Wings of Deceit

Chapters

Leave
Saying Goodbye
On Foreign Affairs
Isolation
Contact
Moonrise
The Long Haul
At Any Cost
The Kingdom
Prologue
Farewell to Equestria

Leave

Book I: The Gathering Storm

Leave

Targeting alarms were blaring- the comforting green glow of Nimbus’s HUD was quickly being overtaken by panic-inducing amounts of red, hostile blips surrounded him on his madar display, and to make matters worse, his flight suit’s systems were already damaged.

Or they would have been if he’d actually been wearing a flight suit. Or if he was in a real combat situation for that matter. As it was, Nimbus was currently engaged in heated aerial conflict with the largest airborne force he’d ever taken on- his brother, Whirlwind, and all of his friends. Currently he was skimming just above the treeline near his home in Hollow Shades with two colts hot on his tail.

“This is Dragonslayer, I’m entering the furball!” a voice called from above. Nimbus sighed, shaking his head in amusement. Whirlwind always had a flair for the dramatic. Dragonslayer was clearly his newest ace squadron he’d invented. He’d also been using the word “furball” a lot ever since Nimbus had taught him the Aviator meaning of the term, even though this small pursuit hardly constituted a furball just yet. Almost unconsciously, he began scanning for the new threat, and quickly located Whirlwind and a flight of two other Pegasi diving on him from above. On the ground, a Unicorn was firing harmless spells his way, and two Earth Ponies were sitting in the trees, throwing crabapples his way. Half the school was on him, it seemed. Deciding that it wasn’t time to give up just yet, Nimbus jinked left, diving towards the ground as Whirlwind closed the gap. He blazed past the Unicorn, passing by before she had time to get a single shot off, and started a vertical climb again.

“That Griffon’s a tough one, sir!” he heard a filly call out to Whirlwind.

“Roger that! Come on, let’s show him how we welcome invaders in Equestria!” Whirlwind replied stoically. Nimbus almost died laughing. It was like listening to one of the cheesy late-night radio dramas that were so popular in Manehattan at the moment. Deciding to play his part, he looked back over his shoulder.

“Come and get me, Equestrian cannon fodder!” he called back, “you may have destroyed my squadron, but you still have me to deal with!”

Trying something dramatic, Nimbus turned around with the sun behind his back, spreading his wings in a majestic pose. Then he relaxed them, dropping back towards the earth and opening them in time to maintain level flight. He headed straight for the foals like a bowling ball careening towards pins. Some scattered, but others kept coming head-on towards him, Whirlwind included. Just before impact, Nimbus turned sideways, yawing away from the ground in a knife-edge pass. Though the fillies and colts reached for him, he was too quick, and slipped through their ranks. The young ponies scattered, then reformed, heading for Nimbus again. Feigning surprise, he entered a long, slow bank to the right, bringing them in closer. Then without warning, he rolled and pulled up, executing a sharp rolling scissors. Now he was behind the ponies, and instantly began to give chase. Actually catching them wasn’t his plan- kids liked to win after all- but if he could put on a good show before losing, he’d try his best. Picking out a tan Pegasus from the bunch, he came in close, grinning wickedly. The Pegasus let out a little yelp of surprise, then started climbing. Nimbus followed him… right into the path of Whirlwind. This he hadn’t expected at all. He was half-tempted to let his brother take the kill here and now, but he was having too much fun. Deftly slipping to the side, he just managed to avoid his brother’s hooves as he streaked past. He was in for another surprise, though.

No sooner had he leveled out when a streak of magic shot past his face. The Unicorn on the ground was zeroing him in. He started rolling left and right, trying to fly as erratically as possible; things were actually becoming challenging now. Deciding it was time to end things before he ended up humiliated by a very real defeat, he made a beeline for Whirlwind, electing to take him on in single combat. Whirlwind saw this and diverted towards him. The others began to close in rapidly, too. Nimbus reached out as if to tag his brother, and Whirlwind took his chance, rolling inverted and dodging the hoof while striking out with his own, tagging Nimbus on the shoulder. The Aviator, recoiled, falling into what looked for all the world like a death spiral, and felt several hooves tag him.

“We’ve been defeated,” he choked, heading for the ground, “we- we’ve lost.”

Moments before impact, he flared his wings just enough to cushion his fall, landing and rolling onto his back with his eyes closed. He heard his brother cheer and cracked his eyes open quickly enough to see the gray Pegasus perform a tight victory roll over his “dead” body. He felt a hoof prod his side. One of the Earth Ponies looked down at him, then nodded.

“Yup, he’s dead!” he called out, “nice work, guys!”

Nimbus chuckled as he got back up onto his hooves, and nodded at the ponies as they all gathered around.

“Nice job, guys,” he said finally, “you got me. Working together makes things a lot easier, doesn’t it?”

Noting the blank stares he was receiving, Nimbus sighed. “Well, sounds corny now, but you have no idea how true that is in real life.”

Not far away, the Hollow Shades town bell struck three. With a start, Nimbus realized that he had places to be.

“Can we go again?” Whirlwind asked, looking up at Nimbus wistfully.

“Er, sorry, Whirly,” Nimbus replied. “I told Mom and Dad I’d be back at the house around three. I have to go do some Aviator stuff, okay?”

Whirlwind’s eyes lit up at the mention of “Aviator stuff.”

“Of course, Nimbus! I’ll see ya later!”

“Bye Whirly,” NImbus said, smiling as he turned and headed down the dirt road back to Hollow Shades. The “Aviator stuff” he’d been referring to was actually quite important to him. Word had spread that civil war had broken out in the Griffon Kingdom, and depending on the outcome, it was entirely possible that the victor might finally be willing to talk peace with the ponies. If so, a new alliance might very well be on the horizon, and Nimbus wanted to be there if and when it was formed. Today, a correspondent had returned to Equestria from the shores of the Kingdom, and he was set to broadcast his report at three o’clock.

Flying home would have been both easier and faster, of course, but it was a beautiful summer day in the mountains, and Nimbus had no intention of wasting it. It was on days like today that he could actually truly feel the sensation of living. Everything felt good, from the golden sunshine on his back to the crunching of the gravel beneath his hooves. Birds sang out happily, and a slight breeze caressed the branches of trees he passed. When the atmosphere was this wonderful, Nimbus decided, Hollow Shades became very much like a quaint little storybook town. Everything seemed just right.

Up ahead, the path widened, opening up onto the small town’s main street, where ponies wandered to and fro going about their daily activities. The street front was decorated by small shops, all family-owned, which one could easily mistake for being tourist traps. They were far from it, though, as Hollow Shades rarely received any visitors. Instead, the town was at that certain point where it was just beautiful enough to avoid appearing artificial. Ponies smiled at him, and waved as he walked past. Nimbus returned their gestures in kind, as he’d always done. It was no secret that he was an Aviator, one of the first Pegasi from the town to become one, in fact, and the townsponies never ceased to remember this. A lot of them supported his choice to join the military, and some had even suggested making him the guest of honor in their Summer Sun Celebration when he returned from leave a few weeks previous. He politely declined.

Nimbus took a right turn down a side street towards the woods, and came face-to-face with his family’s house. It was a nice little abode, it’s log cabin-inspired design blending beatifully with the area’s architecture. Yet despite the house’s well-maintained appearance, it was also simple, and built to withstand just about anything the mountains could throw at it. It was by far the best place he’d ever lived; his apartment in Manehattan simply couldn’t hold a candle to it. Nimbus headed inside, to the kitchen, where his parents were already huddled over the kitchen table with the radio. It was time.

“Hey guys,” Nimbus said as he entered, “any news?”

“Soon,” Comet Stream replied, head propped on her hooves. Nimbus snuck a cookie from the counter into his mouth, chewed, and sat down with his family.

“Whirly’s out with his friends,” he said, moving his chair closer to the table, “he should be back before dinner.”

“Alright,” Updraft said, “wait a moment- here we go!”

The Pegasus turned up the radio’s volume and the three ponies listened intently.

“... has become clear that the rebels are seeking for the demilitarization of a great many zones in the Griffon Kingdom. Apparently squabbles quickly broke out into full-scale combat in the streets only a few weeks ago, and now the Griffon high command has all but declared war on those who oppose it. The rebels are few, but their numbers increase daily. Riots in the streets of Klauhalt, the capitol, have ceased as the rebels continue to retreat. Emperor Razortail has made a public statement to the Equestrian government that an alliance with the rebels will not be tolerated, but we’re seeing many military units calling their personnel back in, anxiously awaiting the crown’s response. Until that time, we’ll be keeping a watchful eye on the Griffon Kingdom, awaiting what may very well be a slim chance at peace between our nations. This is your faithful reporter, Fine Print, of the Fillydelphia News Network, signing off.”

Updraft shut the radio off and the three ponies sat in silence for a while, taking in what they had just heard. Finally, it was Nimbus that broke the silence.

“Well, you know this means my leave will probably end early.”

Comet Stream nodded. “To be honest, I’m not surprised. Maybe you can come back later this summer, or for Hearth’s Warming Eve. We’re always happy to have you here.”

“I know,” Nimbus said smiling faintly, “I’m sorry my little summer visit was cut short, but you can’t change the world that easily.” He stood up, grabbing another cookie for good measure.

“I’ll go ahead and pack up my things. I’ll probably have to be back at base tomorrow.”

“Oh, that’s fine. I’ll get your bags packed,” Comet Stream said, standing as well, “you might want to break the news to Whirlwind, though.”

Nimbus nodded. “Will do.”

And as quickly as he’d entered the house, Nimbus exited, heading right back up the road the way he’d come. The next few minutes could go several ways, but he was personally hoping Whirlwind would understand his need to leave early. The poor little stallion would probably try hiding his disappointment by saying just how “cool” being an Aviator must be, but it wasn’t hard to see past that. Nimbus sighed. Breaking news like this was never easy, but it was a fact of life for anypony in the armed forces. Maybe Whirlwind would accept what he had to do, or maybe not. Either way, talking it over certainly wasn’t going to be easy, and Nimbus did not look forward to his task.

Saying Goodbye

There they were, playing their rough and tumble game of tag as if nothing else in the world mattered. Nimbus watched his brother and the foals play for a moment, remembering what it was like to be Whirwind’s age. There wasn’t a single moment when such memories came back to him that he didn’t wish he could be young again.There was certainly something to be said for having a lack of responsibility. Not that he despised responsibility, of course, he quickly added, but still- running around, playing with friends, and not caring about what might happen tomorrow made his childhood free. So ironic then, he realized, that foals all seemed to want to grow up so quickly. Perhaps it was just life’s way that nopony could ever truly reach an equilibrium point of satisfaction.

Nimbus sighed and leaned up against an oak tree, watching as Whirlwind deftly skipped out of the way of the pony designated as “it.” The little gray Pegasus was hard to place, Nimbus decided. On one hoof, he had a lot of the same mannerisms that he too had possessed as a youngster, but on the other, Whirly was clearly driven by a fire that he didn’t think he’d ever had. There was a certain energy that just made the little colt special. He’d make a good Aviator, if he ever chose to follow that path.

Whirlwind looked up from his game just quickly enough to catch Nimbus at the tree. Nimbus nodded to his brother, and the little pony waved goodbye to his friends before galloping over to Nimbus at top speed.

“Hey!” he said, “so did you get all your Aviator stuff done?”

Nimbus playfully rustled his brother’s mane. “I did, Whirly. I actually wanted to talk to you about some stuff. Wanna go get some ice cream?”

“Of course!” Whirlwind squeaked, pumping his hoof in the air.

“Well, then it’s off to the Quartz!”

The Quartz, as far as the locals were concerned, was easily the best ice cream parlor in Equestria, or at least on the eastern side of the country. The little building had started out as a general store, and had expanded into a restaurant and ice cream parlor fairly rapidly as the town grew. While certainly not as cheap as some of the chains in the big cities, it was easily at the top of Nimbus’s list of desert locations. He was also, of course, hoping that the ice cream might soften the blow that the news of his probable departure would most likely cause.

The two ponies set off on hoof, but they hadn’t gone three steps when Whirlwind turned to his brother.

“Hey Nimbus,” he said, “better idea- let’s race!”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Nimbus said, “I’m not sure I can keep up with you. Sometimes you’re so fast, I can swear you just go invisible!”

“Aw come on,” Whirlwind said, jabbing Nimbus in the side with his hoof, “please?”

“Well, okay,” Nimbus said, chuckling, “but I think before we do anything we should- ready? Go!”

“Without any warning, Nimbus jumped up off the ground and took to the sky. Startled by the sudden start, Whirlwind was nonetheless on his tail in seconds. As Nimbus soared over rooftops, he was reminded of another reason he liked his hometown- no altitude or speed restrictions for Pegasi. In Manehattan, Pegasi were actually arrested and charged for speeding or reckless flying. In some places, it was so bad that underground air racing circles had developed, where Pegasi did their best to run tournaments outside of the watchful eyes of the city law enforcement. A few Aviators around the base even went as far as to “neither confirm nor deny” that they’d participated in such activities. Since he wasn’t the fastest Pegasus in the air, Nimbus never really bothered with the racing scene, but the lack of restrictions in Hollow Shades meant he could practice terrain-following flight, something he greatly enjoyed. It was not uncommon for townsponies to see him ripping by at low level in the early hours of the day. Cruising through canyons and flying just above treetop level was something Nimbus seldom got to do outside of work, and coming home gave him the opportunity to do such things recreationally.

Nimbus let his speed slip a bit, allowing Whirlwind to gain some ground and make things interesting. The two were neck and neck just over main street, and the goal was in sight.

“You’re not beating me today!” Nimbus puffed.

“Hah! We’ll see about that!” Whirlwind replied, boosting himself into the lead. The ponies pulled up a bit, to avoid obliterating a newspaper stand below, then dove down for the home stretch. Nimbus eyed his brother daringly, and Whirlwind just smirked back as the two dared one another to keep going before the final flare and landing. As they drew closer, Nimbus could tell that Whirly wasn’t going to let up, so he flared his wings, stopping just short of the sidewalk. Whirlwind flared only slightly, then tucked his wings in and rolled, coming to rest upright on all four hooves.

“Where’d you learn that?” Nimbus asked, panting.

“Recess!” Whirlwind replied, barely winded.

“Okay, then,” Nimbus said, shaking his head in amazement. His little brother was just one bag of tricks after another, apparently. “Come on, Whirly. Let’s grab some ice cream.”

The parlor had a seats before service policy, so the two Pegasi sat down at a small table near the window. They were joined shortly by a waitress.

“What can I get you two today?” the Unicorn asked, levitating a notepad and pen at the ready.

“Can I get a cookie dough sundae, please?” Nimbus asked. The waitress nodded, jotting his order down.

“And may I please have a brownie delight?” Whirlwind added.

“Sure thing, will that be all?”

“That’s it, thanks,” Nimbus said. The waitress took her notepad and pen and turned around, heading for the kitchen. Nimbus focused on Whirlwind.

“A brownie delight, huh? Can you actually finish one of those?”

“Of course I can!” Whirlwind proudly proclaimed, “I get one every time I come here with Mom and Dad!”

Nimbus was impressed. The brownie delight was one of the parlor’s biggest dessert dishes, and arguably the most difficult to finish on account of its almost stupefying sweetness. He liked to think that he had a sweet tooth, but one could only eat so much chocolate…

“Well, if you want it, I won’t stop you,” Nimbus finished.

“Thanks for the ice cream, Nimbus,” Whirlwind said, grinning, “I was actually about to ask Mom if we could go here, but you beat me to it!”

Chuckling a little, Nimbus nodded. “Yeah, I figured you might want to come here…” he looked away a moment as his words faded. He was delaying the subject, and he knew it. He had to break the news to Whirlwind now, before he lost the courage to do so.

“Whirly, I may have to go back to Manehattan soon.”

The little colt’s ears perked up. “Oh really? Did you leave something at your apartment?”

Nimbus breathed in deeply. “Uh… no, not exactly. You see, my commander is going to need all of her Aviators in one place for a while, to make sure the Griffons don’t try anything sneaky.”

“Why would they do that?” Whirlwind asked, a look of concern slowly forming on his face.

“Well, the Griffons are fighting themselves now. It’s called a civil war, and it’s… it’s not a very good thing, but if the right side wins, the Griffons might finally want to be friends with us. Do you kind of see what I’m saying?”

“I guess,” Whirlwind said, shifting, “but can’t they just call other Aviators?”

“They can, and they are,” Nimbus replied, “and I really don’t know how long I’ll be gone for if I do have to leave. Might be back in a few days, or I may not see you guys until Hearth’s Warming Eve. It just depends on what happens with the Griffons. Do you understand?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.”

The waitress returned with the ponies’ ice creams, and Nimbus immediately set to work on his. Whirlwind halfheartedly poked his dessert with a spoon and took a few nibbles before speaking again.

“Nimbus, I don’t think I get it- why do the Griffons hate each other? Why do they hate everypony else, too?”

Not exactly the topic he’d been hoping to cover, but there was no going back now.

“Well, Whirly, they don’t all hate us, or each other. A lot of the Griffons are just like you and me. Not too long ago, some of them even came over to Equestria for things like school and sports. They’re not fighting because they hate each other, either. Some of them just want the old ways to change.”

“And if the old ways change, will they be friends with us?” Whirlwind asked, chewing on a brownie.

“I think they might,” Nimbus said. He decided not to add that the “old ways” seldom changed easily, and less often peacefully.

Whirlwind nodded. “Okay, Nimbus.”

The two ate in silence for a while, and when they were finished, Whirlwind thanked Nimbus for the treat. Not long after the two headed home, barely saying a word to one another. Neither wanted Nimbus to leave, but both knew it had to happen. As they walked on, they savored what could possibly be their last moments together for a while, despite the awkwardness of the situation, and when they finally reached the house, Nimbus hoped and prayed that perhaps things weren’t as predicted, that he might be allowed to keep the last week of his leave and remain with his family. Unfortunately, larger events were already being set in motion, and it was these events that would soon encompass Nimbus’s life. The look on his mother’s face when he entered the house told him everything. He didn’t even have to see his Phoenix-delivered orders to confirm that tonight was officially the end of his leave. The family sat down to eat a small dinner, but throughout the meal, Nimbus just didn’t feel like eating. He couldn’t shake the feeling that his orders were just the start of something much larger. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time. The family finished, and it was soon time for Whirlwind to go to bed. Nimbus led his little brother upstairs and helped tuck him under the covers.

