“Gentlecolts, I’m not going to lie to you,” the captain said slowly. His back was turned to his men, his head bent down and nearly touching the chalkboard in front of him. The men waited silently at attention behind him. After a silent sigh to himself he turned to face the sea of shining golden armor standing before him.
“This mission is extremely dangerous. We’ve gone to great lengths to keep it top secret. We’ve kept the press sniffing at other leads. We’ve been stifling any leaks and enacting strict discipline on all of you involved. We’ve even had you lie to your families, and for that I do apologize. We would not ask you to do so if this weren’t important.”
He paused, surveying the group of colts in front of him. All experienced, he had no doubt in his mind that they would get the job done. Still, he knew that many of them had families. He had a little filly of his own back home too. He knew that after two years away that many of them wanted to be back home. He admired their perseverance. It helped him keep going each day, knowing that his men were facing many of the same struggles that he was, at least mentally.
“Tomorrow, our months of work will pay off. Tomorrow, we launch our final assault on the griffon forces stationed within our borders.”
“Ooh rah!” one of them called out, eliciting a few chuckles from the others. The captain smiled.
“As you know, these invaders have been holed up in the Crystal Mountains, an uncomfortably close distance from the city of Manehattan. For these past two years they’ve been threatening our trade routes to this hub and placing the lives of thousands of ponies at risk. Now, after months of surveillance, we finally know their location. From what we can tell they are in this mountain,” he said, waving his hoof at the map attached to the chalkboard behind him, “but exactly where we still aren’t sure. Finding their exact position is going to be tricky.
“The plan, however, is simple enough. We will depart from our base here outside the mountain range at o’ five hundred. For the next six hours we will make our way deep into the mountain terrain. Make sure you all have your blankets ready, as we will be hiking through cold temperatures. It may be summer, but the snows do not stop in the mountains.
“Once we get within a mile of the griffon’s mountain, our forces will split into three groups and begin the assault when the sun reaches its peak. The main group will wait at the base while the two other groups will flank up the mountain from the left and right simultaneously. Our hope is that they will be so busy trying to cover two sides that our frontal assault will be able to locate their central position, breach their defenses, and take them out once and for all.”
He stopped here, turning back to his men. No confused faces. He wasn’t kidding when he said this plan was simple in drawings. The real challenge would be putting it into motion.
“Tonight I want you all to make sure your armor is prepared, and if you need anything repaired go to the blacksmith. Make sure your canisters are full of fresh water as well. Oh, and one more thing…”
He paused. The men looked at him anxiously, their ears perked up for whatever he was about to say next.
“If any of you have family, make sure your wills and final letters are prepared. You are dismissed.”
He didn’t bother to see their faces. With a quick swipe of his tail the chalkboard flipped over to the clean side and he exited the impromptu stage of boxes. The tent flap opened for him and the guard saluted him on his way out. The warm summer night air enveloped him, and he took a deep breath. It smelled of fresh grass, still damp after the rain yesterday. His eyes opened again, and the rolling hills north of Manehattan greeted him. They rose and fell like the ocean frozen in time, and just behind them Celestia’s sun was setting. He prayed silently to himself that her blessing would be with them tomorrow.
The mud beneath his hooves squished outwards as he made his way to his tent. The weather had been good for the most part during their reconnaissance here, save for the storm they had the day before. Under any other circumstance he would have seen this as a nice vacation. The clinking of armor nearby, however, reminded him that his reason for being here was much different.
Still, he could not get the vision of a vacation here out of his mind. He hardly noticed as he lifted the flap to his tent and shifted the armor off his tired body. His white coat was stained brown with mud and dirt, and his rust colored mane was browned at the tips. A smile spread across his face as he pictured his little filly running around in the grass at the top of the hill. He could see them playing tag, and he could have sworn he could feel her little tackle as they fell to the ground laughing.
He unfolded his wings tenderly, groaning after having them folded so tightly all day. He hadn’t had time to exercise them today, what with all the planning with the other captains and such. That could come back to bite him tomorrow, but he figured he could just get up early tomorrow and go for a quick flight.
Flight.
His demeanor sank slightly. During all his time away from home, he hadn’t been able to give his child any flying lessons. He knew that most other parents would be guiding their own children during their first flights. With his wife dead, and he off to fight a secret war, there was no one helping his little one learn.
He walked over to his desk and sat down, reaching out to grab a quill and a piece of paper. Despite not being able to see his little one physically, he still made time to write her a letter as often as possible. They acted like pen pals, sharing the events of their lives across the country. Many times he had burst out laughing at something in a letter, causing many of his men to peek in and ask if everything was all right. Those letters were the small piece of light in his life now.
