Prologue
“Rainbow Dash, are you insane!?” Twilight nearly yelled. “You can’t join the airborne! Think about your responsibilities!”
“I gotta Twilight; Cloudsdale’s been clobbered, and I can’t just sit here on the sidelines, I have to do something!”
“Like join the airborne!? You can help in other ways! Give blood, or bits, or volunteer for nursing, not joining the military!”
“Twilight, it’s the only branch that allows mares in, and they say that they need flyers. I’m the best flyer in Ponyville; it’s where I can help most!”
“What about the Elements of Harmony!? What if we need you?”
“Then I come back, but right now Cloudsdale needs me!”
“What about loyalty, Rainbow? Loyalty to your friends and Ponyville?”
“I’m also loyal to the princesses and my hometown, and Equestria for that matter!”
“Alright everypony, Ah think that we all just need ta calm down now, and talk about this rationally,” Applejack said. The six of them were gathered in the library by Rainbow, and were now witnessing the fallout of her announcement that she wanted to join the airborne.
Twilight wouldn’t let it go. “There’s nothing to rationally discuss! Rainbow shouldn’t join the airborne.” She turned to Applejack for an appeal.
“Well, Ah was actually thinkin’ that she should if she wants ta.” Applejack said matter-of-factly. Twilight’s mouth dropped open slightly.
“What?”
“Ah just think that if she wants ta then she should. Besides, Rainbow hasn’t been able to help out like we have. Ah have mah farm producin’ all Ah can for the Calvary. Rarity has her boutique producing camouflage drab. You are doin’, well, secret stuff Ah guess. Fluttershy is volunteering at the hospitals when she can. Hay, even Pinkies doin’ somethin’, workin’ on that cannon of her’s. All Rainbow's been able ta do is keep the skies clear. Ah think that if she wants ta she should. Hay, it may even be a boost ta morale.”
Twilight wasn’t having it. “That doesn’t matter, right now she’s an asset to national security; we all are. If any one of us were to be incapacitated, then we may not be able to use the elements of harmony to fight off magical threats. Putting her into a war zone isn’t just dangerous for her, it’s dangerous for everypony!”
Rarity piped up. “Twilight dear, I’m sure that Rainbow appreciates your concern, but she is a great flyer, I know better than most. If she’s ever in a dangerous situation, I’m sure she can get out of it in a matter of seconds.”
“But she won’t leave, and you know that!” Twilight said. She turned to Pinkie for support. "You don’t want Rainbow to go, right, Pinkie? ”
Pinkie scratched her shin with a hoof thoughtfully. ”Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell I guess that depends.” She looked over at Rainbow Dash, “Will you write to us, Dashie?”
“Yeah! Every day Pinkie!”
“Okie-dokey-lokey!” Pinkie said with a smile. She turned back to Twilight. “She can go.”
Twilight turned to Fluttershy, knowing that she was losing support fast. “How about you Fluttershy? What do you think?”
“Oh, uh, well, I think that we should respect Rainbow Dashes choice, and support her.”
“So you think she should go.” Fluttershy nodded slightly. Twilight sighed, and looked over to Rainbow. “I’m sorry Rainbow. Fluttershy’s right, I should be supporting you. It’s just, that…” she faltered. “As a princess, I have information that no other pony does, and I know how bad the war is. We’ve lost a lot of good ponies so far. I just don’t want to worry about losing one of my friends.”
Applejack walked over to Twilight. “Ah know how ya feel. Ah’m always worried about Big Mac and Braeburn. But Ah didn’t try and stop them when they volunteered.”
“I know, Applejack. Rainbow, if you want to join the airborne, you can. Just try not to get hurt, alright.” Twilights eyes were watering as she spoke.
“Don’t worry so much, Twilight. I’m too good for the Unicornians to touch.” There wasn’t too much pep in the boast.
“Ya be careful out there, Rainbow.”
“Yes dear, do come back.”
“And don’t forget to write every day!”
Rainbow looked over at Fluttershy. “Um, Rainbow. I know that you’re going to be fighting in the airborne, but if you ever can, try and show them a little kindness. I think that if everypony did that there wouldn’t be a war.”
“Show them kindness, after what they did to Cloudsdale?!”
“Please Rainbow?” Fluttershy looked at Rainbow hopefully. Rainbow lowered her head in defeat. She couldn’t disappoint her oldest friend.
“Alright Fluttershy, I will.”
“Do you promise?”
“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”
A Lot of Stubborn Ponies
“Corsair, you can take a seat, you don’t need to keep standing.”
The unicorn started at the sound of the voice, snapped out of his dulldrums. He had been waiting for maybe ten minutes for the group commander, but he hadn’t been keeping count. The wait was up though, and he sat down at the commander’s request.
“Permission to speak freely, sir?” Corsair asked the orange Pegasus in front of him. He stared for a moment.
“Just because I’m the group commander doesn’t mean that you have to ask me to talk. Celestia, Corsair, it isn’t like the past 9 years get thrown in the bin.”