“Nimbus?” the little Pegasus said as Nimbus turned and headed for the door, preparing to shut off the light.

“Yeah?” Nimbus responded, facing back towards the bundle under the covers that was his brother.

“Be safe, okay?”

“I’ll be back before you know it,” Nimbus replied, grinning, “do everything you can to help Mom and Dad while I’m gone, and if I don’t get back here before school starts, you make sure you try your hardest in second grade, alright?”

“I will,” Whirlwind whispered.

“I’ll see you soon,” Nimbus said, shutting off the light and closing the door slowly, “I promise.”

Nimbus wandered back out into the hall, descending the few stairs between Whirlwind’s room and the main floor, and met his parents in the living room. Exhausted from the day’s events, he collapsed on a couch and looked over his orders one more time.

“Report time is tomorrow at 0930…” Nimbus exhaled and laid his head back on the soft cushions behind him, “Dad, you were a guard once- does this thing happen frequently in the military?”

Updraft chuckled, “well, you have to remember that I served during the Great Griffon War. Any time tensions are high, you can probably expect something like this. My guess is that it’s only precautionary. If Celestia goes against tradition and says that our forces should be deployed to help the rebels, that’ll be a different story, but I honestly don’t think she’ll do that. You want my opinion on this matter? The whole thing will blow over in a month or two. I hate to say it, but the rebels don’t have much longer.”

“Why can’t we help them?” Nimbus asked, “what’s so wrong about that?”

“Well there’s nothing wrong about it at all,” Updraft replied, “but if we go poking our noses into things we shouldn’t be, the Griffons will retaliate. Of that I’m sure. And the last thing we need is to provoke an opportunistic invasion of Equestria.”

“True,” Nimbus agreed.

“You should let us know how long you’ll be staying in Manehattan for,” Comet Stream added, “perhaps we’ll come up and visit you before the summer’s over.”

“I’d like that,” Nimbus said, remembering the last time they’d visited. Whirlwind had been positively ecstatic; they’d toured the base, and the little colt even got the chance to try on Nimbus’s helmet. Fortunately, his parents hadn’t asked about Storm Runner, most specifically why he hadn’t been around at all during the visit. The Pegasus felt queasy as he thought about his old friend. If this was truly a mass Aviator call, then Storm would be there too. He supposed he could just hang out with Starburst, who was becoming slightly more tolerable with every flight the two went on. The Captain really had some interesting stories to tell, and he was nothing like the arrogant Cyclone Sprint who had, thankfully, been transferred to another squadron only a few months ago. He’d miss Hollow Shades, as he always did, but he was startled to find that it didn’t bother him anywhere near as much as it used to. Homesickness affected everypony in some way, but Nimbus was quickly finding that it wasn’t too hard to get used to.

“Well,” he said finally, “I need to get up early if I’m taking the train to Manehattan. I should probably get to bed.”

Updraft nodded. “Sounds good.”

Nimbus stood and gave each of his parents a quick hug in succession.

“It was wonderful having you here,” Comet Stream said, “I’ll get up with you tomorrow and see about getting you something to eat on the train.”

“Thank you,” Nimbus said, on his way upstairs, “then I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, Mom.”

“Take care as always, Nimbus, and make us proud,” Updraft added, and Nimbus nodded.

“Will do, Dad. Goodnight.”

Make us proud. It was something his parents had said every time he left home since he was accepted to the Royal Equestrian Air College. One would have thought the same saying would have lost relevance over time, but it really hadn’t. Those words rang true every second of every day, and he found himself still trying to exceed those standards. If things really did get complicated with the Griffons, he only hoped he could still look to his parents for guidance.

On Foreign Affairs

Luna paced anxiously in the Canterlot throne room. Only a few yards away, her elder sister Celestia was discussing policy with what appeared to be a group of military advisors, no doubt on the subject of the Griffons. It had been barely more than a year since she returned to Equestria, and already Luna was up to her neck in matters of state and defense. It was overwhelming at times- actually, it was overwhelming all the time, but Celestia was always there for her, supporting her when she fell and praising her for her accomplishments. At times, she almost wondered if her sister was making up for past mistakes. She wanted to talk to her, to tell her she was fine, and over what had happened years before, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. Celestia would eventually see her independence. For now, she could tolerate a little admiration.

Adjusting back to her role as a princess in this very different Equestria from the one she’d left behind had not been easy. While some ponies instantly accepted her as their co-ruler, there was also been a large portion of the population that she’d had to work hard to build trust with. She smiled as she remembered the numerous “popularity tours” she and Celestia had taken during her first year back, traveling across the nation via train. When she’d been banished, no such transportation existed. Now it was actually possible to rule the nation from a mobile base of operations. Most impressive indeed. Of course, she’d spent a great deal of the tour trying to stay out of the spotlight, but her sister’s support eventually allowed her to take her place with pride. In the end, the previous year had been a good one, though to this day, Luna regretted not attending the Grand Galloping Gala, which, as Celestia had confided in her afterward, had been a glorious disaster. They often shared a laugh out of the public eye over such stories. It was hard sometimes, keeping up a strict and imposing figure in view of the populace. Many of them probably revered the Alicorns as gods, but Luna knew the truth- she and her sister were still children at heart. Albeit children with the backing of several millennia’s worth of wisdom.

Celestia finished her conversation, dismissing the advisors with a brisk nod and hoofshake before turning and heading over to Luna. The blue Alicorn was the first to speak.

“What news of the Griffons, sister?”

Celestia shook her head. “Unfortunately, the news is not good. The rebels are being pushed back to the coastline. It’s likely they’ll be wiped out for good within two months.”

“Along with any chance of peace,” Luna finished. “We see. But sister-is there nothing we can do about this?”

Celestia turned to face her sister squarely. It was moments like these that made her wish that she hadn’t been burdened with the yoke of leadership. Nonetheless, she had policy to follow and a job to do.

“You know our policy on foreign affairs, Luna,” she said quietly. “We do not intervene, and we do not declare war unless attacked first. The Griffons have explicitly stated that if we help the rebels they will fight back. If we lift a hoof to help, it may incur the wrath of our mightiest enemy, and bring tragedy upon our citizens.”

“But if we do nothing then innocents across the ocean will most assuredly die!” Luna countered quickly, “it is our duty to protect-”

“It is not our duty to protect the Griffons!” Celestia shot back. The throne room fell silent, and Celestia immediately regretted her choice of words. She hadn’t meant what she said- the Griffons deserved a chance at restructuring as much as anyone else- but helping now would not only go against policy, it could be downright dangerous.

“Please leave us for a moment,” she said softly to the other ponies in the throne room. Quickly and respectfully, they left, and the last two guards to leave closed the room’s giant double doors behind them.

“How can thou be so heartless, sister?” Luna sighed, “we thought you were different. This isn’t like the sister we left behind…”

“No, you’re right,” Celestia sighed, “I’m not the sister you once knew. I’m older, wiser, and perhaps just a bit more pessimistic. Ruling for a thousand years without a sister by one’s side can do that to a pony.”

“Do not change the subject, sister!” Luna said, advancing, “this is not another one of thine little pity parties! Dost thou forget so easily that we were banished to the moon while thou languished in this castle?!”

“Languished? How dare you!” Celestia snarled, “I died every day for what I did to you! There wasn’t single day that went by that I didn’t regret my decision but you, sister, you gave me no choice!”

The two Alicorns glared at each other, horns glowing. Luna’s pupils had contracted into slits, and for a moment Celestia was reminded of the fateful night her sister was lost to the darkness that became Nightmare Moon. She dropped her head, sighing.

“Please, sister, I don’t want to fight you on this. I understand where you’re coming from, I really do. Once, I would have said the same things you said to me, but now… The possibilities must all be considered and weighed. Do you understand?”

Luna shook her head, “we understand, sister,” she said, “but… how will thou be able to live with thyself as this tragedy unfolds across the sea?”

“I’ve asked myself that same question on numerous occasions,” Celestia said, sighing and peering out through a window down at the rest of Canterlot below, “and I don’t know the answer. All I can say is that, just like today, I’ve made choices before that I felt were wrong.”

“We could change our policies,” Luna pointed out, “isolation does not have to be our only option.”

“If we wish to protect the ponies that rely on us for leadership, we have no choice,” Celestia said.

“Well, while we can see the logic in it, cold as it may be, we are not comfortable with making this decision.”

“No,” Celestia said, moving towards the double doors to unlock them, “and I won’t expect you to be. I only ask that you learn from this, learn to know when it’s wise to trust logic over feelings.We’ll pull through this, as we always have. Our actions will affect what state our country is in afterwards.” She paused before opening the doors. “Our military advisors want a statement. I was hoping you could be the one to do it, but if you’re not comfortable with it, then-”

“Nay,” Luna replied, tired, “we will do it. Let them in.”

The double doors reopened and Celestia stuck her head around the corner, calling to some of the ponies outside. Luna recognized the military advisors from earlier enter the throne room.

“Your Highnesses,” an Earth Pony dressed in an immaculately neat uniform said, bowing, “do you have a statement regarding our recommended actions on the Griffon situation?”

Luna stepped forward, head held a little lower than usual. “Yes, we do. As always, Equestria maintains a policy of isolation. If the Griffons choose to attack us at any point, such policy will be revoked, and a declaration of war will be considered. Until such a time, we are not to assist the Griffons in any way. Ensure that thine troops know that any assistance granted to the Griffons will potentially threaten Equestria. If we incur their wrath, millions may die before our enemies can be stopped.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the Earth Pony said, “I understand. I’ll get the word out to the other generals as soon as possible.”

“Thank you, General,” Luna responded with a stiff salute, “thou art dismissed.”

“You handled that well, sister,” Celestia said, stepping up to Luna’s side, “I know it was hard, but trust me- you did the right thing.”

“Did we?” Luna said, frowning and staring off into space, “we hope so, Celestia. Because if not, we may have doomed the one chance we had for peace.”

Isolation

Nimbus stepped out of his carriage, tipped his puller, and approached the base gates, exhausted despite the amount of caffeine in his system. Trains were never his favorite mode of transportation, and he felt like an Ursa Major had been dancing around on his back for a while. Tenderized feelings aside, it was nice to be back. The simple base gate surrounding the small airfield brought back memories of all sorts, both good and bad, but most of all, it reminded him that he still had the best job in Equestria.

“Good morning, sir,” the gate guard said as Nimbus approached, and saluted. The First Lieutenant returned the salute sharply, presenting his I.D. The pony nodded, waving him through.

“Have a good day, sir.”

“And you as well,” Nimbus called back, moving along up the road. To his right was the airstrip, where a small flight of Aviators was taking off in formation. The Pegasi reached their departure altitude and rolled to the left, banking away in perfect synchronized flight. As he watched them leave, he felt an electric buzz roll through his spine. He couldn’t wait to get back up in formation again. Hopefully they’d have some orders waiting when they arrived. The sun was out, and there were very few clouds; a perfect day for a sortie.

Up ahead was the 132nd Aviator Squadron headquarters, looking just as bleak and nondescript as always. Nimbus made his way inside.

“Morning, Nimbus,” the secretary inside said, nodding as he trotted past.

“Good morning, Sunflower,” Nimbus replied, “anypony arrive ahead of me?”

Sunflower thought about it for a moment. “Hm… yes, I think Starburst is here. Nopony else but the Colonel, though. Looks like you beat Storm Runner here.”

Nimbus nodded grimly, “looks like I did.”

“Oh, and- sorry if this isn’t my place, but I was just wondering- are you and Storm Runner, well, okay? You two used to be thick as thieves, but you’ve barely spoken in over a year. Couldn’t help but notice.”

“We… had a little disagreement,” Nimbus said, stepping away in the hopes that the topic of Storm Runner could be avoided as much as possible.

“Well, it’s not my place to say what you should do, but that said- maybe you two can sit down sometime and talk it out. Sure would beat glaring behind each other’s backs.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Nimbus said uncertainly, trying to maneuver the conversation away from Storm Runner, “did Colonel Cloudsplitter mention where she wanted us to gather?”

“Rec room,” Sunflower said, “she mentioned something about an informal meeting.”

Not bad at all. Informal was always better. Nimbus had grown to like Cloudsplitter’s method of leadership. The mare was often firm, but not afraid to show a softer side when the situation called for it. In short, she commanded respect without striking fear into her subordinates. Nimbus had made up his mind long ago that if he ever made it to her position, he’d try to be the exact same way. Until then, though, he was more than happy to have somepony like her as a flight lead.

He walked past a few Aviators from other squadrons as he moved farther down the hall towards the rec room. Most looked eager and ready for news, some seemed tired, and a few others just appeared disappointed; probably other ponies who had found their leave cut short.

The rec room wasn’t anything special- just a large, open room with a fireplace, a few games, and some couches, but it was a common hangout spot for Aviators from different squadrons to meet and just talk. Nimbus had fond memories of coming in here over the winter, after several particularly cold sorties, and having a nice, warm cup of hot cocoa by the fire. It gave the Aviators something to do on base, instead of having to go into town to relax. It was on one of the aforementioned couches that Nimbus soon spotted Cloudsplitter on, with Starburst pacing behind her.

“Good morning,” Ma’am,” Nimbus said as he entered.

“Hey LT. Take a seat, will you?” Cloudsplitter offered Nimbus one of the sofas and the Pegasus gratefully took it, sitting down and immediately feeling the tension built up from hours of travel release. It was almost like sinking into a hot tub at the end of a long day; he had to remind himself that it was only the end of morning. He still had an afternoon full of potential work.

“Hello, Nimbus,” Starburst said, nodding to his wingpony. Nimbus returned the gesture.

“Hello, sir. How have things been here?”

Starburst frowned, “uneventful, but with what’s happening across the ocean…”

“Right,” Nimbus said, “about that, do we have any orders regarding what we’re supposed to do?”

“Yup,” Cloudsplitter said, holding up a roll of paper, “I’ve got ‘em right here. You could read them, but I’ll save you the trouble. As expected, we’re not going to support the Griffon resistance.”

Nimbus nodded. “Alright, then. So where does that leave us?”

Cloudsplitter rubbed her temples, tired, “well, unfortunately, it does not put me in a position to give you back your leave, Celestia knows you’ve earned it. No, the higher-ups have plans for us, it seems.”

Nimbus’s silence was all that Cloudsplitter needed to continue. “As I said, we are to avoid assisting the Griffons in any way, and being near one of Equestria’s biggest shipping ports, we are in an ideal position to carry out this order.” She paused, grimacing, “now, bear with me on this, because you’re not going to like what I have to say next. What the orders say specifically is that we are to run patrols along the coastline until the Griffon conflict blows over, looking for any Equestrian vessels launching to assist the Griffons. It’s likely some civilians will get involved once they find out the military is leaving the Kingdom be, so we’ll have to stop them.”

“What?” Nimbus whispered, “ma’am, that’s a bit-”

“Sounds good to me,” a new, familiar voice sounded from behind. Nimbus twisted around on the couch to get a good look at who spoke, then snapped his head back around again. It was Storm Runner.

“Lieutenant Storm Runner,” Cloudsplitter said, beckoning him in, “please, take a seat.”

“Thank you, ma’am, but I’ll stand.”

There was a cold edge to Storm’s voice that hadn’t been there a year ago. Nimbus had noticed it develop little by little after the two had grown apart. It was almost scary to hear how different his old friend sounded now. It was as if he lacked any empathy.

“Of course,” Cloudsplitter said, “anyway, there won’t be anything going on for us later today, so you have the night off. That said, I’d suggest you run the patrol routes that have been planned out for us, for familiarization. Storm Runner-” she looked up at the blue Pegasus, “-since Cyclone Sprint was transferred, you’ll be working with me. I plan on launching in about three hours to go over the routes. You’re welcome to join me.”

“Of course, ma’am,” Storm Runner said, “and if we see any ships headed for the Kingdom, what then? Are we free to engage?”

Cloudsplitter cocked an eyebrow. “Er… I’m not entirely sure what you mean by ‘engage,’ but we are most certainly free to inform them of the Princesses’ policy. As I’m sure you understand, we do not open fire on our own civilians.”

“Right,” Storm Runner replied, “though I hardly believe their loyalties will be too difficult to figure out if we find any helping the Griffons.”

“That will be all, Lieutenant,” Cloudsplitter said in a hushed tone that conveyed an undercurrent of stern power. “I’ll wait for you in three hours out at the airstrip. Sounds like you’ll be there.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, ma’am,” Storm said, nodding. Before he left, he turned to Nimbus and looked him over.

“Ah, you’re here,” he said gruffly before turning sharply on his hooves and exiting the rec room. Cloudsplitter rubbed her forehead with her hooves.

“It’s hard to see one of our own in such a state. He’s so eager to fight- Commander Hurricane would have probably loved to have dozens of warriors like him. I just feel like he’s lost heart since he came to us.”

By now it was no secret to the others why Storm Runner had suddenly broken off his friendship with Nimbus. The Aviators had sworn never to tell anypony else about Nimbus’s deceit, and what really happened on the night of the Summer Sun Celebration over two years ago, when the fanatical Sun Blaze turned on Celestia. Coming clean with everypony else had done a great deal of good to Nimbus. Storm Runner, on the other hoof, was still sinking into pessimism and quiet rage.

“Maybe flying with you will do him some good,” Starburst pointed out to Cloudsplitter.

“Perhaps. I certainly hope so,” she replied, “truth be told- I just wish he was a bit less eager about our task. I’m not looking forward to having to stop civilians taking relief efforts into their own hooves, but orders are orders. We have a job to do, and the higher-ups expect us to do it.”

“The potential for disaster is just too great, though,” Starburst stated, “ma’am, the last thing we need right now is a war.”