With a quick dip of his quill in the inkbottle to his right, the captain began his newest letter:
Dear Scootaloo,
I’m sorry I haven’t been able to write recently. Daddy’s been busy talking to the other captains. I’m glad to hear that you and your friends are still going strong with the search for your cutie marks. I wish I could be there to help.
I know that dealing with those bullies in class is hard, but you have to be better than them. Don’t sink to their level, no matter how much you want to. You have to be the better pony. When I get home I’ll see if I can talk to your teacher about them.
He paused, his quill hovering in mid-air. A thought had crossed his mind, one that had been eating away at him ever since the orders for this mission had come through. Although he had the utmost confidence in his men, he couldn’t help but wonder if something would go wrong. It was not something he wanted to think about, but he had to face it. What if he didn’t come back from this?
He couldn’t let his daughter know. He had to keep acting like things were fine. But still…what if this was the last letter he ever sent to her?
The quill shook in his hoof. He gritted his teeth, willing himself to get a grip. Come on soldier, he scolded himself mentally, keep it together. You can’t do this now. He let out a shaky sigh and stared at his letter. He needed to finish it. With another dab into the inkbottle he continued where he had left off.
Sweetie, it’s going to be a while before I can send you another letter. The new troops are arriving tomorrow and I’m going to be busy keeping them in line. I’ll write to you the second I get free time. I promise.
I know these past years have been tough on you, and I’m sorry you’ve had to go through this. Just know that Daddy is doing this to keep you safe. He would do anything for you.
Make sure you behave, and listen to your aunt. Stay safe on that scooter of yours. I want to be able to see you do some awesome tricks on it when I get back.
I love you.
Daddy
He set the quill down next to the letter, looking it over one last time. For a moment he debated going back and telling the truth, but he knew that doing so could endanger his men and their mission. He grabbed the letter and rolled it up gently. Tomorrow morning he would send it off with his carrier pigeon. For now he needed to sleep.
The cot squeaked beneath him as he pulled the sheet up over his tired body. For the next hour he tried to fall asleep, but the thought of tomorrow kept him awake. He stared up at the ceiling of his tent, watching as the summer winds caused the material to ripple like the wind on a lake. His thoughts kept going back to his worries from earlier. The thought of dying wasn’t what scared him. The thought of what his death would do to his daughter was the more distressing. He’d been writing his letters as if he would be home any day. Suddenly finding out that he wasn’t coming home…
He shook his head, trying to dispel those depressing thoughts. A strong breeze blew by, turning the ripples into miniature waves. A beach scene began to form in his mind. He could see the sun shining down on him, reflecting off the water in a brilliant display of colors and light. He could have sworn he could even feel the sand beneath his hooves and smell the sea breeze. Behind his closed eyelids he saw his daughter, his little Scootaloo, bounding towards him.
At last Luna graced him with sleep, and he drifted off to the sound of his daughter’s laughter.
The cold mountain air blew into the captain’s face, freezing the tip of his snout and turning it bright red. He hadn’t been kidding about it still being cold up here, even with Celestia's sun out. Behind him he could hear a few sets of teeth chattering, but as they rounded the next bend their destination came into view. Just a mile and half away lay the mountain where the griffons were hiding.
With a wave of his hoof his group split into three. Between each of the groups was a mixture of unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies. Each of the races had their own strengths and weaknesses, and the captain knew that he needed to spread them all out and have them work together in order for this assault to work.
He watched from behind a snowy embankment as the other two groups moved into position. He was to stay with the main group at the base of the mountain and signal the time to attack.
He watched the sun overhead, waiting for it to reach its highest point and intersect the top of the mountain. Time seemed to pass by at a snail’s pace, and the entire time he could hear his heart pounding in his chest. He had no idea what was going to happen in these next few minutes. All he could do was wait and pray to Celestia that everything would work out as they had planned.
At last the sun and mountain touched, and with a quick wave of his hoof a flag was raised behind him. From either side of the mountain the troops attacked, running full tilt up the slopes.
A large explosion resounded from the right side of the mighty mountain, and the captain watched helplessly as large boulders began to fall. The pegasi in the group flew up into the air as the unicorns used their magic to stop as many of the boulders as they could. Unfortunately a few of them were knocked off their feet, and some became trapped beneath the massive pieces of rock. The earth ponies used their strength to help their comrades out from underneath, and they continued on bravely.
The captain smiled, admiring his soliders’ tenacity and teamwork. Just then another explosion came from the other side of the mountain, and the same scene he had just witnessed played out again.
“Captain!”
He turned at the sound of his title and saw one of his men running up to him. Around his mid-section a telescope was slung on a strap, and it clanked against his golden armor as he galloped up to him.