Corsair cocked his head to one side. “Sooo…”
“Yeah” the Pegasus said, “you have permission to speak freely.”
“Alrighty then Sun Chaser, when you said 1500 I thought that you meant 1500. If you were honest and said 1510 then I could have spent another five minutes on the can.”
“Sorry Corsair, I was busy arguing with Commodore on your behalf. If you wanted me to throw in the towel earlier so I wouldn’t interrupt your toilet time then I hear that there’s a time spell in the Canterlot archives you can use.”
Immediately the unicorn snapped into seriousness. “Waitwaitwait. What do you mean arguing with the Commodore on my behalf? What’s going on? What in Tartarus did I do to make you have to go hoof-to-hoof with the Commodore for me?”
“It’s nothing that you did specifically, but…” Sun Chaser dropped his head and sighed. “Celestia, it’s going to kill me to do this.”
“Do what?!”
Sun Chaser looked back up. “The commodore’s stripping you of command of the Dawn.”
“WHAT!” Corsair yelled as he stood up. “Why the buck did he do that!? I haven’t done anything wrong or illegal, my crew never has issues, the Dawn is in great shape, and I won a bloody Celestial Cross at the battle of Cloudsdale! Why in the name of Celestia is he taking my ship?”
Sun Chaser looked slightly nervous “Well, uh, see…” he shook his head, the looked his friend in the eye. “Ok, there’s no way to sugarcoat this. Some members of your crew, and the commodore wouldn’t budge when I asked who, are pitching a fit about you because you’re a unicorn. Apparently they think that you can’t be trusted and may be a Unicornian sympathizer because you have a horn. And apparently the commodore agrees, so he’s taking the ship. I tried to tell him off but he wouldn’t have it. I'm sorry.”
Corsair stood still in shock at the news. “So because I have a horn on my head I’m not qualified to captain an airship? Even if I have been flying cargo for 5 years, and got a medal for fighting Unicornians?”
“I’m sorry, Corsair; I did what I could without going up to the Air Marshall.”
“Then go up to the bucking Air Marshall!!” Corsair yelled.
“He and the commodore are pretty close, Corsair. I’m not sure it would help.”
“Well try, Sun Chaser! Take this up to the princesses if you have to!” Corsair said, his voice getting hoarse from yelling earlier.
“I will, but as of now the commodore says that you have a week before you have to be out of here.” Corsair stayed silent, and stared blankly at the canvas wall of the tent. Sun Chaser trotted over to his friend, and put a hoof on Corsairs back. “Hey, you aren’t out of the fight; you know your way around the twenty-five pounders better than most, and with a citation you are probably trot-on material for becoming an artillery officer. And they need artillery officers; General Clockwork would be ecstatic to get his hooves on a pony like you.”
“I don’t want to be a bloody artillery officer. When I was a kid I said I was going to be a sky captain, even without the wings. There’s a reason that my mark is an airship. I want to fly. And now I can’t because they think I may be a Unicornian spy or something?” he sighed. "I thought that Equestria was past this sort of divide. I’ve never had anypony complain that a unicorn was
captain of a ship.”
Sun Chaser chuckled, “The Pegasi were always more stubborn than the others; prouder too. Especially Cloudsdale Pegasi. I guess that this war just brings out the worst in us.”
“Well, I’m sick of these stubborn ponies. If they want me out, ok, I’m out. To Tartarus with the lot.” He stood and fumed for a moment, breathing deeply as he calmed himself. “Who’s going to be in charge of the Dawn?”
“Your highest ranking Pegasus officer.”
“Fury then,” Corsair said. “Fury leads the boarding party. He doesn’t know about how to pilot an airship. Well, at least Fury’s a good leader. I just hope he can handle the new responsibility. What happens to Lightning?”
“He goes with you; they’re removing all unicorns from the group.”
“All two of us.” Corsair said bitterly. “Well, I certainly hope that whoever complained about us will never have to wish that he didn’t sack the only shield-caster in the group.” He turned and started to head for the tents exit. “I’m going to get Lighting, and my things, I’ll be cleared out in less than an hour.”
“Do you need transportation back to Canterlot?” sun chaser asked
“No, I think I’ll just walk.” Corsair looked back at his friend. “Hey Sun Chaser, good luck, be safe.” With that he pushed open the tent flap and trotted outside.
Sun Chaser walked back to his seat. He had thought that kicking one of his best friends off of his ship would hurt, and yeah, he was right. He looked blankly at the maps and reports and paperwork in front of him. Maybe he would work on it later, but right now he just needed some space.
Behind him the radio squawked on.
Sightseer lay low on a cloud, silently cursing his luck and name. “Your name’s Sightseer, so go see the sights. You’re fast, you blend in, and so you should be the one who scouts behind enemy lines for the fourth time this week. Oh, what’ll we do? We’ll all just stay here on the Equestrian side of the Neighagra out of range of all the enemy’s guns in total safety and wait for you.”