“I know,” Cloudsplitter sighed, “but that’s not going to help me sleep easier at night.” She looked between the two Pegasi left in the rec room with her. “Captain, Lieutenant, you two are dismissed. Keep posted- I might try to get the squad together for dinner tonight, maybe someplace fancy. Get your dress blues ready to go just in case.”

“Roger that, ma’am,” Nimbus said as Cloudsplitter stood up.

“I’ll see you two later,” she called out as she left the room. Nimbus turned to Starburst.

“Sir, did you want to run through the patrol routes?” Nimbus asked, getting up from the couch.

“Well, perhaps… yes, I suppose we could do that. I’ll tell you what- meet me out at the airstrip in, say, twenty minutes? That should give you some time to suit up. Make sure all your gear’s good to go, too. I’ll probably take us by the live-fire range on the way back if I can get it approved.”

Nimbus smiled a bit. Unprofessional, yes, but the chance of going to the live fire range was always welcome. Sure, it was just a bunch of stationary targets, but when the targets didn’t move or shoot back, one could afford to get a bit fancy with them.

“That sounds good to me, sir,” Nimbus said, already going over his equipment checks in his mind, “I’ll see you at the strip.”

“Good,” said Starburst, “then let’s get this show on the road.”

…

Exactly seventeen minutes later, Nimbus was fully geared up in his flight suit and helmet, striding towards the end of the runway. A flight of ponies passed by him on his way, chatting excitedly as they removed their helmets and prepared to call it a day, and Nimbus grinned. Taking in the blue sky above, he was more than ready for a romp through the clouds, regardless of the reason.

He could see Starburst waiting for him, helmet already on. The Pegasus was locking his breathing mask. As he drew closer, Nimbus did the same, and instantly his nose was assaulted by the odd yet strangely comforting smell of rubber as the recirculating mask covered his face. Next, he lowered his visor and powered up his HUD. Green lines and figures flickered into existence in front of his eyes, and as soon as he was sure everything was good to go, Nimbus dialed in the standard Aviator frequency.

“All electronics check out,” he radioed to Starburst, “Can you hear me?”

“Loud and clear,” Starburst said, “can you hear me?”

“Loud and clear,” Nimbus confirmed.

“Excellent. Our callsign for this flight is ‘Squall,’ so I’ll take Squall One and you’ll be taking Squall Two.”

“Roger,” Nimbus said, positioning himself next to Starburst and pointing his nose down the runway.

“Manehattan Tower, this is Squall One, ready for takeoff runway two-six.”

A moment later, the ponies got their reply. “Squall One and Two, you are cleared for takeoff runway two-six. Be advised, current winds are at two niner zero, one five knots.”

“Two niner zero, one five knots,” Starburst repeated for good measure, “roger, tower. Thanks.” He turned to Nimbus with a nod. “Let’s go.”

Nimbus spread his wings and took off at a full gallop, accelerating down the runway right next to Starburst. As speed built up, he felt his weight support transition evenly across his body as his wings began to generate lift, and with two flaps, he was clear of the runway and climbing into the midday sky at a nice, smooth ascent, making sure to dip his wings into the oncoming crosswind to maintain the runway centerline.

“Squall, climb and maintain one thousand five hundred feet and standby.”

“One thousand five hundred and standby,” Starburst repeated. The flight lead was just ahead and to the right of Nimbus’s wingtip, maintaining perfect formation as the ponies leveled off at their designated altitude.

“Squall, we have you on madar. Altitude restrictions waived for patrol, have a good flight.”

The ponies banked away from the base, heading for the Manehattan shoreline. Once there, they were to head up the coast towards the harbor, then move out to sea, basically zigzagging along the coast for as long as necessary. A boring pattern, to be sure, but at least it was scenic.

“Alright, so I got the briefing from the Colonel on how to track any target ships,” Starburst said, “basically, any vessels not heading to the Griffon Kingdom will be assigned an IFF code and given a transponder. Any ship not squawking will be considered a vessel of interest, and it’ll be our duty to stop it.”

“Roger that,” Nimbus said, doing his best to stay level with Starburst. as they descended to just above wave height, He double-checked his IFF, to ensure it was functioning properly, then turned his attention back to his instruments.

“Two vessels ahead.”

“Acknowledged,” Starburst said, “they’re squawking the right code; looks like they’re good to go.”

A few moments later, two small cruisers faded into view, sitting low in the waterline and cutting sleek lines through the ocean. The Pegasi pulled up and dipped their wings as they passed over the boats’ decks, receiving a few waves from below.

“That’s all there is to it, I guess,” Nimbus said, looking back as the boats continued on their way.

“Yep,” Starburst responded, “though I doubt you can expect a perfect run in the next few days. There are too many ponies out there willing to put the country at risk to help some rebels.”

“Sir, with all due respect,” Nimbus said, flying a little closer to his wingpony and tightening the formation up, “wouldn’t you if you were in their position? I hate to admit it, but we can’t exactly look like heroes in the public eye right now, enforcing travel like this. To be honest, if I was a civilian, I’d probably go for it.”

Under his visor, Starburst raised an eyebrow. “That’s probably not something you want to tell your flight lead, Nimbus, especially when I believe that what we’re doing here is completely justified. I don’t want to see the Griffons’ cause die either, but the facts are there- all day you’ve been hearing that an attack on Equestria now is the last thing we need. We can’t let our own citizens jeapordize that. Do you copy?”

“Affirmative, I copy,” Nimbus sighed, banking back around towards Manehattan Bay as the ponies began their return to base.

“Good,” Starburst nodded, getting on comms with the Manehattan tower again.

“Tower, Squall One with request.”

A moment later, he got a response.

“This is Tower, Squall One, say request.”

“Squall requests permission to stop by the live fire range on the way back if at all possible, also requesting any information about any sorties in that area.”

Despite feeling self-conscious for voicing his opinion to his flight lead, Nimbus still waited with baited breath for tower’s response. The firing range would be a chance to forget the shaky start he was getting off to since returning from leave.

“Squall, I show no sorties in range sector two today, you’re cleared to use it. Please contact us once you’re finished…” there was a brief buzz of static before the voice came back, “and Colonel Cloudsplitter requests you try to make it back before 1700. She’d also like to know if dinner at the Gold Room is fine with you two.”

Nimbus had to chuckle a bit, in spite of himself. The controller clearly wasn’t used to relaying anything but orders to the ponies under his jurisdiction, yet once again his commander was doing what she did best- putting him out of his comfort zone. Surprisingly, this method was very effective, and had a tendency to make ponies on the receiving end of such treatment realize how much potential they really had. In this case, of course, she was probably just messing around. If there was one thing Nimbus had learned from Cloudsplitter, it was that once in a while, even the top brass had to have some fun.

“Roger that, tower,” Starburst radioed back, “I think we can make that work.”

“See you soon, then, Squall.”

“Okay, Nimbus,” Starburst said, “follow my lead.” The pony banked a full ninety degrees and Nimbus copied the maneuver. As soon as both ponies were completely sideways, Starburst pulled away, and the two banked inland, descending to the wave tops below. They were low enough now that Nimbus could feel sea spray cooling the underside of his flightsuit, and they actually had to climb to avoid a tall wave. Up ahead, ponies on the beach were going about their business, though some had noticed the approaching Aviators and were pointing, ready for a display. The ponies abliged, and both Starburst and Nimbus executed a sharp, well-synched roll over the beachgoers. Nimbus laughed into his helmet as they leveled out again. No amount of tension could change just how fun flying was.

The live fire range was actually an old farmstead that had long since become barren. Supposedly the former owner was cursed following the results of an air race, and had failed to seek medical attention in time to remove the curse before every plant on his land suddenly died. The perpetrator was, of course, brought to justice, and as it just so happened, Manehattan Air Base had recently been completed and was looking for a location to train its Aviators. They gladly purchased the land from the farmer, who moved to Tall Tale shortly after and was never heard from again. The city had offered to remove the curse on the land, but the Aviators eventually decided that the property should remain untouched. Without any sort of foliage, the grounds made a perfect target range, and it was this large, flat square of dirt just west of the airbase that Nimbus found himself heading towards alongside his wingpony.

“Squall One to Squall Two, maintain entry speed of two eight zero knots, weapons free. Engage targets on the left, I have the right. We’ll clear each other’s backs after our run. Ready?”

“Ready,” Nimbus confirmed, squaring himself up with his side of the field. The targets in question were simple wooden squares, but they’d all been charmed to glow red when hit. His helmet’s targeting systems would then relay details such as his accuracy and number of targets “destroyed” to his visor. Unfortunately, though he and Starburst were practicing for it, there wouldn’t actually be an aerial portion to this session, since they were the only two ponies in the area, but Nimbus pushed this thought aside as he dove, following Starburst as they neared their weapons’ effective range. As soon as the targeting boxes on Nimbus’s visor began to turn red, he let loose, firing his CAL-2 in short bursts at the targets below. Several began glowing red immediately.

In his mind’s eye, Nimbus saw enemies in place of the targets- ground troops, vessels, and artillery. Imagination was one of his strong suits, and it helped to visualize what he was training for, instead of what he was actually doing. He swerved quickly to avoid a target, and shot the gap between two more as he lowered his altitude further, then he checked to his right. Starburst was there, maintaining the pace.

As they neared the end of the field, the Aviators pulled up, each crisscrossing behind the other to check for bandits. They then rolled level, heading back towards the targets for one final sweep. As before, they dove quickly, leveling out early to make maximum use of their altitude for their strafing run. By now, most of the targets had already been hit, and when they passed over again, only a scattered few remained untouched. As they cleared the last couple of targets away, Nimbus saw Starburst shudder and double over in flight, barely recovering in time to keep himself in the air. The pony immediately tightened the formation, heading in to help.

“Captain, are you alright?”

“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine,” Starburst said, panting, “just… hungry. Really hungry.”

“Back to base then?” Nimbus inquired.

“Roger that, Squall Two. Follow heading one seven five until within range to contact approach. You can take the lead on this flight back.”

Nimbus smiled, “thank you, sir.” Through his happy expression, though, he was genuinely concerned. Starburst was not under the influence of hunger pains, that much was certain. There was something much worse going on, and while he wasn’t in a position to pry, he sincerely hoped his flight lead would have the sense to get himself checked out. They’d all have to be on top of their game, both mentally and physically over the next few days. He decided not to press the matter unless it became an issue again. Starburst was a superior officer, and probably knew what he was doing, anyway.

At least I hope he does, Nimbus thought as he banked and rolled out on course back to base. Whatever the case, he was ready to carry out whatever orders the higher-ups deemed necessary over the next week. He only hoped his lead was capable of doing the same.

What Nimbus could not have possibly known, however, was that Starburst was perfectly fine. The Pegasus grimaced behind his mask and visor as the painful spasms died away. Ever since… she had returned, the fits had been getting worse. He knew what he was, and knew also that keeping his disguise up would be difficult within the coming days; the call of the hive was strong, but if his mission was going to succeed, he’d have to rely on it, at least for a little while longer.

As the two Pegasi leveled out on course, Starburst’s eyes glowed with green fire. One day, his wingpony would know the truth, but today was not to be that day.

Contact

The flight of four Griffons skimmed over the smooth wave tops as they crossed over the boundary between the Griffon Kingdom’s western shore and the sea. All four flew in perfect formation, scarcely moving more than a few inches out of position despite the wave foam occasionally covering their visors.

“Hund One to all units, equipment checks okay?” the lead Griffon called out over the radio.

“Hund Two, roger.”

“Three, roger.”

“This is Hund Four, roger.”

The Griffons sounded off in perfect cadence, to the degree that one could be forgiven for assuming they’d rehearsed it. The lead nodded, beginning a slow bank to the northwest- towards Equestria.

“Alright, listen up- we’ve got a long flight ahead of us, but I want you ready to go when we cross the ocean, understand? A Griffon is always alert, and it’s in times like these that we need to be at our sharpest. You all know what we were sent out to do- let’s wrap this up quickly and get back to the Kingdom. May the glory of our race guide us ahead.”

The four Griffons snap-rolled almost inverted, diving towards the ocean before leveling off at even lower altitude. the formation’s members cut small v’s into the ocean with their wingwash, like the claw-marks of some gigantic creature. Equestria was dead ahead; the operation could finally begin.

…

Nimbus shifted uncomfortably in his seat within the 132nd Aviator Squadron’s briefing room. He’d only been up for two hours- Cloudsplitter had sent out an emergency sortie order- and so far he was the only one in the briefing room… again. Being early was nice, but it got awkward at times as well. Fortunately, he was either too hyped up on coffee, or it was too early in the morning to care. Waking up at five a.m. had that effect on some ponies.

“Morning, Lieutenant Nimbus,” Cloudsplitter said, entering the room behind him.

Wonderful, Nimbus thought to himself, as if things couldn’t possibly get more awkward, now it’s just me and the commanding officer in the room. Well, we’ve been through worse, right?

“Good morning, ma’am,” he said aloud.

“Here early again, I see,” Cloudsplitter yawned, setting up the projector in the back of the room, “well I’m sure you won’t have to wait much longer. I saw the others on the way in.”

Nimbus nodded. “Thanks for treating us to dinner last night, ma’am,” he added.

Cloudsplitter looked up from what she was doing, studying the pony for a moment. “Thank you, Lieutenant…” she paused, as if about to say more.

“Something on your mind, ma’am?” Nimbus asked.

Cloudsplitter shook her head and let out a long breath. “No, I don’t think so. It’s just… I’m not really sure, I suppose- I feel like despite how quickly everything’s happening right now, I just feel peaceful. It’s weird. Maybe that’s what going into a sortie with the potential for real conflict is like.”

Nimbus shrugged, “I suppose it’s possible. Are things really looking that eventful for our sortie?”

“Possibly. You’ll know what we’re up to as soon as the others come in.”

“Roger.” Nimbus tapped his hoof on his seat rest, wondering what was taking the others so long. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy his commander’s company- it was just that something about her right now was almost scary. She was eerily calm, which almost certainly meant there was something she wasn’t telling him yet. Then of course there was her statement over dinner last night. He remembered it well.

“You guys are great, you really are. I know we’re a small squadron and all, but I think we can really make a difference over the next few days. Maybe things will get dangerous, maybe… maybe we won’t even all be sitting around the same table in a few months. I honestly don’t know. But I want you all to know that whatever happens to us, the Windigo name will live on.”

It was an odd and uncharacteristically dark thing for Cloudsplitter to say, especially in the middle of dinner, but the Pegasus ended up just laughing her speech off and changing subjects. To the others, the trick seemed to work, but Nimbus was still genuinely concerned. She was clearly uneasy, and it spooked him.

His speculation was cut short by the arrival of Storm Runner and Starburst. The Pegasi said their customary greetings, saluted, and took their seats.

“Storm, can you grab the lights?” Cloudsplitter called out. Storm Runner stood and flicked off the light switch, and Cloudsplitter powered up the projector. On the wall was a diagram of the Manehattan coastline, projected over a whiteboard.

“First things first,” Cloudsplitter began, “I’m glad you all were able to make it here on such short notice. I realize this is the first emergency sortie we’ve dealt with, but so far you have all handled it like the professionals I know you are. That said, I expect nothing less throughout the rest of this operation.” Clousplitter drew a cluster of teardrop shapes near the northern corner of the coastline.

“This morning, madar picked up a small fleet of civilian boats heading in the direction of the Griffon Kingdom. They managed to slip out past a patrol, and are now barely outside our patrol area, if our speed and directional calculations check out. We’ve been unable to confirm whether or not they’re squawking IFF, but for now we have to assume that due to the circumstances of their departure, they’re not. Our orders are to stop them…” she paused, “and to stop them, and I quote, ‘in any way necessary.’ We’ll be gearing up as soon as we’re done here, departure time is 0815. I want you on your best game up there, and no matter what happens, stick with your wingpony. We’ll get through this. Roge?”

“Roger,” Nimbus said with the rest of his squadmates, answering his commander’s slang use of the word.

“Good, dismissed. Meet me at the airstrip in five.”

Nimbus stood, already heading for the door, but stopped when he felt Cloudsplitter’s hoof on his shoulder. When he turned to face her, the mare looked almost sad, looking him over with her discerning, teacher’s eyes.

“You always were one of my best,” she said, smiling, “take us home safely, okay Nimbus?”

“Er… yes, ma’am,” Nimbus nodded, slightly put off again by the unexpected statement.

“Good,” Cloudsplitter called back as she left the room, “then get your flank on my runway now, or I’ll have you running mail delivery to Canterlot in place of the Phoenixes!”

Nimbus grinned, anxiety draining away. That was the Cloudsplitter he remembered. Time to go kick flank in the name of Equestria. Or, in this case, hopefully avoid doing so.

…

Within five minutes, the Pegasi were all assembled on the runway in a staggered “V” formation. Cloudsplitter was on point with Nimbus on her left. On her right side was Starburst, and behind him and to the right was Storm Runner. All were fresh, and ready to begin their first sortie in what had felt like ages.

“Tower, this is Windigo One, ready for formation takeoff runway zero eight,” Cloudsplitter called. The mention of the Windigo name sent shivers down Nimbus’s spine. This wasn’t some training exercise. For the first time in a long while, this was real.

“Windigo, cleared for takeoff, runway zero eight, formation takeoff approved. Be advised winds are out of the northeast, heading zero one zero at one one knots.”

“Cleared for takeoff two six, formation approved. Roger.”

Cloudsplitter looked back at the rest of the squad, and gave a brief nod.

“Right, let’s do this Windigo!”

As if on cue, the ponies started galloping forward, slowly at first, but gradually accelerating until they were all at a full sprint. Then, together, they spread their wings, letting the natural forces of aerodynamics take control. Within seconds, they were clear of the runway, holding low level as they built their speed up in ground effect. On Cloudsplitter’s cue, a simple wing twitch, they pulled up into a climb, accelerating away from the tarmac below.