“I’ve located their position. There’s a cave just above where the explosions are coming from. I’d bet a thousand bits they’re holed up in there.”
The captain turned and peered up the side of the mountain. It took him a few seconds, but he finally saw what the soldier was talking about: a small cave entrance, barely visible amongst the rock and snow.
“Well done soldier,” he replied. The stallion saluted before returning to his position. The captain waited a few more moments, analyzing the situation. No doubt there were a number of similar traps waiting for them on this side of the mountain. His troops could handle those, but the griffons themselves had still not emerged from their cave to face the troops still scaling the slopes even now. What were they waiting for?
Time, however, was not something he could afford to waste. He unfurled his wings, arching them proudly as the mountain winds ruffled his feathers. He could hear some of his troops doing the same behind him. For a moment he allowed himself to close his eyes. In his mind he pictured his daughter, standing before him and smiling up at him proudly. He felt a smile spread across his face, and as he opened his eyes he could feel the bravery swelling within him.
For Scootaloo.
“CHARGE!” he bellowed, and like a bullet he took off into the skies. The sound of a hundred ponies yelling in unison resounded from behind him, and the thundering of hooves could be heard even in the snow. If the griffons weren’t scared before, he hoped that now they were absolutely terrified.
The captain made sure to stay above his ground-bound troops. His silhouette made a blue shadow on the snow below, just ahead of his fastest troops. The wind whipping past his ears and through his mane sent a rush of adrenaline through his body. He let out a yell as he came closer and closer to the cave. From all sides his troops responded, and as the three forces climbed they did so seemingly without fear.
The explosions rang out from below, and he watched as his troops struggled through the falling rocks. They did as the other groups had done, and so far everything was going exactly to plan. He looked back up.
What he saw made his blood run cold.
Hundreds of griffons were spilling out of the cave, armed to the beak. These soldiers, however, were not what caused the captain to freeze mid-flight. It was what came out behind them. A massive blue dragon emerged from the cave with an ear-splitting roar. Chains were clamped around the dragon’s neck, arms, and legs, and its wings were torn to shreds.
So this is what the griffons have been doing here for so long, he thought. They were turning a dragon into their personal weapon.
One of the larger griffons cracked a whip against the dragon’s back, which he now saw was without scales. The whip hit bare flesh, and even from this distance he could see the blood trickle down the creature’s back. It bellowed and let loose a fury of fire. Had he waited a few seconds longer to pull up, the captain would have been fried to a crisp.
“FALL BACK!” he called to his troops below, but be soon realized that they were too busy fighting back the griffons. They couldn’t fall back even if they wanted to.
A shadow covered him from above, and he looked up just in time to see a black and brown-feathered griffon rocketing straight towards him. He braced his hooves above him before the reaching claws could strike his stomach, and struggled to keep himself air-born after the griffon collided with him. With a powerful swipe the griffon knocked his helmet from his head, and in return the captain delivered a solid punch to the griffon's gut. The two fought like animals, biting and clawing at each other among shrieks of fury.
A feeling of intense heat suddenly flared up behind him, and the captain saw bright yellow flames coming towards them. With a swift kick to the griffon’s beak he sailed out of harms way. The griffon, however, was not so lucky, and he watched as his enemy was brunt into nothing but ashes. Around him he could hear yells of pain as both ponies and griffons fell, either to the claw or to the flame. He looked at the dragon, rage filling his chest. He had to stop it somehow.
An idea flashed into his mind suddenly. He called to the pegasi near him and they all descended to the ground.
“Soldier!” he called, and an earth pony ran up to the group. “I need you and the others here on the ground to distract that dragon as much as possible. These pegasi and I will go in for the kill.”
“But sir, how are you going to kill that thing? It’s got scales as tough as iron and as thick as the Canterlot walls!”
“There’s a weak spot on its back. If we can hit it there, we just might be able to kill it.”
“Captain!” a unicorn called from nearby as he bashed a griffon on the head with one of the fallen rocks. “Use this!”
He used his magic to toss over a thick spear that the griffon had been using. The captain caught it in his mouth before placing it beside him.
“The rest of you try to scavenge some more spears. This is our only chance to get rid of that thing and beat these griffons. Hurry!” he ordered as he took off into the air again, the spear back in his mouth. The pegasi spread out and grabbed whatever spears they could find. After a minute of preparation they rallied back to him in the sky, and with a wave of his hoof they all charged the massive beast. It saw them coming and blasted a huge ball of smoldering fire at them. A few of his men got caught in the blast, and those that weren’t disintegrated immediately fell to the snowy ground below with smoke trailing behind them. The captain continued his charge as the ponies on the ground began to launch boulders at the dragon. Its attention was drawn, and now was the time to strike.