He checked his saddlebags. On his right was the radio set; to his left were a portable camera, map, binoculars, single lens telescope, and a pencil. All right where it should be.
Step one of scouting was the hardest. He had to leapfrog from cloud to cloud to find a good one to perch on, and the whole time he had to just hope that he hadn’t been seen by Unicornian spotters. Around a month ago a spotter was blasted to kingdom come by well-timed artillery shell that had airburst just 100 feet below him. Sightseer didn’t want to be the second inductee to that club.
But so far, he hadn’t been shot at, and his comrades had a point. With a light grey coat and dark grey mane he was well suited for cloudsitting and, well, Sightseeing. He just wished that he wasn’t the one most constantly being put into danger.
He pulled out the first photograph of the area. Step two was pretty easy. If anything in the landscape had changed, inspect with the binos and write it down. With one eye he looked at the photo, and the other scanned the area. There was one, a brown gash at the edge of a field. He pulled out the binos and took a look. Four enemy 8-inchers were being dug into position; quickly he pulled out the pencil and made a note of it.
Then it was back to the photograph. Not much else had changed. For a moment, he simply looked over the area looking for anything suspicious. Out a few miles away he could see that there was a large mining operation ripping up the earth, what the hay they were mining for he couldn’t tell, but it hurt to watch the fertile farmland be defaced. Out in the forests to the north he could see the smoke of campfires at random areas. It seemed more than usual. Quickly he wrote that down too.
He sighed. This job made him depressed. Here he was, looking at what was recently Equestrian soil, and he got to watch as the Unicornians had their way with it. Just a few months ago the Unicornian Empire performed a surprise invasion, and now had just under ¼ of Equestria under their control. Currently they were hemmed in by the unicorn range to the southwest, the Canterlot defensive line to the southeast, and the Neighagra to the northeast.
The unicorn range was being held by Griffon mountain regiments, and everypony knew that any army that would try and fight griffons on what was essentially home turf would be stopped dead cold. The Canterlot line held the entire Royal Guard and Royal Equestrian Calvary in a 50 mile line in the sand, and had already stopped a mass Unicornian attack at the battle of Canterlot, killing 50,000 for a loss of only a few hundred.
This left the Neighagra line. Any army crossing here would be spotted miles off, and have to cross the half mile span of the Neighagra. The Royal Equestrian Airship Force would be raining bombs on them the whole time with the Republic of Gryphens Foreign Air Fleet providing support, then the army would come out of reserves from Cloudsdale and mop up. Sightseer turned and looked back to equestrian soil. Thirty miles back was Cloudsdale, the rainbow falls still visible from here.
All in all, the line was at a standstill, and had been for nearly four months now, with hardly a movement or word from the Unicornians that Sightseer was scouting right now. He continued to scan over the area. The sooner he wrapped up here the sooner he could get back to his FOB and back to his food. Apart from smoke in the forest, the new artillery position, and expansion in the mining camp, the Unicornians didn’t seem to be up to much.
“Alright Sightseer, the sights have been seen, now let’s get the hay out of here,” he muttered to nopony in particular. Getting out was the easiest part. Dive off the cloud, level off after building speed for 1000 feet, and then fly east like mad. There was no way the Unicornians could do anything about it. Sightseer hoped that it made them furious. He packed up the photograph, pencil, and binos, and pulled out the camera. With a click he took a picture of the ground below, then stowed the camera away. Time to leave.
He saw a flash of light out west.
For a second he ducked, thinking he was being shot at. No, he couldn’t be. Muzzle flashes were yellow, and this was silver, like a reflection from a mirror or metal. He quickly looked toward the flash. It was in the sky. He grabbed up the binos again and looked.
Out west was a Unicornian airship, bow pointed east. Sightseer blinked just to make sure that he wasn’t seeing things. He wasn’t. It was a ways off, but it was there, clear as day. Nopony had seen a Unicornian airship since the battle of Cloudsdale. He squinted; he thought that he could see black blurs behind the airship. Slowly he adjusted the focus on the binos.
Twenty more airships at least snapped into focus. He kept turning the wheel. There were more after that too. They were at least 15 miles away, but there were there, at least 50 that he could see.
He looked over his right shoulder at the radio. He had been told to never use it while scouting unless there was an emergency, for fear that the Unicornians would be able to listen in and find him. ‘It’s an emergency’. He switched it on, dialed it into the command frequency, and grabbed up the receiver.
Sun Chaser turned to the radio in the back of the tent.
“This is Sightseer scouting for HMA Midnight, map sector six-dash-eight, reporting enemy airships heading east, altitude minus 8000 and increasing, quantity five-zero plus.
Sun Chasers eyes widened. “Fifty!” He immediately turned and galloped full bore out the tent door and into the field. His sole focus was on the megaphone sitting on the tripod stand just a few yards away. He skidded the last few feet up to it, and took a breath. He leaned in close and yelled as loud as he could.
“SQUADRON SCRAMBLE!”