“Madar contact, Windigo,” the tower called back, “altitude for this mission is your discretion, but keep it below one thousand feet to avoid being caught on the ships’ madar. Contacts’ last known heading was approximately zero five three degrees from this location at two two miles, traveling at three zero knots. Recommend you adopt an intercept heading of zero six zero to intercept.”

“Roger,” Cloudsplitter called back, “adopting zero six zero.”

“Windigo, you may begin your sortie. Cleared to enage and halt your target ships. May Celestia’s light guide you and Luna’s darkness shield you.”

“Okay, Windigo,” Cloudpslitter called, “descend now and maintain formation at five zero feet. No need to get too fancy here.”

Nimbus had to laugh a bit as he followed his squadron into a shallow dive. Fifty feet was actually quite low for most other squadrons, but since last year, Windigo had been practicing terrain masking. Fifty feet was nothing when you were used to flying low enough to touch the grass if you wanted to. Getting fancy, as Cloudsplitter had implied, would be getting low enough to arrive at the target area soaked.

Even though he was used to long distance flights, Nimbus knew he’d be feeling this one the next day. While Pegasi could generally hold flight almost indefinitely, Aviators were expected to far exceed the standards of the average civilian. Therefore, a standard flight for Nimbus often bordered on mach one speeds, speeds that most ponies rarely saw even once in their lives outside of racing. Such flights were not in the least bit easy, and as they cruised at just subsonic speeds above the water, Nimbus could tell this wasn’t going to be easy either. Ignoring his feelings, Nimbus checked his madar display. Ahead was a large cluster of blips so close together, they looked like one big signature.

“Madar contact,” Cloudsplitter said, beating him to it, “one zero miles ahead, right on our noses, let’s try to get a visual.”

Nimbus shifted his eyes away from his instruments, scanning the clear, blue waters of the Griffon Sea for movement. With zero restrictions to surface visibility, as well as a clear sky, spotting the ships this far out wouldn’t be hard at all.

“Let’s see,” he mumbled to himself, “dead ahead…” he closed his search parameters a bit, concentrating on the water directly in front of the ponies.

“Got a visual,” Starburst radioed, “I can confirm at least four vessels, non-military. I think these are our targets.”

“Roger,” Cloudsplitter replied, “descend and switch on external audio. We’ll start with a flyby warning.”

Nimbus grinned a bit in spite of himself. The external audio function on the Aviators’ helmets was relatively new, and had been installed when the Aviators were still helping the city with criminal apprehensions. Essentially, the system acted like a big megaphone, and few things were cooler than using the “big voice” to tell somepony else to freeze where they were.

“There are five ships, and four of us,” Cloudsplitter went on, “split up and spread the word. Hopefully they’ll listen and we can put a quick stop to this. If not, I’ll radio you with more options. I’ll take center. Nimbus- far left, Starburst and Storm Runner, take the right. Ready? Break!”

The four Pegasi split apart like an exploding firework, each zooming towards their own targets. Nimbus’s target was an old paddleboat churning slowly through the water and looking for all the world like an enormous water beetle from where he was. Hearing the others’ speakers, Nimbus set to work, slowing down and entering a bank turn above the deck.

“Civilian vessel,” he called down, “by royal decree, you are ordered to halt and turn back immediately under penalty of treason! Please comply!”

The sheer amount of glares he was receiving from the deck was enough to make the hair on his mane stand on end under his suit. He was honestly glad none of them were armed; if they were, he wasn’t sure he could hold out for long. Finally, a middle-aged Earth Pony trotted out onto the deck and waved his hoof.

“Yes, I can see you,” Nimbus said, “are you the captain?”

The pony continued to motion with his hoof, and with a start, Nimbus realized he was being told to come down.

“Sir,” he repeated, “I have to ask you to turn around now! You’re in a restricted area!”

The pony didn’t stop. Instead, his gestures just became more exaggerated. Nimbus frowned and let out a long sigh. He’d probably never hear the end of this back at base. Giving in, he descended, lining up with the deck. As soon as the threshold passed beneath him, he flared his wings, coming in for a smooth landing in front of the captain. The pony raised an eyebrow quizzically as he slid his visor up and removed his mask.

“Sir,” Nimbus began again, “for the last time, I-”

“I am not turning this boat around, son,” the pony said in a dry, cracked, and tired voice, “I can’t stand and watch while our only chance for peace fades away.”

A few boats over, Starburst shot a glance over to Nimbus as his own boat began pulling back towards shore. Great, the Pegasus was trying to talk things over. Just wonderful. He respected Nimbus’s heart, but it wasn’t hard to see that sometimes the Lieutenant let it get in the way of things, like this mission. Letting him work things out for himself was probably the best course of action, but Starburst was tired. It was time to wrap things up and go home. Deciding on his course of action, he dipped his wings and descended to Nimbus’s boat, landing behind the orange Pegasus.

“-and if you don’t do that, the Griffons could declare war on us!”

“So?” the captain scoffed, “we’ve had war with them before, and we won. We can’t just abandon them!”

“Nimbus, what is going on here?” Starburst said, raising his visor. Nimbus jumped, startled.

“They won’t move, sir. I’m trying, but they’re too insistent!”

“I’ll take it from here.” Starburst moved forward until he was only a few inches away from the captain’s face. “Let me make something clear to you, sir. I am one of four Aviators tasked with stopping your little fleet in any way we can. If that means we have to sink you, then I for one will not hesitate to do so. Do I make myself clear?”

The captain glared at him, defiant as ever. Starburst was about to up the intensity to get his point across, when something caught his eye. One of the crewmates- something wasn’t right. The pony was trembling ever so slightly. He looked at the pony, and the pony looked away. Feigning directing his attention back to the captain, Starburst checked his peripherals. There it was again! The crewmember’s eyes flashed green in the instant it had taken him to look away.

Not now, he thought, he’s going to blow my cover! Sure enough, the pony was now looking towards him with a marked interest. Starburst had to do something, and fast. He checked his CAL-2 charge level: empty.

“Dammit,” he hissed under his breath. Turning to Nimbus, he spoke.

“Lieutenant, send it to the bottom. This crew cannot leave these waters.”

“Sir,” Nimbus stammered, backing up, “what? But… but why?”

Starburst glared at the crew. Killing them would be killing kin, but it would be necessary. “I have reason to believe that this crew bears hostile intentions towards us.”

“What?” the captain growled, “you can’t be serious! Starburst, don’t you-” he stopped, eyes wide, and shut his mouth immediately. Nimbus cocked an eyebrow in surprise at his flight lead.

“Captain? You know these ponies?”

“No,” Starburst spread his wings, “no, I don’t. Comply with my orders and send this ship to the depths!”

Nimbus didn’t know what to do; he was conflicted. He had his orders, but as far as he was concerned, he was facing innocents here. With a groan, Starburst took to the sky, leaping clear of the deck. Without much of a choice left, Nimbus dove off after him, following the captain in a climbing turn as they circled around for a strafing run.

“Windigo Two, we confirm one hostile ship!” Starburst called as he angled himself with the ship’s hull.

“Roger, Windigo One copies,” Cloudsplitter replied. In the distance, Nimbus could see her breaking away from her own target, cutting white vortices through the sky. “Tally ho on the paddleboat.”

Below, the ponies on deck had all vanished into the crew’s quarters, and the vessel was churning up a thick foam of sea water as it chugged away, trying to outrun the Aviators in a futile attempt to flee. Nimbus and Starburst dove down, leveling out above the waves as they hammered the sides of the ship with their CAL-2s. While the weapons were highly effective against soft targets, they were making only a few dents in the side of the watercraft. It’d be a few passes before they could send it to the bottom.

“Again!” Cloudsplitter called, circling around. By now, Storm Runner was in the thick of the fighting as well, diving on the ship from above. Crackling bluish-white bolts fell all over the ship like hail, but still it held fast.

“Windigo, abort your mission, we have an emergency update for you!”

Nimbus stopped mid-strafe, pulling up and away from the ship, a bit relieved despite the fact that they were now on an emergency call. Every pass he made at the ship below made him feel sicker and sicker. This was not how Aviators were supposed to fight.

“Manehattan Tower, this is Windigo One, go ahead,” Cloudsplitter radioed back. The four ponies regrouped, silently awaiting their new orders.

“Windigo, we’ve detected a flight of four Griffons inbound from the east at low level and high speed. Request you intercept them before they make landfall.”

Well, at least we’re not shooting at civilians, Nimbus thought. Interception missions were fun, anyway, and it gave the squad time to practice large-scale formation flying. He eagerly awaited Cloudsplitter’s response.

“Roger, tower. We are inbound, requesting intercept vector. Be advised, we let one ship go, probably headed for the Kingdom now.”

“Nothing we can do about that,” tower replied, “fly heading one seven five, that should put you on an intercept course.”

“Roger, moving to intercept. Let’s go, Windigo.”

Cloudsplitter snap-rolled to the left, waiting for the rest of the squad to catch up. When they did, the four Pegasi turned towards the southeast in unison, waiting with anticipation to meet the Griffons who had dared violate Equestrian airspace.

…

The Griffons in question weren’t far away. In fact, they could already see the Equestrian mainland from where they were.

“Hund, ascend and reduce speed by one zero knots.”

The flight lead wasn’t entirely sure why their orders were specifically meant for this particular Aviator squadron. Their talents could be used elsewhere, he knew that, but at the same time, neither he or his comrades were in a position to question orders. If this was what had to happen in the grand scheme of things, then so be it.

“I have madar contact three o’ clock,” the Griffon on the right called.

“Excellent. Maintain current course and speed until intercepted. Scan and switch to the interceptors’ channel. Await my orders afterwards.”

The squad responded with “roger”s in unison, and the lead nodded. They were a good squadron, closely-knit, and that would prove helpful in the coming minutes. Surviving was not a priority, but part of him held hope that survival was possible. He shook the thought from his mind. There was a mission to accomplish, and he was just as much a part of that as anyone else. As the ponies came into view, he cleared his mind. Time to get ready.

…

“Target in sight,” Storm Runner called, “ten o’ clock off my nose. See them?”

“Roger, I see them,” Cloudsplitter called. Nimbus swept his eyes over the region to his front and left. Sure enough, for black dots were slowly taking shape as a flight of Griffons. Their intercept course had been perfect.

“Okay Windigo, switch to intercept frequency,” Cloudsplitter ordered, “this is it. Follow my lead, we’ll form up directly behind them.”

The Pegasi banked and dove, and Nimbus did his best to maintain his position within the formation. Rollout was swift, and happened as soon as they reached the Griffons’ altitude. They fell in behind the intruders without any problems.

“Switching to intercept freq now,” Cloudsplitter said, “attention, unidentified Griffon squadron- Equestrian coastline is currently closed to presence flights during this time of crisis. We respectfully request that you alter your course and head back to the Kingdom. Failure to comply will result in more drastic measures being taken.”

Nimbus studied the Griffons for a while. Unlike the ponies, their flight armor looked much more traditional- shiny in some places, and almost ornate. Their visors were thinner as well, and looked much more menacing. Nimbus shivered. He was thankful the Griffons were at war with themselves right now; tangling with one wasn’t high on his to-do list. There was a crackle over the radio before the lead spoke, voice heavy with a Griffon accent.

“Windigo… I can’t help but admit I’m somewhat underwhelmed. Such a ferocious creature of legend, yet you four look like you could hardly handle yourselves against one Griffon.”

“Did you come across the sea solely to insult us?” Cloudsplitter called back, “because if that’s the case, I’m not sure your superiors will be too happy to hear about the fact that you dared toe the fragile line between us.”

“No, that’s not why we’re here…” the voice trailed off. Nimbus waited for him to continue, but before the Griffon could speak again, his HUD began to flash red and his heart leaped into his throat.

“Madar targeting!” he gasped, “they’ve switched on targeting systems!”

“Griffon flight,” Cloudsplitter radioed, “you’ve engaged targeting madar. This is a hostile act and will be-”

“Hund squadron, cleared to engage. Make our country proud.”

“What?” Nimbus breathed as the Griffons broke formation. He had to dive to avoid one that had pulled up in a sharp immelpony maneuver. He prepared to switch on his own targeting systems when he remembered that until cleared to engage, he was helpless. He rolled to the right to avoid Cloudsplitter as she dove past him, trying to shake a pursuer of her own while radioing the base.

“Windigo One to Manehattan tower- we are currently being engaged by hostile air units! Request immediate clearance to engage! Repeat- request clearance to engage!”

The Griffon was back on his tail now, and Nimbus pulled up sharply, rolling at the same time. It was enough to buy him a bit of time as the Griffon corrected himself, but without the option to shoot back, he and his squadmates were sitting ducks up here above the ocean. A flurry of charged air rounds flew past his visor, and Nimbus bit his tongue in surprise. Ignoring the pain, he pulled a hard right turn, rolling out above the ocean. His pursuer was thoroughly shaken, but he’d be back soon.

“Windigo, Manehattan tower. You’re sure the Griffons are hostile?”

“Dammit, tower, there is an air battle going on up here!” Cloudsplitter roared, “give us clearance to engage now, or we’re dead!”

Finally seeing the gravity of the situation, tower wasted no time with a response.

“Roger, Windigo. Cleared to engage!”

Sighing in relief, Nimbus switched his targeting systems on, highlighting the Griffons in green boxes. He pulled back up into the fight, and not a moment too soon, as it seemed. One of the Hund Griffons dove on his position, barely missing the Pegasus as he soared upwards. The Griffon was unable to pull up in time, and plowed headfirst through a wave, emerging airborne, but shaken. Nimbus took his chance, twisting around and landing several fatally-charged shots across his pursuer’s back. The Griffon dropped into the ocean below with a splash that threw water several feet into the air. Easy. Almost a little too easy.

Nimbus looked up just in time to see another Griffon bearing down on him, pursued by Starburst. He rolled to the side as crackling charges brushed past the outer layer of his flightsuit and turned to engage. This one was throwing some interesting tricks into the mix, leading Starburst into a slow rolling scissors trap.

“Two, I’ve got your back!” Nimbus called to Starburst as the Griffon pulled away, out-accelerating him.

“Roger, Three. I’ll lure him in to you.”

Starburst made a long, slow turn, attracting the attention of his quarry. The Griffon burned through the air, coming in fast, and Nimbus took his opportunity, pulling in just to the side of the enemy on an intercept angle.

“Go, Three! Fire!” Starburst called out. Nimbus took a deep breath and fired a few rounds directly into the Griffon’s flight path. The aggressor connected, and immediately locked up, also dropping down into the ocean below.

“Thanks for the assist,” Starburst breathed, “moving to next target.”

Shifting his focus back upwards, Nimbus caught site of the other two Griffons, each in fierce combat with Cloudsplitter and Storm Runner. Storm was trying his best to evade, but the one on his tail was too fast, matching his every maneuver with ease. Nimbus pumped his wings, gaining altitude rapidly as he climbed towards his friend.

“Turn hard, Four, he’s on you!” Nimbus called out. Storm Runner attempted a hard turn, but one round caught his wing, and he stumbled. Just as she began to gain the advantage on her own target, Cloudsplitter saw this, and broke away.

“I’ve got your tail, Storm!” she called out, breaking the ‘no names’ radio protocol out of panic. Storm Runner was in danger, and with his stumble, he only had seconds before his pursuer found a new firing angle. To save her wingpony, Cloudsplitter had given up on her own kill. It was a mistake she’d soon regret.

“One, watch your back!” Starburst yelled out, streaking ahead of Nimbus. With a start, the Pegasus realized why his wingpony was in such a hurry. The Griffon Cloudsplitter had been chasing had turned around, and was now zeroing in on the flight lead, “break, One! Break!”

“Negative,” Cloudsplitter said, pulling into a dive behind the Griffon and firing, “almost there…” she altered her angle, and a few hit the Griffon’s wing, sending him into an uncontrolled spin. “Gotcha! Splash one! Storm, get out of uff-!”

“One! Windigo One, please respond!” Starburst called. Nimbus was petrified with shock and rage as the moment passed, as if in slow motion. As Cloudsplitter fired her last few shots, several rounds from the Griffon behind her impacted her squarely in the side. The force of the impact sent her tumbling head over hooves through the air, and Storm Runner immediately altered his course to follow her. Starburst, enraged, peppered the Griffon with rounds, and Nimbus swerved to avoid him as he fell.

“Mission- ngh- accomplished…” the Griffon sighed as he plummeted. Nimbus watched as he disappeared through a cloud below. The only indication that he was down for good was a faint splash below. The problem was dealt with.

“I’ve lost comms with Windigo One!” Storm Runner said, flying alongside Cloudsplitter as the mare struggled to regain control, “can anyone contact her?”

“Windigo One, do you read? Cloudsplitter, answer me please!” It was Starburst calling this time, voice tinged with worry. This frightened Nimbus- his wingpony hadn’t sounded this bent out of shape since the revelation that Site Echo existed over a year ago. As he and the others formed up around Cloudsplitter, the flight lead finally recovered, holding level, albeit shaky flight.

“I still have comms,” she gasped, “oh dear Celestia this hurts.”

Now that she was flying normally again, Nimbus could see what had actually happened, and it didn’t look good. One of the rounds had hit with enough force to tear through her flightsuit, and had actually broken the skin. The fabric obscured the worst of the wound, but bright red blood flowed from it, some trailing out and falling away into the sky.

“Bring it in close, Windigo,” Starburst said, “come on, Cloudsplitter, let’s get you home.”

“Heh…” Cloudsplitter coughed, “look at you, taking charge. I ain’t dead just yet, Starburst. Tower, this- this is Windigo One speaking. All hostile units c- confirmed down.”

“Roger… do you need assistance, Windigo?” The tower pony’s voice was tense, and Nimbus could tell he was doing his best to keep his composure despite what he could already infer from Cloudsplitter’s cracked, weak voice.

“Tower, we need priority landing and an EMT team immediately,” Starburst radioed, “Colonel Cloudsplitter has been hit.”

The radio was deathly quiet for a moment before tower came back.

“EMT is on standby and you have priority clearance. Come back safely.”

The silence as the four ponies flew on was broken only by the sharp, rattling breaths of Cloudsplitter as she struggled to stay aloft. The others were doing their best to stay in formation with her, though Starburst was now closer to her side than normal.