The captain folded his wings to his sides and began to plummet towards the dragon’s back. The speed of his descent caused his rusty mane to fly back, and he struggled to keep his eyes open. He couldn’t hear a thing around him. He could only see the dragon below him, and feel the pounding of his heart within his chest.
At the last possible second he spread out his wings and let the spear continue to fly. It rocketed towards the beast’s back, and he let out a relieved gasp as it made contact. The wooden weapon pierced the dragon’s flesh, sinking deep into him and releasing a stream of blood. The dragon shrieked in pain, but could not turn fast enough to stop the other spears of the captain’s soldiers. One by one they penetrated the skin, and more and more blood gushed out. The griffons near the dragon tried their best to stop the spears, but more often than not they were pierced themselves.
The captain watched as the dragon began to slow its movements. The thing was obviously tired, and he couldn’t imagine the amount of pain this giant beast was feeling right now. He couldn’t help feeling sorry for it. Who knew how long the griffons had been torturing it, bending its fire power to their will? At least its suffering would end soon.
“CAPTAIN, LOOK OUT!”
Before he could react, the dragon’s massive tail collided with him and sent him flying through the air. He had hardly registered what had just happened before he felt himself colliding with a hard mountain cliff side. His body fell limply onto an outcropping.
The pain he felt was excruciating. His left wing was completely useless, and when he tried to move it a surge of pain shot through his entire body. And yet, the cold of the mountain rock was soothing to the fire that was now spreading within his very bones.
His vision began to fade, and the last thing he saw was his daughter’s face amongst the blurry darkness.
Scootaloo sat in class and fiddled with her pencil. She knew she should pay attention, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t bring herself to focus on Miss Cheerliee’s lesson.
She had been in a cloudy mood for the past couple of days. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle had tried to cheer her up, but nothing could help her mood. It had been nearly four months since she had gotten a letter from her father. Sure there had been long gaps between his messages, but they were never this long.
Her aunt had tried her best to console her, but in her heart she couldn’t help the sickly feeling that had been growing there for the past month. She didn’t want to face what she feared deep down.
Her gaze was drawn to the window, and she watched as a rainbow bullet shot across the sky. A small smile spread across her face momentarily at the sight of her favorite pony in the world.
Well, her second favorite anyways.
Scootaloo sighed and rested her chin on the desk. She closed her eyes, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to breach them. The last thing she needed right now was for Diamond Tiara to see her crying in class. The teasing might finally push her over the edge today.
“Class,” Miss Cheerliee said, abruptly stopping in the middle of her lesson. “I’m going to pause our history lesson for a moment. Today we have a special visitor, and I’d like for you all to give him your utmost attention.”
A visitor? Oh great, Scootaloo thought, another old curmudgeon here to lecture them on some boring old invention that changed Equestria as they knew it. Blah blah blah. She could care less right now.
She listened as the visitor’s hoof steps signaled his entrance into the room. They sounded labored, almost like Granny Smith when she walked. She heard a few gasps from her classmates, and finally with a sigh she lifted her head to see who their guest was.
Her mouth fell open when she saw him.
Standing at the front of the classroom was her father, his golden armor shining in the rays of sunlight that entered from the open door. He reached up slowly with his right hoof and removed his helmet, and when his face fully came into view Scootaloo felt tears begin to fall down her face.
“Hey Scootaloo,” her father called. Before she knew it Scootaloo was out of her seat and running to the front of the classroom. Her father spread his front hooves open wide, and she tackled him with a hug. Her father held her tightly as sobs rocked her little body. She didn’t even care how she looked right now. Screw Diamond Tiara, she was just so happy to see her father again.
“I m-missed you Daddy,” she mumbled into her father’s chest.
“I missed you too,” he answered, squeezing her even tighter.
Scootaloo looked up after she managed to get herself back under control and gave her father a huge grin. He smiled back, his eyes sparkling with tears of his own. Cheers erupted from her right, and she looked over to see her classmates all on their feet. Some of them were stomping their hooves on the ground, while others were whooping and hollering. Sweetie Belle was in tears and had a hoof up to her mouth, and Applebloom had the biggest smile on her face. Even Diamond Tiara was smiling, albeit she was trying to hide it, but it was still there.
“Scootaloo’s father has been away for the past two years on official business,” Miss Cheerliee spoke up, her voice cracking a few times. “This is the first time he’s been home. In honor of his return, I’m ending school early today.”
Cheers erupted from the class again, but Scootaloo didn’t really pay them any mind. She just continued to hug her father tightly. She felt him nuzzle the top of her head gently, and heard the sound of his heart gently beating inside his chest.
She was so happy to have him home at last.
