the Repiforce's air wing will be destroyed. You may be our only hope... But, you'll have to convince me first... Through battle... W/o needing the Orbiter Wing= Spiral Pegasus: I didn't want to meet you in a situation like this... Not only this airport, but I, too, will be infected by the virus, and all will turn into Mavericks... Therefore, my destiny lies in your hands... Before I've totally lost my mind, please fight me... and make me accept my destiny... Eurasia crashed or was destroyed= Spiral Pegasus: Halt! Who... Are... You?

X: Pegasus... So you've turned too...

Spiral Pegasus: You're the one who killed the General. I'll kill you to avenge his death!

When Playing as Zero
Needing the Orbiter Wing= Spiral Pegasus: I've wanted to see you, Zero... I wanted to ask you something... My thoughts always come back to the Colonel. I wanted to ask you if the battle between you two was necessary. I'm not accusing you, I just want to know, that's all. I've already been infected by the Virus... I'm destined to be retired by you once I become a Maverick, so go ahead, take me down... I want to fight you for the Colonel... That's what the Colonel would want.

Zero: I understand... But I'll fight you only because this is my mission. Now... let's do it! W/o needing the Orbiter Wing= Spiral Pegasus: Zero! I didn't want to see you in a situation such as this... Soon the Virus will take full control of me... When that happens, you'll have to retire me. So... Fight me now, Maverick Hunter... I want to fight you for the Colonel... And that's what the Colonel would want.

Zero: I understand... But I'll fight you only because it is my mission... Here I come! Eurasia crashed or was destroyed= Spiral Pegasus: Iris, who is this guy? Please... ...tell me, Iris. Who is this guy?

Zero: Pegasus... You've become one of the Mavericks too...? Iris is gone... I'm...

Spiral Pegasus: KILL YOU. I'LL KILL YOU!! I WON'T ALLOW YOU TO ESCAPE!

Archie Comics
Spiral Pegasus appears in the crossover event Worlds Unite. He is one of the many Mavericks recreated by Sigma-1 using his newfound powers before being dispatched to various worlds via Genesis Portals to conquer in Sigma's name. He and Toxic Seahorse go to the world of Breath of Fire III to set an Unity Engine, but they are destroyed by the heroes in that world.

Rockman X5 (manhua)
Spiral Pegasus fought X alongside Sigma, Burn Dinorex, Spike Rosered, and Zero. After X applied a cure on Zero, he went on a rampage before returning to normal, defeating the three Reploids assisting Sigma.

Other appearances
Spiral Pegasus had a cameo appearance in the Rockman Zero manga.

Production Notes
Developer Comments This is our second shot in the fantasy series. In the previous game, X4, we went for a dragon motif, but as a rule for the X series bosses, fantasy types are not existent creatures, so if it's hard to figure out, it becomes unavailable. Well, I broke that rule again this time. (grin) His attack method was easy to imagine and he looked cool, so I decided on him fairly quickly. The fact that his attack method resembles Eagleed's is because I was heavily influenced by Cyber Mission, which I was making at the same time, so I tried making them similar on purpose.

Designer Comments He's a soldier, so he's in uniform (as is). I like him rather a bit, but I'd still like to rework the wings. When I was drawing this, I was listening to the theme to Captain Tsubasa over and over. [Captain Tsubasa is a classic soccer manga/anime.] Thus we have the wings (tsubasa) link.... I don't know if he'll make the best use of them or not.

Trivia

 * In the original English release, Spiral Pegasus was named The Skiver, after Hanoi Rocks frontman Michael "High in the Sky" Monroe, who was also a frequent collaborator of Guns N' Roses, thus fitting him in with the theme naming of this game's Mavericks.


 * Based on his words to Zero (if the Eurasia crashed and he is encountered), Spiral Pegasus apparently knew Iris once (most likely through Colonel). Whatever sort of relationship they may have had then is largely unknown.


 * Spiral Pegasus is the second Maverick based on a mythological or fantasy creature, the first being Magma Dragoon from Mega Man X4.
 * The only other Mavericks with this distinction are Volt Kraken from Mega Man X5, Blaze Heatnix from Mega Man X6 and Avalanche Yeti from Mega Man X8.


 * Right at the beginning of the first inner area in his stage, there are several Eagle Ride Armors in the background.


 * Spiral Pegasus has an attack pattern that resembles Storm Eagle's from the first Mega Man X.