“Colonel, you’re going to be fine. You’re stronger than any of us wimps, right?” Starburst turned to Storm Runner, perhaps the most silent out of the group, “Storm, how far are we from the airfield?”

Storm Runner scanned his instruments quickly, making a few brief calculations. “two six miles to destination. At present speed, we’ll be there in one zero minutes.”

Starburst turned towards the squadron commander with a smile. “You hear that, ma’am? Only ten minutes to go. You’ve got this!”

“I- ergh- I don- don’t know,” Cloudsplitter groaned, “it h- it hurts. I…” her voice faded away as the shoreline came into view ahead. Slowly, she looked around at her squadron, at all the fine ponies she’d trained and developed into the leaders they were now. Though pain racked her body, she felt strangely at peace. Her journey was almost complete. Theirs was only beginning.

“Windigo,” she said, summoning every ounce of strength to speak with just a bit more clarity than before, “those Griffons were wrong about us. Things… will get difficult for you soon, I’m s- sure of it. You stick together, remind them why we bear the Windigo name. And if this comes to war, you promise me… make- make them fear us.”

“That doesn’t have to happen,” Nimbus spoke up, watching anxiously as the shore grew closer, “we’ll get you patched up on the ground. We’ll all be in this together!”

“Hah, Nimbus… you have no idea how much I want that to be true. I’d love to stick around for a while longer, but…” her head drooped for a moment, and Starburst moved in closer. “Ponies…” she breathed, panting lightly, “I’m p- proud of you. I’m proud of you all…”

The runway was in sight now, dead ahead. Below, the coastline was rapidly approaching. They were about to make landfall, just a little farther…

“It’s been fun,” Cloudsplitter whispered, “Windigo One… out.”

Before Starburst could do anything, Cloudsplitter’s eyes closed, and her wing suddenly gave out one final time. She entered a steep spiral, and the rest of Windigo squadron plunged down after her, but by the time they finally caught up, they had no choice. The water was too close; maintaining the dive any longer would render pulling up futile. Their options exhausted, the ponies pulled up as their leader slipped beneath the surface of the waves. They could still see the outline of her body for a moment, but as soon as the next wave crashed over her, she was lost to the sea. It had all happened so fast, ,nopony knew what to do.

“Windigo,” tower called, “status report! I only read three madar signatures!”

The ponies formed back up, minus one Aviator. Nimbus heard a sharp intake of breath from Starburst and realized the pony was trying his best to hold back his emotions.

“Colonel Cloudsplitter is dead,” he said, voice rattled with grief, “about two miles offshore. We… we tried to bring her back, but…”

There was a long sigh on the other end. “Windigo, your mission is accomplished. You did all you could. I’ll scramble a retrieval team, and we’ll find the Colonel. For now, come back to base. You still have that priority clearance, and if you want to take the rest of the day off… I can’t say I blame you.”

Starburst looked behind him at the two ponies he was now responsible for. Both immediately shook their heads, for while they grieved, each also burned with rage at the death of their leader. “We’re not taking the day off,” Starburst radioed back, “that said, we’re not landing yet either. Can you give us clearance for a low approach?”

“Roger, low approach approved.”

Starburst looked back again at his wingponies. “Stay in formation a little while longer. You know what to do.”

“Paying our respects, sir?” Storm Runner asked.

“Affirmative.”

The ponies moved just left of the approach end of the runway, and descended to around two hundred feet off the deck, keeping their speed average. Outside, some ponies had already gathered on the tarmac after hearing the news, and the EMT team was still present. Starburst, Nimbus, and Storm Runner flew over them in a perfect delta formation, but as soon as they crossed over the center of the airfield, Starburst pulled up and out of formation, climbing into the sky. Below, the ponies watching averted their eyes and saluted. It was a missing pony formation, and watching the departing Aviator was considered disrespectful to the dead.

Before long, Starburst was back, catching up with Nimbus and Storm in the landing pattern. Together, in silence, what remained of Windigo squadron touched down on the field. They’d won today, but they were not met with thunderous applause. Instead, the field was silent. A pony had been lost in combat today, and to make matters worse, hostilities had increased between Equestria and the Griffons. Cloudsplitter was the first, but everypony knew she wouldn’t be the last. Why the Griffons had chosen to attack without warning or motivation, nopony knew. What they did know, however, was that this time, there would be retribution.

And it would be as swift as lightning.

Moonrise

Word traveled quickly about what happened over the Griffon Sea. By the time Windigo squadron had debriefed, the information had reached Equestria’s highest generals. The Griffons had attacked without provocation. Something had to be done.

Princess Celestia leaned her head back against the throne, letting out a long sigh. Twilight Sparkle had nearly destroyed Ponyville today, and while she’d learned a lesson in the process, undoing the damage done, especially with the Smarty Pants doll she’d charmed, had been tedious to say the least. Celestia loved her student’s eagerness to learn, but sometimes that eagerness was more than capable of getting the best of her. Ruling a country and being a mentor at the same time wasn’t easy.

She raised her head, looking up at the great clock on the wall. Luna’s duties were to begin in ten minutes. Ten more minutes, and she was free.

Or at least she should have been free. Truthfully, Celestia preferred running royal tasks all day. They kept her distracted from the inner demons that came out at night, when she had nothing to do but think, and tonight especially, she knew a big one would keep her up for a while. Her decision to cut off travel to the Griffon Kingdom was not only controversial- in her eyes, it was wrong. Luna had seen it, too, and while her sister was slowly adjusting to the decision, Celestia knew she would never be fully comfortable with it.

A flash of scarlet alerted Celestia to the presence of her pet phoenix, Philomena. The majestic bird glided down from above, coming to perch lightly on the side of her throne. Celestia stroked the bird’s head affectionately.

“And what have we here?” she said, levitating a scroll the phoenix had been carrying into reading position. As she pored over the scroll’s contents, her heart beat faster, and her eyes grew wider. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. Policy was here for a reason, and yet… somehow she’d known this day would come.

The creak of the throne room door signalled Luna’s approach, but Celestia barely looked up from the scroll.

“Sister?” Luna called from the other end of the throne room, “we are ready to assume royal duties if thou art ready to relinquish thine for the night.”

“After taking delivery of this scroll, I’m not sure I can,” Celestia said, levitating the scroll over to Luna. “the Griffons attacked a squadron of Aviators this morning without provocation. I received the report moments ago.”

Luna’s eyes moved left and right as she, too, read through the report. “No…” she whispered. “But sister, why? Why would they do such a thing?”

“I do not know,” Celestia answered, leaving her throne. Philomena took off, heading back to her perch for the night. “But Luna- what I do know is that if it weren’t for my decision to follow…” she trembled, and bent her head down. When she looked back up at Luna, a solitary tear trailed down her cheek, “to follow this damned policy, we would not have lost that Aviator today!” In her anger, Celestia put her hoof down hard, inadvertently firing a bolt of magic into the ceiling above. The hole quickly sealed itself.

Luna stepped forward to comfort her sister, putting a hoof around her neck as Celestia bent over again.

“Sister, do not trouble yourself. None of us knew this would come.”

“You knew it would,” Celestia pressed, “and I ignored you. I completely ignored you, just like-” she stopped, but Luna knew what she was about to say.

“Celestia,” she said softly, “dost thou still blame thyself for that? The fault was entirely mine, and besides- that was over a thousand years ago. Perhaps thou did not listen to what I had to say, but we knew thou understood us. If we had gone to war, the blood of hundreds more might have already been spilled.”

“But because I acted foolishly, the blood of one is certainly on my hooves,” Celestia countered, “and I can’t just let that go.” Celestia stood back up, drying her eyes as best she could. “Unfortunately there’s something else, too- something about this matter that troubles me further.”

“And that is?”

“The Griffon resistance wants us to fight on their side; they’ve already made that point clear.” Celestia frowned, “which means that we can’t dismiss the possibility…”

Luna’s eyes went wide as she looked at her sister, startled. “Celestia, no… dost thou really think… could they have really broken tradition? Art thou implying the resistance may have attacked our forces to force us into this conflict?”

“I’m not confirming anything,” Celestia said, turning to gaze out one of the throne room’s giant stained glass windows, “tradition tells me that the Griffons would never break their honorable way, but logic tells me otherwise. They know we want to help them, and if they need us pushed to the breaking point, would it not make sense to commit such an act?”

Luna furrowed her brow, troubled. “These are strange times, sister. Millennia ago, the Griffons would never have considered such actions. What dost thou propose?”

“Simple. We contact both sides of this civil war. I highly doubt we’ll get anything useful from either, but at least it will give us the chance to better assess the situation.

“Situation?” Luna raised an eyebrow, “Celestia, if thou wish to declare war, we-”

Celestia shook her head, “no, we cannot declare war. With Discord’s return earlier this year, combined with the wedding in a few months, our ranks are too weary to fight a war. I agree that something must be done, however…” she began to pace, silver moonlight reflecting brightly off her white coat, “Luna, did I ever tell you about the Expeditionary Force project?”

“No,” Luna shook her head, “we have not heard of it.”

“A simple concept really,” Celestia continued, “something our military advisors came up with recently. A select few squadrons are constantly on call to assemble under individual task forces, in order to meet any threats abroad. Such forces can be deployed before a declaration of war is ever released, to bolster foreign troops’ ranks. Perhaps if we sent ours over to the Kingdom…”

“They would be able to observe the Griffons, and prepare to retaliate if necessary,” Luna finished.

“Precisely,” Celestia said, charging up her horn, “we simply need permission.”

Luna sighed, “permission from the Griffons. Of course. Not exactly something we’re looking forward to asking about, especially if they truly are attempting to deceive us.”

“But it’s the only way to prevent this from happening again,” Celestia finished, opening up a bright blue magical portal in the air. The circular formation crackled with energy for a moment, then expanded, revealing something akin to a window, behind which stood a grey Griffon.

“Princess Celestia,” he said, voice thick with a Griffon accent, “I wasn’t expecting to see you. To what do I owe this honor?”

Celestia narrowed her eyes. “Commander Treugrau of the Griffon Resistance… there is a matter I must discuss with you.”

“Oh?” the Griffon cocked an eyebrow, “have you reconsidered our terms? Will you fight with us to overthrow the old government?”

“We shall see,” Luna said, “for now, we seek information- a flight of Griffons trespassed through Equestrian airspace today; dost thou know anything about this?”

“And do not lie,” Celestia added, horn glowing, “we will know if you are, and if it turns out that your troops were responsible for this…”

“What?” the Griffon recoiled, disgusted, “dare you bring our honor into question? Ma’am, with all due respect, I am aware of my troops’ actions at all times. I never gave such an order- it is against our code to attack without intention to declare war.”

“Perhaps you do not see this situation as we do,” Celestia went on, pacing slowly, “the way my sister and I see it, you want our country’s assistance, but know we won’t lift a hoof to help as long as we are not attacked, in order to maintain neutrality. With that in mind, would it not be beneficial to you to launch an attack with full deniability in order to push this nation over the brink?”

It took a moment for the Griffon to process what was being said. “Are you… are you accusing me of lying?” he said finally, “to claim such a thing is a mark against my honor. I swear to you- those Griffons were not mine. They acted under someone else’s orders.”

“Please forgive us if we’re not entirely convinced by thine argument,” Luna said drily, “nevertheless, we’ve agreed to do something about this- art thou still prepared to receive aid?”

The Griffon’s eyes widened. “Yes, of- of course! Are you changing your minds? Will you-”

“We will deploy our Expeditionary Forces to the Griffon Kingdom for the sole purpose of observation,” Celestia answered, “we will not provoke the old government unless given a reason to do so. If we find they are responsible, we will fight with you. If not,” she paused, making sure to stress her point, “we will withdraw all troops. You will be alone, and if these actions were in some way caused by you, you will pay. Do we have an agreement?”

“Yes ma’am,” the Griffon replied, “I’ll tell my soldiers to prepare right away. Thank you.”

“We will see,” Celestia said, shutting down the portal. She turned to Luna. “One more Griffon to contact.”

“Dost thou believe the Commander is truthful?” Luna pressed as the portal opened again.

Celestia lowered her head, “I don’t know. I didn’t detect dishonesty, which puts me somewhat at ease, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t capable of clouding his mind.”

This time the portal opened on a much older Griffon, covered in ornate armor. This was none other than King Sturm, the ruler of the Kingdom, and unlike the Griffon before him, he was clearly displeased.

“And why have you contacted me, Princesses?” he sneered, “come to mock me? Perhaps rub some salt in the wounds? Don’t pretend you weren’t looking forward to this day.”

“We weren’t,” Celestia growled, deciding to try a bluff, “and we weren’t expecting to be attacked on our own soil, either.”

“Ah yes, I heard about that,” Sturm chuckled, scratching a talon below his gnarled beak, “I must say your Aviators put up a good fight. Four of us against four of them, and only one casualty on your side. I only wish my own warriors put up such a fight.”

“Thou were unaware of this?” Luna asked.

“I don’t pretend that I wish it wasn’t my troops,” Sturm responded, sneering, “but no- we will fight another day; today is not that day.”

“Both you and the leader of the rebels have denied these attacks,” Celestia said, trying her best to keep her emotions in check, “and we cannot let this go unpunished. We’ve already decided to send our expeditionary forces to your shores, as a deterrent from future attacks. Give us safe passage, and we will not retaliate.”

“And what makes you think I’d do that?” the Griffon barked, “I realize my country is in the grasp of war, but I will never allow your kind to set hoof on my land!”

“You will if you wish to survive,” Celestia said softly, “I cannot imagine the government will be able to hold out long against two factions.”

The only response Celestia received was a grunt. Truth be told, it was hard to tell if the Griffon was lying as well. He was considerably less cooperative than his counterpart, of course, but his words still seemed sincere. Finally, he turned and addressed the sisters.

“You will be granted safe passage on one condition…”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”

“Raise a hoof in anger against my troops or support the resistance in any way, and I will consider it an affront against the Griffon Kingdom. As you can imagine, I will respond in kind.”

Celestia nodded, “we would expect nothing less. Well met.”

Again, the Griffon only grunted in response as the portal died out. Celestia turned away without speaking, instead regarding the walls of the throne room. Each one bore massive stained glass windows- tales of heroism immortalized right here for all time. Ponies from across the ages lived on in these works of art, reminding all those who entered of Equestria’s rich, proud history. It was a history that, both Celestia and Luna had once hoped, would never again be touched by conflict. Now, though, neither was sure this would be possible.

“Will thou be alright, sister?” Luna asked taking the throne as Celestia quietly walked away.

The Alicorn looked back at her sister, illuminated by the soft light of her moon, and managed a faint smile.

“I’ll manage.”

“Goodnight, sister. Rest well.”

A standard goodnight, and one that Celestia returned in kind, but as she climbed the stairs to her chamber, the Princess wasn’t sure her night would be restful at all.

…

For a creature almost as old as time itself, the Changeling queen had to admit- this was not one of her better days. Four warriors had left the hive hours ago, and none had returned. To make matters worse, their telepathic links had been broken. More than likely, they were dead. Wonderful. As if she wasn’t busy enough keeping up her current facade, now she had drastic failure to deal with.

Groaning, she rolled out of her plush, velvety bed and grimaced. Living like a princess had lost its appeal long ago. She longed for her hive, to hear the comforting, never-ending hum of her subjects. Instead, she was stranded in the North, feigning an heir to a throne that, for what it was worth, really wasn’t worth much. What had once been a glorious, crystalline empire was now nothing more than a husk of its former self. She hardly had to lift a hoof to keep her “subjects” out of the throne room. Most were nearly as drone-like as the Changelings that called her mother. Simply barring the doors was all it had taken. Naturally, she suspected some rival forces had a hoof in the downfall of this city, but it was of no consequence to her. When she eventually captured the throne- and, she reminded herself, she would, and soon- this frozen glacier of a city could rot in perpetual depression for eternity, for all she cared.

.As she walked down the stairs to her throne, she smiled. The palace’s former rulers had probably never envisioned what she’d do to their precious throne room. Clearly, it had been created to make full use of the crystals with which it had been built, using them to amplify ambient light and create a warm, cheery atmosphere. Any source of light had since been covered, and the only light now came from the cold, green glow cast by a few cocoons here and there- her personal elite guard, probably almost mature enough to emerge by now.

She blinked once as green sparks danced across her body, and frowned as once again, she donned her new disguise. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, she’d decided long ago, had very few things going for her. Not quite spindly enough to be beautiful, too happy to be content, and most of all, too… pink.It was a mystery what Shining Armor saw in her. She would be happy to shed this disguise one day, but for now, it was of the utmost importance that she remain concealed. As she sat down in her throne, a flitter of wingbeats caught her attention. As she turned around, now seated, one of her subjects approached from the shadows.

“Hive-Mother, I bring news of the four missing warriors.”

Chrysalis’s eyes narrowed. “Go on.”

“They perished fighting the Aviators, though they were able to take one down with them, it seems.”

“And the bodies of our fallen?”

“Lost to the ocean,” the Changeling replied. Chrysalis nodded.

“Well done, scout. You are relieved of your duties for tonight. Rest.”

“At your command, Hive-Mother.” The Changeling backed away, disappearing back into the darkness and leaving Chrysalis alone to ponder. Clearly she’d underestimated the Aviators once again; Chitin should have been her first lesson. He was to be her mate, and she’d spared no expense building him into the perfect Changeling. The wretched creature hadn’t lasted more than thirty minutes against the Aviators and their allies. This time was supposed to have been different. Still…

She regarded the moon above, dimly shining through the skylight- the only window that had remained untouched during her “renovations.” Luna would be sitting the throne right about now, wouldn’t she? Luna… a face she hadn’t seen in a very long time. Soon, they would meet again, she was sure of it. Absently, she ran a hoof down her waxy, stringy mane. She was getting off the matter at hoof, something she had a tendency to do in her old age. Where was she? The Aviators… no, she decided, perhaps leaving them alive was really the best course of action. After all, they were only ants in the grand scheme of things. When tension between the world’s mightiest governments snapped, when arrows and magic filled the skies, when cities crumbled beneath the hooves and talons of conquest, then and only then could she finally decide what to do with them. Perhaps they would die in the coming conflict. After all, it wasn’t a matter of if the Griffons would finally launch a major attack against Equestrians, it was a matter of when. She’d see to that. Still, she rather hoped the Aviators might survive, at least for a while. She seldom had the opportunity to indulge in luxuries like revenge, but if they could survive just long enough to watch their beloved princesses fall… she sneered, sharp, white fangs sparkling in the darkness; if they could survive that long, perhaps she’d finally have some semblance of justice.

The Long Haul

Two weeks at sea, and Nimbus could already see why his dad had told him to never join the Navy. Surprisingly, he’d been absolutely fine when it came to dealing with the constant rocking and occasional wave buffet; seasickness didn’t seem to bother him, but that wasn’t his issue. The real problem was the monotony of the whole situation. Each day played out just like the one before- a breakfast, lunch, dinner routine that was seldom interrupted, and to top it off, he hadn’t flown since leaving land. Color Splash was sometimes around to break things up with some interesting conversation, and for this Nimbus was grateful. Otherwise he felt he would’ve hurled himself off the deck days ago. At least it would’ve been a change of pace.

And here he sat, once again chowing down on the same old bland lunch while his new friend sat nearby, going through the same motions they went through everyday. Nimbus twirled his spoon around on the table a bit, making a loud rasping noise that Color Splash took note of.

“Bored much?” the stallion asked, to which Nimbus simply replied with a blank stare.

“Yeah…” Color Splash went on, “can’t say I blame you. It’s been way too calm out here. No storms or anything interesting like that to liven things up.”

“You guys actually want to go through storms?” Nimbus said, straightening up at the mention of the first interesting thing he’d heard all day.

“Well, yeah,” said Color, “our ships can take it, and it really makes for one hay of a ride.”

Nimbus shrugged, “I guess I could see that. Know what I’d kill for right now though?”

Color Splash smirked, “two mares, a beer, and a couple of hayburgers?”

Nimbus laughed, “other than those, I mean. What I really want is to just get off the ground. This is the longest I’ve gone without flying in months!”

Finishing up his bowl of oatmeal, Color Splash nodded, “I suppose I should’ve guessed that. You miss it, don’t you?”

Nimbus’s nod was all he needed. “Well, the whole ‘Aviators on boats’ concept is a new one, and from what I understand, our captain’s a bit reluctant to deploy you guys yet. Don’t worry though- I bet you’ll be going on patrol before long. After all, we’re almost within Griffon territory.”

“Almost?” Nimbus choked, “have we sailed around the world or something? Good grief, this is taking forever!”

Color Splash opened his mouth for a witty retort, but was cut off by the arrival of Starburst. The major nodded to the Navy pony and addressed Nimbus.

“Lieutenant, we’re wanted up top to meet with the captain.”

Nimbus cocked an eyebrow; the captain hadn’t requested their presence before. Something was clearly up.

“Did he say why, sir?”

Starburst shook his head, “he didn’t, but I’m expecting you to look your best. Go change into your dress blues and meet Storm and me in front of the captain’s quarters in fifteen minutes.”

“Roger,” Nimbus nodded, gulping down the rest of his lunch as soon as Starburst had his back turned.

“The captain wants to see you?” Color Splash mused as he and Nimbus piled up their trays, “wonder why. Listen- word of advice: Captain Ocean Echo’s kind of a hardflank, but he’s reasonable. Rumor has it he’s not so fond of you Aviators sharing our ship, so… just try to keep to the point, and whatever you do- don’t argue!”

Nimbus gulped. Not exactly the pep talk he’d been hoping for, to be sure. He hadn’t met the captain himself yet; truth be told thus far he’d gone out of his way to avoid him. Now, however, it looked like this meeting was going to be unavoidable.

“Okay,” he said uncertainly, “I’ll do my best.”

“You’ll be fine,” Color Splash added, patting his friend on the back, “meet me on the deck when you’re done. I’m kinda curious what he has to say to you guys.”

Nimbus nodded, turning towards his quarters.

“Unless it’s classified, of course,” Color added, “you know- what’s secret remains secret and all that.”

Holding up his hoof in a wave to Color Splash, Nimbus trotted away, mind racing. How bad could this meeting be, anyway? After all, Starburst would be doing the talking. No, he decided, this time he could just sit back and let somepony else take all the incoming fire.

Now if only he could remember exactly where the captain’s quarters were…

…

Machonen. In the language of the ponies, the name translated to “mighty heights.” Melodramatic, perhaps, but confidence-inspiring nonetheless. It was the name of the great capitol of the Griffon Kingdom; a city almost as old as the Griffons themselves. Built atop a massive plateau, the city was originally intended to be a central fortress, through which Griffon military activities could be routed and coordinated. As the Griffon forces grew in strength and their civilization expanded, the fortress grew, housing civilians and military alike, until it became the city the Griffons knew today. With towering architecture and large, stone battlements, the place was certainly distinctive, and it was this sight that King Sturm found himself staring out over as the sun fell lower and lower in the sky. Somewhere, miles away, his Griffons were out there, protecting their ways of life, and here he was- rotting away in this comfortable palace. As an old soldier, the thought of leaving his troops far away was never easy for him, but he knew he would’ve been a fool to suppress his gift for politics. He served his time on the battlefield, then ascended to the throne through popular demand, leading the Griffons to several great victories. Only one defeat remained on his record; his retreat from the land of Equestria. The Great Griffon War had been a harsh but valuable lesson for him; now he knew that the Griffons’ old rivals across the sea were not to be underestimated.

Now the ponies were headed right to his continent, no doubt suspicious that his troops had attacked them. The emotionally-charged conversation he’d had with the Princesses a few weeks ago probably hadn’t helped much, but the last few months had been tiring. Machonen hadn’t seen any fighting, and this was for the better, but several coastal cities had already fallen to the resistance. The old ways were breaking down; and behind the dam they created was a flood of change, just waiting to wash over anyone foolish enough to stand in the way. Ideals were harmful, and Sturm knew that any sort of new government could be a potential disaster. One wrong move, and everything his ancestors stood for could be erased in the blink of an eye. Weary, he leaned against the railing of his observation balcony. He was tired of the responsibility; if anyone had given him the chance to relive his old soldier days, he would have jumped on the chance in a heartbeat. But this was the real world, and no such opportunities presented themselves. Instead, he was stuck fighting a war against his own kind, sitting in the back while others fought for him. It was pitiful.

The sound of someone entering his room caught his attention, and Sturm turned around to come face to face with his advisor, Spaenne. The light grey Griffon gave a short bow.

“Your majesty, how are you this afternoon?”

Sturm held up a claw. “Please, Spaenne, spare me the formalities. Why are you here?”

Spaenne took his place by Sturm’s side at the balcony, gazing out over the vast city. “What a kingdom we’ve created, eh? Our reputation alone these days is practically unprecedented. Just that one small blemish…”

“I see,” Sturm crossed his forelegs and went back to leaning on the railing, “you’ve come here to humiliate me? To remind me of our defeat?”

“No, I’ve come here to advise against your decision to allow the ponies onto this continent.”

Sturm narrowed his eyes. “Explain.”

Clearing his throat, Spaenne continued. “There have been whispers, or so our Foreign Minister has told me, that the ponies plan to immediately ally with the resistance and wipe us off the map for good. I’ve already talked to the generals about this-”

“Wait-” Sturm narrowed his eyes, “you went to the generals first?”

“I had to; you’re preoccupied with winning this civil war, so I just thought-”

“You went over my head, Spaenne. I won’t forget this. Unfortunately necessity dictates that I let you continue, so out with it!”

Somewhat shaken, Spaenne lowered his head “We’ve all agreed that the best action will be to deny the ponies entrance to our country- forcibly if need be.”

“And you propose…?”

“We attack if they enter our coastal areas. We cripple them before they make landfall and start doing damage.”

Sturm shook his head, pacing. “Spaenne, Spaenne… what is wrong with you? Have you lost your mind?! As much as I hate to admit it, we are not in a position to defend against two enemies!”

“We’re Griffons, sir. We’ve never backed down from a challenge before, no matter how impossible!” Spaenne paused for a moment, gritting his teeth for what he was about to say. “Or have you lost your nerve, your Highness?”

Sturm narrowed his eyes, speaking in a menacingly low tone. “Get out of here, Spaenne. If you value your life, you will leave me this instant.”

“I’m not worried about my life right now,” Spaenne smirked, “but you should be.”

The door opened, and Sturm had to double take at the Griffon who entered. He could have sworn it was Spaenne, but that would be impossible. Yet the two looked exactly alike.

“What?” he whispered, “what is this, some kind of trick?”

“The end of your reign,” the “original” Spaenne said, green light crackling up and down his body as changed shape, turning into a figure Sturm knew all too well- himself. Sturm didn’t even have time to react before he felt a prick and cool slide of metal entering his chest. The lookalike had stabbed him, right here in his own quarters. Sturm couldn’t even speak- after all these years, this was how he was destined to die. As the light faded from his eyes, his expression was perplexed, seemingly asking his attacker “why?” It was a question he’d never hear the answer to. As the former leader’s body slumped to the floor, his doppelganger turned to the other Spaenne.

“Right, I believe I’ve suddenly had a change of heart. Mobilize the Griffons’ forces. We’ll begin this today, for the glory of our Queen.”

“Spaenne” nodded, eyes gleaming green, “as you command.”

Sturm grinned, resuming the old leader’s position on the railing outside as if nothing had happened. The mighty city of Machonen had never been breached until this day. Now it was under a new leader’s control… and the citizens below had no idea.

…

“Sir? Captain Ocean Echo will see you now.”

Thank Celestia, Nimbus thought, letting out a long sigh. He, Storm Runner, and Starburst had been waiting outside the Captain’s quarters for the past ten minutes, standing stiffly and awkwardly by without a word to one another. Nopony was really sure what the Captain wanted with them, and the rumors that he didn’t want them on the ship in the first place weren’t helping.

With a gulp, Starburst nodded to the two other officers, and Nimbus followed him in. It was rather humbling to see his commanding officer scared stiff, but he guiltily admitted to himself that he was glad Starburst was there in the first place. It was nice to have somepony else catching the flak they were inevitably going to receive.

Captain Echo stood with his back turned to the approaching ponies, staring out the window at the sea below. The old pony cut a crisp figure in his naval uniform, and an intimidating one. Slowly, he turned and addressed the Aviators with a voice that Nimbus couldn’t help but compare to the rumble of distant thunder.

“Take a seat, Aviators.”

Not one to refuse, Nimbus gladly obliged with the rest of his squad, trying his best to formally collapse into his seat. It was for the better; his legs were shaking like reeds in the wind. Echo pulled down a projector screen on the opposite wall, rolling some grainy black and white footage.

“This is footage from one of our cannons’ cameras,” he explained, taking a pointer and highlighting two rapidly growing dots. “And these-” he froze the footage, “are Griffons.”

Nimbus squinted. It was hard to make out the shape fully, but the Captain was right. The wings were far too large to belong to Pegasi, and he could just make out the creatures’ tails. Echo snapped the screen up and took a seat behind his desk.

“That footage was taken last night at 2347 hours, and it confirms that we are, indeed, entering Griffon territory. As much as I may pretend otherwise, we are on the cusp of a new era of warfare. I know you’ve heard the rumors that I barely tolerate your presence aboard this vessel. Some of them are at least partially true. Frankly, I don’t know what to think about you Aviators yet; I haven’t seen you in action, but the fact that aerial Griffon units are already making their presence known has me on edge. Whether I like it or not, we need an aerial presence above the fleet to prevent further harassment.” He turned to Starburst. “Major, how quickly can you deploy?”

“Five minutes from suit-up to hooves off the ground,” Starburst replied, “possibly faster if we’re on alert.”

Echo nodded. “Right. I want you Aviators on the deck this evening; you’re going up on patrol.”

“Yes sir,” Starburst said.

Echo frowned as he pushed himself away from the desk. “This is an evaluation, Aviators. You’re under the microscope even more so from here on out. Prove to me that you’re on this ship for a reason. Oh and here-” he passed a clipboard to Starburst, “ship frequencies. I’ll want you in contact as often as possible.”

The old stallion checked his wall clock. “I want you Aviators on the deck in five hours. You’ll have time to work out a patrol route between now and then. In the meantime, I’ll be briefing the rest of the squadrons.” Echo sighed and rubbed his mane, “for me, it’s going to be a long day. Dismissed.”

The Aviators stood up, exchanging a few brief glances, and saluted. Then all three departed out the cabin door. Outside, Nimbus went limp, releasing the pent-up tension in his muscles and breathing a sigh of relief.

“Well, that could’ve gone worse,” Storm Runner admitted. Nimbus smiled in response, but Storm Runner shot him a quick glare and his smile dropped.

“Five hours, Aviators,” Starburst said, heading for the stairs leading lower into the ship, “I’ll get a route prepared. I trust you two can handle a patrol together?”

“Yes sir,” Nimbus said evenly, casting a withering glance at Storm Runner.

At least I hope so, he thought to himself.

…

Mom, Dad, and Whirly,

How has everything been back home? We’re only a few weeks into our voyage and I’m already itching to get back into the air. The ship’s captain says we’re going up later, so hopefully I’ll get the chance to stretch my wings out in a little while. Celestia knows I need it. Also, I’d like to assure you that I’m fine- sea travel isn’t so bad at all, though it’s still rather slow. At least I get fed every day, right? Anyway, hopefully this is all over soon and I can come back to you guys. I expect I’ll be home by Hearth’s Warming Eve at the latest, so I’m looking forward to seeing everypony again when that time comes. Whirly- I know school’s starting for you. Work hard and stay focused, and keep being awesome! Stay strong for me, little buddy. We’ll dogfight again soon.

Love,

Nimbus

Nimbus looked up from the letter he’d written and went over his flightsuit for the third time, making sure its surface was free of scrapes, tears, or other imperfections. While such things seemed minor on the ground, they could be a huge hazard in the air at over mach 1. While he didn’t expect the patrol to go supersonic, one could never be too careful- especially after the encounter Windigo had experienced with the Griffons not long ago. Besides, the whole “under the microscope” talk still had him tense. Impressing the old captain wouldn’t be easy. Nimbus checked the nearby clock.

Thirty minutes to launch, he noted.

“Hey there!”

Nimbus turned around to see Color Splash in the doorway, and he grinned.

“Hey Splash, what’s new?” He noted the bags of gear draped over his friend’s back, “and what’s with all that stuff?”

Color Splash smiled sheepishly, “yeah, that’s, er, all my gear. I’m being transferred to the Radiance as a madar technician. With all you Aviators going up, the sky’s going to get crowded pretty soon. I’ll be the poor, unappreciated scrub responsible for thanklessly saving your sorry flank.”

Nimbus chuckled, but had to blink a bit to hide the lump in his throat. Color Splash, in the short time he’d known him, had been a great friend, and almost a sort of distraction, keeping his mind off of Colonel Cloudsplitter’s recent demise. Without a true friend on board, it’d be harder to cope. Still, Color was advancing, and in the military, doing so was no small feat.

“Congrats,” he said, swallowing and shaking his friend’s hoof, “transferring over tonight then?”

“Yeah,” Color Splash nodded, “right after you guys launch tonight, actually…” he let his words trail off, “look, Nimbus, it’s been fun. Keep in touch after we make landfall; this whole event will probably blow over soon anyway.”

“Of course,” Nimbus said, “odds are you’ll be on my comms most of the time anyway. They promoting you for this?”

“Yep,” Color Splash took a seat on a nearby bunk, “up to Lieutenant. From there, they say it won’t be far to Lieutenant Commander.”

Nimbus laid his head back on the wall, “well the pay raise certainly can’t hurt.”

“Yeah…” sensing Nimbus’s discomfort, Color Splash leaned forward.

“Hey- listen, Nimbus- you’re gonna be fine up there. I’m glad to be able to call you a friend, but you can’t leave yourself in isolation within your squad. Storm Runner will come to his senses eventually, it’s just going to take time. Don’t fly alone up there, that’s all I ask; don’t let what happened with the Griffons hurt you. You have friends down here and up in the sky. Remember that.”

“You bet,” Nimbus said. While Color Splash certainly wasn’t Storm Runner, he’d been good to him- especially when it came to getting used to living out at sea. Color Splash smiled.

“See you on the flight deck, buddy.”

“Later.”

…

Nimbus, Storm Runner, and Starburst gathered, a few hours later, on the ship’s deck, at the edge of what looked almost like a runway. In fact, despite a few subtle differences, Nimbus was almost positive that the thing he was looking at actually was a runway, but it had two slots running the length of it, each of which a metal pad seemed anchored into on their end. One of the naval ponies approached from the ship’s bridge, almost skipping as he tried to contain his excitement.

“Do you like it?” he said, grinning. “I’ve been tweaking this for most of the voyage.”

Starburst cocked an eyebrow. “What is it, exactly?”

“Well…” the pony made his way over to a control panel nearby, adjusting a small slider. Immediately, steam began to rise from the slots in the runway, and Nimbus stepped back a bit. The pony began to count down.

“Three, two, one-”

The pad on the left suddenly rocketed forward with a loud “hiss,” and Nimbus jumped, surprised. When it reached the end of the slotted path, the pad halted, then slowly crept back towards the Aviators.

“It’s a catapult launch system,” the pony explained, “basically, you brace yourselves on the pads and accelerate past takeoff speed in the space of this deck. Seems unnecessary, I know, but in addition to being completely awesome, it allows you to reach combat speeds by the time you’re off the deck- perfect for rapid deployment. You’re actually…”

Storm Runner was already securing his hoofhold on the pad with a devilish gleam in his eyes and a strange smile playing about his face. Nimbus grinned in spite of himself- finally Storm Runner was embracing his fun side again.

“You’re actually the first ponies to try this out. I’ve already explained to your squadron commander proper radio phraseology for this new system. Mount up and follow his lead, and may the Sisters guide you.”

Starburst looked to Storm Runner, eagerly awaiting launch, then back to Nimbus.

“I don’t think he’s getting off that pad anytime soon,” he said with a smirk. Nimbus shrugged.

“Hey, if it’s what makes him happy, sir, I’m fine with it.”

“Launch immediately after us; we’ll hold above the ship until you arrive. Do as I do as far as radio chatter goes.”

Nimbus nodded. “Understood.”

Starburst turned away, placing his rear hooves on the upsloping section at the back of the catapult pad and using his front hooves to brace himself. At the same time, he and Storm Runner extended their wings, flaring them for takeoff. Nimbus slipped on his helmet, opening up his radio channel just in time for the ship’s weather broadcast.

“...altimeter two niner niner seven. Sky conditions- clear. Remarks- none. This is weather information Sierra. Weather information Sierra for RSS Peregrine, time twenty-hundred. Wind one two at zero four eight, altimeter…”

Nimbus switched over to the squad channel after updating his information just in time to catch Starburst beginning his pre-takeoff clearances.

“Windigo One ready for deck launch.”

“Windigo Three ready for deck launch,” Storm Runner echoed.

“Windigo, this is Peregrine deck control- cleared for launch. Three, two, one- launch!”

On “launch,” both ponies rocketed forward, staggered slightly with Starburst leading. They cleared the deck quickly, with Storm Runner fluttering momentarily, then gaining stability as he fell in behind his flight lead.

“Woohoo!” Storm Runner whooped, performing a roll for good measure as he climbed into the evening sky. Nimbus watched them climb and turn in awe, almost forgetting that it was his turn next.

“Windigo Two, cleared to approach the pad.”

Nimbus was jolted out of his sense of awe and stepped forward, looking down in what he had to admit was sheer apprehension at the pad in front of him. How such a simple little device could instill such feelings of nervousness in him, he had no idea. Hesitantly, he placed his rear hooves on the warm, metal pad and gritted his teeth. Performing one final check on his helmet straps, Nimbus then activated his HUD and gave a curt nod.

“Windigo Two, Peregrine Deck Control. Cleared for launch. Three, two, one- launch!”

The acceleration was unlike anything Nimbus had ever felt before. Normally it took a while to reach speeds like these, but Nimbus found himself going from a standstill to combat speed in less time than it took him to blink. His rear hooves pressed back into the pad as the catapult surged forward, and he could feel his cheeks pulling back from the sheer acceleration. Breathing hard, he flared his wings, feeling his hooves pull away from the deck below, and as hard metal gave way to flowing air and sea breeze, his breathing slowed and he closed his eyes for a moment. Being back in his element after all these weeks was nothing if not liberating. Below him, he could see a small boat making its way towards one of the other Equestrian vessels- probably with Color Splash on board. He gave a small wave with his wings, just in case.

“Windigo Two, radar contact. Formation traffic ten o’clock at five hundred feet. Have a nice flight.”

“Traffic ten o’ clock at five hundred, thank you,” Nimbus replied, setting his sights on his squadron above and to his left and dialing in their frequency.

“Windigos, this is Two, I’m falling in.”

“Roger,” Starburst replied as Nimbus formed up off his right wing, “nothing too special today- just a bit of a figure-eight pattern around the fleet. Keep your eyes peeled for Griffons.”

“Damn, that was cool,” Storm Runner breathed with a sense of joy in his voice that Nimbus hadn’t heard in a while.

“It’ll take some getting used to,” Nimbus responded as they crossed over the RSS Capricorn, the Expeditionary Fleet’s second battleship. On the deck, ponies were waving and cheering them on.

Storm Runner laughed. “I’m already used to it. They oughta transfer me to ships, given how fun that was.”

“Somepony a bit chipper today?” Starburst chimed in, initiating a slow bank to the right over the last of the ships, “and if so, is this going to be a thing now? Can I assume that our old cheerful Storm is back now?”

“We’ll see,” Storm Runner chuckled, “but it’s definitely a possibility.”

Nimbus spared a glance down at the horizon. The sun was already starting to dip below it, casting its mellow orange light across the sea’s waves. While it had never been apparent from the deck, now Nimbus could also see the ships’ v-shaped wakes forming and merging in the water underneath him.

“Eyes up, Windigo,” Starburst called, “we’ve got company.”

Expecting Griffons, Nimbus immediately snapped his head up and got his eyes on a swivel, but intruders weren’t the reason for Starburst’s call. Behind the squadron, more flights of Aviators were taking to the skies above the ships, each calling out to the squad.

“Windigo, this is Tiger. We’re inbound, prepared to form up off your right.”

“This is the 5th Recon Squad, Aurora, moving to patrol.”

“Helldivers lead here, we’re moving in.”

“Ribbon here- we’ll ensure Windigo isn’t on its own again.”

Nimbus’s heart leapt to his throat. All of these squads had received word about the attack on Windigo, and for the last few weeks had been unable to express their feelings to them. Now, here in the sky, it was a different story. Above the fleet, they were finally unified, standing strong with each other. The other squads assembled themselves in a V formation behind Windigo, and Starburst pointed them towards the horizon, directly over the fleet. In full formation at last, the Equestrian forces steamed towards the Griffon coast. Justice was finally within the ponies’ grasp, and Nimbus couldn’t wait to see it done.

Author's Note

I am so sorry for this ridiculously long hiatus.

Seriously, it took a visit to my friend (who's also a brony) some realizations about the Free to Play aspect of Ace Combat Infinity, a good deal of coffee, and some delicious turkey to get me back on track with this tale (long story), but here I am once again! I have to apologize for this chapter's somewhat rough format. I wrote it over two months. This time I swear it's the last "fluff" chapter. The rest will not only be better-written, but more fast-paced. Don't count Windigo out yet; good things are on the horizon! Thanks, readers, for sticking with me!

-Fyn16

At Any Cost

Color Splash snapped his head up quickly, wiping a small drool trail from his mouth as he squinted at the madar display in front of him. When he’d been reassigned to the RSS Radiance as a madar/radio operator, he admittedly hadn’t expected much. What he had expected was something more than this. He knew the thrill of entering Griffon territory should have been driving him, but staring at a little green circle as a white line endlessly traced it was not an excellent way to keep oneself awake and entertained. Sure, every once and a while a patrol went up and he got to have some sort of half-baked conversation with the Aviators, but in between those times… sometimes he felt he’d rather still be running around on the Peregrine.

“Ugh.”

For the first time in a while, the sound didn’t come out of Color Splash’s mouth, but the pony beside him- a Unicorn named Sandy Shell. Shell’s eyes were just as glazed over as his, and her hoof seemed to be the only thing supporting her head at the moment.

“Bored?” Color Splash yawned. Sandy fixed him with an unamused frown.

“You kidding?” she groaned, stretching slightly, “where are the Griffons?”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Color Splash smirked, “when’s the next patrol due?”

Sandy checked a schedule on her control panel. “Uh… not for another four hours.” She ruffled her mane, staring upwards, and Color immediately recognized the mare’s “thinking” face.

“What is it?” he asked.

Sandy tapped a few keys on her panel and brought up a larger circular display.

“We could always run a bloop,” she pointed out.

A bloop, essentially, was naval jargon for a quick, long-range underwater sonar sweep. Initially implemented by commercial vessels to detect large objects such as krakens and sea serpents early, it quickly caught on with the military as well. While most naval vessels were well-equipped to handle most of the ocean’s most dangerous residents, having a bit of warning was never turned down. As a bloop hadn’t been run in several hours, and Griffon waters were largely unfamiliar to the ponies, Color Splash decided it couldn’t hurt.

“Okay,” he said, activating the sonar and preparing to press the transmit button, “firing on my mark.”

Sandy nodded.

“And mark!” Color Splash pushed the button down, and the ship emitted a muted pulsing sound- the origin of the bloop’s name- and immediately Shell put eyes on her displays.

“Again,” Shell said, scratching her chin. Color Splash obliged, sending the sound waves rushing through the water once more.

“Anything?” he said. Shell beckoned him over.

“Actually, yeah. Come have a look at this.” Shell jotted down a few quick calculations as Color Splash rolled his seat over, “there’s definitely something down there. Could be a Kraken…”

“But? I’m assuming there’s a ‘but’ in here somewhere.”

Shell tapped the display with her pen, “that’s the thing- the object’s movement pattern isn’t that of a Kraken. Doesn’t match a Serpent, Hydra, or whale either. Something’s just… off.”

Color Splash stole a glance at Shell’s calculations, now thoroughly interested.

“Off? How do you mean?”

With her pen, Shell drew a small dot on her notepad. “This is first contact,” she said, tracing a straight line to a new dot, “and this was our second bloop. The movement pattern is a perfect line. Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”

Scratching his mane, Color leaned back in his chair. “No. Should it?”

Shell gave him a blank stare, then rolled her eyes, “right, I forgot you’re new here. Here’s the thing- organic life almost never travels in a perfect line. With whales you have an up and down motion. With Serpents and Hydras, it’s side to side. Krakens are closer, but forward movement isn’t constant. They pause before they jet themselves forward. This is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. If I didn’t know better, I’d say we were looking at a ship.”

Color smirked. “An underwater ship? Shell, do you need some more coffee? I admit it’s interesting, but it could just be a Kraken. I mean we only ran two bloops. Margin for error’s still pretty large.”

“Hmm,” Shell grumbled, “I suppose you have a point. Well, we’ll keep an eye on it. For now, go ahead and get a Kraken advisory out.”

“Yes ma’am,” Color Splash said, wheeling himself back over to his station to prepare an advisory statement. It wasn’t much, but at least it was work. That had to count for something at least.

…

Deep underneath the ice-cold, choppy surface of the Griffon Sea, Captain Humboldt of the Griffon Navy removed his crisp, ironed Captain’s cap and gave it a quick polish. While most of his crew believed it was simply the Captain displaying his outstanding knack for personal appearance, they were only partially right. Humboldt had been around seagoing vessels most of his life, certainly an oddball for a flying creature (then again, most naval Griffons were seen in this way), and few things set him on edge, but sailing under the ponies’ fleet was by far one of the most harrowing experiences he’d been through, at least since the war years ago. The significance of the vessel he commanded today didn’t help either. Under the able talons of his crew and himself was placed the Kingdom’s newest flagship- a grand vessel by the name of the Atteneis. Perhaps the most unique feature of this new ship was its function- to the best of its engineers’ knowledge, it was the only watercraft in the world capable of fully submerging itself. Its designers had called it a submersible, and Humboldt had to admit that the name fit. The potential power concealed within this unique craft’s hull was not lost on him, but his long career had taught him caution. Rushing headlong into danger was hardly acceptable, and whether these ponies were a threat or not, it was best to treat them as such.

That wasn’t to say, of course, that it was hard to feel invincible in this ship, Humboldt mused as he walked the long corridor to the bridge. The submersible was twice the size of the Kingdom’s largest surface vessel, and carried a great deal of armament, including a prototype area denial-type device. Hopefully, the cannon wouldn’t have to be used, but Humboldt was confident that, if the time came, his crew was ready. Hand-picked from the Navy, only the best served aboard the flagship. At times, he almost felt as if a Captain wasn’t needed at all. Of course, his crew, loyal as they were, would never let him say such a thing. The Captain smiled as he opened the bridge door to find his crew hard at work. Time to get to business then.

“Status report,” he called out.

“Captain, the fleet is one six miles behind us, and continuing on course. They sonar-pinged us, but it looks like nothing came of it.”

Humboldt raised an eyebrow at his sonar operator’s report and nodded grimly. “Understood. Plot an estimated course and get it briefed to our coastal bases. We’ll remain ahead of the fleet, keeping tabs on them.”

“Message for you, sir.”

Humboldt turned around and confronted the Griffon who spoke to him- a young radio officer.

“Ensign, are we forgetting something?”

“Sir?” the young Griffon stammered, caught off guard, “um, I don’t… that is to say-”

“Who sent it?” Humboldt cut him off, snatching the envelope his subordinate bore. The Ensign cleared his throat.

“The Capitol, sir. And… I apologize. I’ll do better next time.”

Humboldt fixed him with a steely stare, but it was quickly nullified as a wry smile played about his beak. “Ensign, I know you will. You’re on this submersible for a reason, as are we all. Have faith in our cause and in your abilities.” The old Griffon warmly extended a talon and placed it on the Ensign’s shoulder, “thank you. You are dismissed.”

Another thing that had quickly become apparent to those new to Humboldt’s command was the frequency of which he managed to sneak small, inspirational tidbits into everyday conversation. It was just one more thing they loved about the Captain. He was an imposing Griffon, one that commanded respect, but his heart was still young. That being said, those who witnessed his face the moment he opened the envelope could have sworn the old Captain aged decades in those few moments. With every pass of his eyes along the paper, it seemed the shine of his plumage dulled a little, and the light of his eyes grew dimmer. Finally, with a shaking talon, he set the letter down. The bridge was silent for a moment.

“So…” Humboldt whispered to himself, “it’s finally begun again.”

He turned to address his crew. “Helmsman, move us out to weapons range. The rest of you, prepare for combat. I’m not sure what’s happening, but we can’t afford to let our guard down. Stand by for further orders from me.”

Confused at the vague, curt instructions from their Captain, the Griffons nonetheless complied. The Helmsman plotted and set his course quickly, but even so- when he turned around, Humboldt was nowhere to be seen. All that indicated he’d even been there in the first place was the door to the bridge quietly closing.

…

The scent of fish and sea breeze filled the air as Nimbus took his morning stroll along the Peregrine’s forward deck. He’d made a habit of coming up here since Color Splash left; it gave him something to do in the absence of a friend. Storm was really shaping up, of course, but they were hardly on speaking terms just yet. Instead, he had to content himself with taking in the serene beauty of the open ocean, despite his rarely admitted fear of it, and thus far his walks seemed to be helping a great deal. He’d even grown rather fond of the salty-smelling air.

Of course the other reason he came up here in the mornings was to observe other Aviators leaving their ships. The catapult launch system was as new to him as it was to everypony else, and nopony had yet completely mastered it, though some had come close. It was these ponies that Nimbus watched, trying to implement parts of their techniques every time he went up. It’d be a while before they would get back to Equestria, and in addition to helping him make a smooth transfer from ship deck to the sky, it gave him a project to work on. All he had left to perfect was the inherent flutter that occurred with the catapult’s initial jerky launch. Nopony else had figured out how to counter it either, though, and Nimbus was starting to think it was just something he and the others would have to deal with- a small price to pay for rapid deployment.

Nimbus stopped by the bow of the ship and turned his eyes towards the Radiance- Color Splash’s ship- admiring the crisp “v” it cut through the ocean. It was a fine ship, no doubt, and a fine posting for his friend. It sounded as if Color was already getting settled in, too. Like the rest of the fleet, he’d heard about the Kraken advisory earlier, though Nimbus generally tried to keep the thought of some living thing more than three times the size of the boat swimming just beneath them out of his mind. It would have been nice to have Color Splash around to talk to, but as long as he was keeping the fleet clear of the ocean’s dangerous fauna, he really wasn’t complaining.

“Nimbus!”

The stallion turned around as Starburst ran up behind him. The Pegasus stopped, panting.

“Yes sir?” Nimbus said, “is it about the Kraken?”

Starburst shook his head. “No, no. We’re getting scrambled shortly, something about a group of inbound contacts. Maybe hostiles.”

The hairs on the back of Nimbus’s mane stood on end. Griffons, no doubt.

“So let’s go,” Starburst continued, “get suited up and head to the flight deck. We’re going up ASAP.”

Nimbus stuck close behind Starburst as he turned and bolted for the door leading below deck. They almost made it before a three-pony Aviator flight ripped by, streaking out to sea. They were moving quickly, kicking up fantails of sea spray, and while Nimbus knew that they were just heading out on an intercept run, something quickened his pulse. There was a sense of urgency here- a feel in the air that something was wrong.

“Sir.”

Storm Runner nodded to Starburst and exchanged a quick, worried glance with Nimbus as he fell in beside the two.

“And that makes three,” Starburst said, nodding, “good. Storm, you know what’s going on?”

“Yes sir.”

Starburst opened the storage door leading to the Aviators’ gear. In all actuality it was a repurposed walk-in pantry storage closet, but it was better than nothing at the moment. Nimbus barely had time to react before Starburst tossed him his flight suit. He wasted no further time in worming his way into it.

“Right, like I said, we’re in a bit of a time crunch here. These contacts weren’t sighted soon enough to afford us the luxury of time, and they’re moving rather quickly. Hopefully they’ll keep to their end of the arrangement and just guide us in with no trouble, but… I don’t know. I have a bad feeling about this.”

Nimbus tightened his helmet, sliding the visor down and back up and checking his oxygen filtration mask.

“Open comms up on the way to the flight deck,” Starburst said, sliding his own helmet on as he made his way back out the door. “Looks like they already sent a squad up, so we’ll get a feel for what’s going on before we get there.” He eyed Nimbus and Storm, “looks like you two are pretty well composed, so we’ll walk up there. Move with a purpose, though. We may need all the energy we can get up in the air.”

…

“Mako Three to Mako Lead, any sign of contacts?”

The Pegasus in charge of the three-pony flight eagerly scanned the ocean ahead of him. According to his madar, the contacts were dead ahead, but they were nowhere to be seen.

"Roger, keep scanning." The lead fixed his eyes on the horizon, squinting. At first, he saw nothing, but slowly he could see faint trails being drawn through the waves; something was coming in fast, at low level.

There they were- three dark shapes speeding low over the ocean. The Aviators prepared their CAL-2s, but kept them on safe for the moment. The third Pegasus squinted. Something else caught his eye- a rapidly expanding column of white vapor from straight ahead.

“Lead, possible fourth contact inbound at twelve o’clock. You see it?”

Taking his eyes off the approaching unknowns, the Lead directed his attention skyward. The vapor trail was clearly visible now, but moving far too quickly for a Griffon. In fact, it seemed to be following a ballistic flight path.

“RSS Radiance, this is Mako Lead, we have another unknown contact inbound at very high speed.”

Whatever was tracking through the sky had clearly reached its apogee, and now all three Pegasi were transfixed by it. The Griffons could wait- clearly whatever this thing was was far more important. As the vapor trail grew nearer, the third Pegasus felt his blood run cold.

“Radiance, this is Mako Three!” he yelled, no longer caring that he was speaking out of turn, “unknown is headed straight for us!”

…

A muted booming sound, like the roll of distant thunder reverberated through the ship’s hull, punctuating the radio transmission from Mako. Nimbus, Storm, and Starburst all froze, eyes wide as they waited for something- anything to follow.

“Mako, this is Radiance. Do you have a visual on the unknown yet?”

Still nothing.

“Dammit Mako, respond!”

Suddenly the radio became alive with chatter and Nimbus’s MADAR display lit up with distant contacts.

“Multiple contacts inbound following the first three!”

“Who has eyes on this?!”

“Dear Celestia… they’re headed straight for us!”

Chest heaving with fast breaths and eyes wide, Starburst punched Storm Runner on the shoulder.

“Top deck. Now.”

Not bothering to argue, Nimbus secured his oxygen filter and sprinted after Starburst, who was already on the stairway up to the deck. A second, duller thud echoed through the hull, actually shaking the ship.

“This is the RSS Radiance! We’ve been hit! Damage control is responding, but we’re taking water. Inbound Griffons are hostile, repeat- inbound Griffons are hostile! All Pegasi cleared to engage!”

Ahead of Nimbus, Starburst rammed the door open, spilling onto the deck. Nimbus only had time for one short glance, but he saw enough. Smoke was pouring out the side of the Radiance, which was beginning to lean very slowly to the right. Aviators were talking off from other ships, engaging with Griffons flying by overhead. It was a trap. There was never going to be a rendezvous. The First through Third Expeditionary Fleets were sitting ducks, far from friendly shores with nothing but their own forces to protect them.

“Where the hay is Windigo?” Peregrine’s deck control called frantically.

“We’re on deck, preparing to launch,” Starburst radioed back, taking his place at the catapult with Storm Runner as even more Griffons seemed to materialize out of the ocean sky. Nimbus watched as five dove down, abreast of one another, and released one small, cylindrical device apiece. The cylinders hit the water, arrowing through it towards one of the smaller patrol vessels, then all at once, they struck, tearing the ship in two with a tremendous explosion. He had to peel his eyes away from the horrifying sight as he heard the telltale hiss of the catapult returning to him.

“Windigo Two, secure and ready for takeoff,” Nimbus said, trying his best to sound as calm as possible.

“3, 2, 1, launch!”

There was no time today to try and perfect a smooth takeoff; everypony was relying on the Aviators getting airborne as soon as possible. Nimbus left the deck quickly, rolling as a sharp “scree” caught him by surprise. In his moment of reaction, Nimbus saw a Griffon blow right past him, talons glinting with cold light. He didn’t have enough speed and altitude to engage yet, so he pulled up in a slow half-loop. Looking down, it quickly became apparent that the fleet was in far worse condition than it had appeared on deck. Ships were pointed in every direction and anti-air armaments of all kinds cut the sky to shreds around him as ponies below rushed to defend themselves. The patrol vessel’s halves were rapidly disappearing below the waves, and a fire was quickly spreading up the aft end of the Radiance. For a moment, Nimbus thought about Color Splash, and whether or not he’d survived the attack, then dismissed the thought. Whether he had or hadn’t was inconsequential right now. He had bigger things to deal with.

Locating his squadron, Nimbus dove back down through a shallow layer of clouds, joining up with Storm and Starburst as they swung in a wide arc around the fleet.

“No time for a big plan, Aviators,” Starburst said, voice more solemn than usual, “do what you do best, and make it count. It can’t end here. Windigo- break!”

Nimbus peeled away to the right, making a mental note of where his squadmates were headed, in case he needed backup later. Below, two flights of Griffons were joining the fray, rapidly approaching at low level, just like the first wave. There was no doubt in Nimbus’s mind that these guys were going for the ships.

“Windigo Three,” he called to Storm as he dove down on an intercept course “I’d appreciate some help with a group I’m pursuing over here. Might be targeting the fleet.”

“Roger,” Storm called out, peeling away to follow Nimbus in his dive. Nimbus made sure the Griffons were selected as his targets, keeping an eye on their rapidly closing distance as he adjusted his target sight to lead them. He closed his eyes briefly, then fired. Blue rounds fell towards the Griffons below, striking one between the shoulder blades. It tumbled down, hitting the water with a satisfying spray of sea foam.

“Splash one,” Nimbus called, pulling level behind the Griffons and lining up another shot. Storm Runner was able to grab two before pulling up beside Nimbus. The Griffons were quick, and Nimbus’s wings burned with the effort of trying to keep up. Yet while the Aviators were lined up for a perfect shot, the Griffons did not break formation. Something wasn’t right.

Suddenly, two more contacts lit up on the Aviators’ madar displays right behind them. Nimbus stole a quick glance back; two lighter-armed Griffons were diving down from above, closing the gap rapidly.

“Storm, disengage!” Nimbus called out, raking one last target with electric fire, “two bogeys on our six!”

Nimbus broke right and Storm broke left; the ships would have to fend off the remaining attackers. The Griffons, meanwhile, were on them in an instant. Nimbus marveled at their powerful wings, effortlessly beating the air into submission as they closed the gap. This was an air conflict unlike anything he’d prepared for.

“Coming in on your six, Windigo Two,” Storm Runner called, settling in behind the Griffons on Nimbus’s tail. The stallion was using his natural speed to catch up. “Break hard left over the destroyer.”

Up ahead, Nimbus was indeed approaching an Equestrian destroyer. Thus far undamaged, magic projectiles filled the air as ponies on deck tried to cut down the approaching attackers. Making a mental note to steer clear of the arcs of fire, Nimbus roared over the deck, hugging the ship’s contour and breaking to the left with a violent jerk that surprised even him. Undaunted, the Griffon altered his course to intercept him, bringing the foe right into Storm Runner’s sights. A sharp, electric buzz later, he was plummeting to the waves. Nimbus in turn passed by Storm Runner in the opposite direction, hitting his own pursuers head on with a relentless volley of fire. There was no way he could have missed.

“RSS Radiance detecting more Griffons inbound,” Nimbus heard Color Splash say, “mixed groups of attackers and fighters. Aviators, support the fleet!”

“Radiance, this is Windigo,” Nimbus recognized the voice of Starburst over the radio, and seconds later he rolled into formation alongside him, “request permission to coordinate Aviators in the area.”

The response was instant. “Roger, Windigo. All Aviators be advised- expect adisories and instructions at Windigo squadron’s discretion.”

Below, most of the Griffons were dead or scattered and air superiority was returning to the ponies, but Nimbus could see the large number of approaching targets on his madar, and knew the calm would be short-lived. Starburst nodded to both him and Storm Runner.

“Okay, you two- time to get serious. I’m putting you each in charge of an offensive. Storm- you’ll be intercepting the attackers. I’m counting on your speed and precision here; you’ll be in command of the 6th, 14th and 31st Aviator squadrons, or whatever’s left of them. Nimbus-”

Nimbus perked his head up at the mention of his name, apprehensive of what was to come.

“Based on your performance at the Cloudsdale meet a while back, I’m putting you in the air superiority team, comprised of the 17th and 23rd squadrons. When the second wave comes in to back up the attackers, you dive on them and tear them to shreds. I’ll be assisting both and coordinating whoever’s left as a last line of defense for our ships. Can you do this?”

Nimbus saw his superior’s eyes, full of worry behind his mask. Something was off- from what he could see, the stallion’s normally hazel eyes looked almost… greenish. He dismissed it as a trick of the stress and calmed his breathing.

“Affirmative sir,” he said, “I can do this.”

“I’m ready” Storm Runner echoed.

“Alright,” Starburst said through gritted teeth, “remember- nothing matters more than protecting the fleet. No glory-chasing here- this is war, or at least as close to it as you’ve ever been. Also, see if you can ID the Griffons. I want to know what faction’s attacking us.”

Both Pegasi nodded, and Starburst dipped his wings. “Right, looks like everything’s in order. Celestia’s light guide you and Luna’s shadows protect you. Windigo team, break!”

…

The madar room was red with emergency lighting; the torpedoes that impacted the ship caused considerable damage to the electrical room, forcing critical systems to go to backup power. This meant that aside from the red glow, Color Splash was doing his job in the dark. All things considered, the Radiance had been lucky. None of her bulkheads had taken on water so far, and while she may have been crippled, she was moving ahead, determined as ever.

Sandy Shell was hunched over the long-range madar display next to him, tracking the approaching targets. The Aviators were splitting up primarily into two teams, each moving different directions as they moved to encircle the aggressors. Color meanwhile was doing his best to get a picture of what was going on in the fleet.

“All ships,” he said, voice cracking from overuse, “status report!”

Normally the status report wasn’t his responsibility, but ship communications had been delegated to the madar room after the attack. The captain was far too busy above deck, maneuvering the ship while coordinating repairs and defense. Color didn’t envy him. An official casualty report hadn’t been released yet, but the attacks had been fierce. He knew some hadn’t survived. It only got worse as the reports came in.

“Peregrine’s fine, minimal damage.”

“Canterlot here- we’re taking on water fast! Abandoning ship! Request pickup.”

“This is the RSS Equinox, fire spreading belowdeck; we’re trying to control it-”

And so the reports rolled in, all with varying degrees of distress to report. Color rubbed his eyes, blinking back any sign of emotion. There would be time to grieve later. For now, rescue efforts required his coordination.

“Any patrol boats in the area, see if you can assist with the Canterlot’s survivors.” He looked at Sandy, his superior officer, who nodded in approval. “All other ships, don’t despair,” he added, “the grace of the Sisters is with us. We will prevail!”

He removed his headset, leaning back in the chair.

“Well done,” Sandy whispered, “spoken like a true officer of the Equestrian Navy.”

“I lied through my teeth,” Color confessed, “if the Aviators can’t stop that next wave, we’re done.”

Sandy sighed. The battle was already wearing on her subordinate; he’d never been prepared for something like this. If she was to have him at his peak, he’d need a clear mind. Something had to be done.

“Look,” she said, “Color, I have something I need you to do for me, okay?”

“Yeah,” Color sat up, immediately alert, “what is it?”

“Get a letter sent out back to Equestria via Phoenix. They need to know what’s going on, and I can’t shake the feeling we’ll need more ships and ponies soon.”

“We’ll get through this,” Color Splash said as he got up and headed for the door, trying to sound confident.

Sandy Shell fixed him with a look of utter solemnity. “I hope so, Color I really do.”

…

The other squads quickly fell in behind Nimbus, eager enough for leadership that they were overlooking his age and rank easily. They were headed for a thin cloud layer above, and as they gained altitude, Nimbus got a better picture of the fleet. What he saw turned his stomach.

Several more ships were either smoking or on fire. He could hear each one rattling off status reports, and some were terrifyingly bad. The Equinox, a medium-sized Equestrian frigate, was on fire now; evidently what had started as a simple fire belowdeck had spread into a raging inferno. Lifeboats descended from the melting deck, but other ponies simply leaped off the edge. Pegasi carried their nonflying friends away, but many others simply chanced the icy water. He turned his eyes away, back to the clouds. Now was not the time to be distracted. All they could hope to do was to prevent further tragedy. As they punched through the cloud layer, Nimbus rolled level, doing one more madar check. Down below, the interceptors were already engaging the low-flying attacker Griffons. Meanwhile, the wave of support Griffons behind the attackers was speeding up, preparing to meet the Aviators. Nimbus dipped his wings to the right, signaling the squads behind him.

“All Aviators, dive and engage the enemy! Keep ‘em off our guys!”

Thankfully, the orders he gave didn’t require too much tactical prowess on his part. The Aviators knew what to do, and knew that he wasn’t trying to usurp anypony’s authority. By falling under the command of one squad, the Aviators’ workloads were considerably lightened, and nopony was complaining about that. As they cleared the clouds again, Nimbus saw the wave of Griffons also diving towards the interceptors. Some were ready for the approaching Aviators too- madar worked both ways after all- but most simply went about their task of sweeping the skies for the torpedo Griffons. Nimbus picked a target and fired, easily mowing it down as the Griffon made no attempt to escape. He wondered briefly if he’d even noticed him coming before dismissing the thought and moving on. There were still a few hundred feet to go; he could catch one more target before pulling out. As if on cue, the rest of the Aviators began firing, and multiple Griffons began dropping like flies. As soon as the rest realized what was going on, they began to break off from their initial attack route, circling around into the swarm of Pegasi as their anti-ship comrades spread out and fell into evasive maneuvers.

Nimbus jinked and dove as his madar lock warning alerted him to the presence of a Griffon locked onto his magical signature. He swiveled his head around, looking for his pursuer as he crossed into the open air for breathing room. The fight was quickly turning into a furball, with the sky full of opponents. Away from the main fight, he had room to work with. Seeing nothing, he started to turn right, but abruptly rolled and peeled away to the left as a flurry of electricity rushed past his face, anticipating the right turn. Now he could see him- a Griffon bearing gold armor plating directly on his six. Nimbus slowed down a bit, widening his turns to try and lure in his pursuer. Having no idea what was to come, the Griffon eagerly closed the gap, saving his shots for a more guaranteed close-range hit. It was just what Nimbus wanted. He flared his wings and initiated a wide barrel roll, slowing down and rolling over the top of his pursuer. As he looked down, he realized in that split second that this was the closest he’d ever come to one of them. The armor that he’d once noticed as ornamental was also streamlined, seemingly crafted for optimal airflow, and like the ponies, the Griffons too wore enclosed helmets with visors. Probably had next-gen combat flight systems too. It was a fair match. Of additional importance was the emblem on the Griffon’s armor- the emblem of the Griffon Kingdom. These guys were allied with the old government. At least now there was no question who they were fighting.

When he overshot, the Griffon panicked, rapidly jinking left and right to try and shake Nimbus. his efforts were to no avail though- he had no experience fighting ponies, but his pursuer had fought Griffons on one occasion already. Nimbus glared and put a focused burst between the Griffon’s shoulder blades. The creature faltered and Nimbus hit him again. The half-lion, half-eagle fell from the sky as his heart stopped.

“That’s for Cloudsplitter,” he whispered hoarsely as he directed his attention back to the fight at hoof. He didn’t have long before a task presented itself.

“This is Vertigo 3,” a voice called out, “two on my six- I need help!”

Nimbus looked up. One pony which he assumed was Vertigo 3, was indeed being pursued by two Griffons. He took the opportunity to start a rapid climb to the targets.

“Windigo Two inbound,” he said, “dive if you can.”

Vertigo rolled inverted and pulled away into a sharp dive. Nimbus waited for him to pass his sight, then fired, catching the first Griffon in a stream of fire. The second Griffon, seeing the first fall away, broke formation and Nimbus pulled up into a half-loop, following him as he shot by.

“Your six is clear Vertigo 3,” Nimbus called out as his target picked up speed. He was heading for the waves, jerking around erratically as he tried to throw Nimbus off. in a dive, Nimbus was already starting to lose ground, and the Griffon was predicting his shots well. his only hope was to anticipate his pullout point and meet him there. As they dove further down, another Griffon came at him from the side, and he swerved to avoid him. Taking this opportunity, the Griffon below straightened himself out and made ready to pull up. Nimbus saw this and angled himself towards where his target was pointing. As the Griffon leveled off, sparking rounds flew past his face, crackling into the water nearby. Nimbus cursed as the Griffon swerved again; he had a chance and he blew it. He didn’t have time to pursue, however- two more Griffons materialized on his six.

“Two on you, Windigo Two!” a voice called out. Nimbus snapped his wings in, somersaulted, then stabilized himself facing to the rear and let loose a volley. Unprepared, both Griffons took the brunt of the attack and plummeted. Satisfied, Nimbus finished the somersault and stabilized himself. Suddenly, he heard something that froze his blood.

“Hey, it’s King Six- one of my targets got past. He’s pulling away… releasing! Oh dear Celestia…”

Nimbus’s attention snapped back to the fleet, where one Griffon was rapidly approaching the burning Equinox Sure enough, it released its torpedo, which sped through the water with a destructive, merciless determination. Everypony was silent as attention was diverted to the ship. A moment later there was a dull thud, and suddenly the Equinox disappeared within a geyser of fire and shrapnel amidst a thundering explosion.

“Equinox please respond! Any surviving crew members, this is the RSS Radiance, do you read?”

“This is the RSS Peregrine, we’re moving towards the wreckage. Launching lifeboats now!”

If he hadn’t known better, Nimbus could have sworn he was staring Tartarus in the face. The ocean was packed with flaming debris and ponies swimming for their lives. The fact that one of their boats had simply disappeared in mere moments was almost too much to handle, and he forgot to check his surroundings. Suddenly, he felt a sharp tingle in his right leg, and his heart began to speed up. Instinctively, Nimbus dropped, pulling his wings in to make the maneuver as abrupt as possible. A Griffon flew by overhead, lining up for another pass. He’d been careless and almost paid for this lack of awareness with his life. This would not happen again. Once his heart rate returned to normal, Nimbus shot back up into the sky, lining up head-on with his attacker.

The Griffon was already barreling towards him at high speed, firing wildly. Nimbus braced himself, preparing for the inevitable shocks. While inaccurate, several rounds did indeed hit him and threatened to stop his heart or lock his wings. He gritted his teeth and forced himself through, panting with the exertion of fighting lockup. The Griffon was right in his sight now… just a little closer…

Nimbus fired, and all of his rounds nailed the Griffon squarely in his visor. He rolled quickly to the side, passing right by his adversary as he fell dead into the ocean below.

“Windigo, this is the RSS Radiance. Status report please!”

It wasn’t Color Splash this time, but that thought hardly registered to Nimbus. Storm Runner spoke first.

“Windigo Three- all attackers dealt with.”

Nimbus glanced briefly up at the sky. Only a hoof-full of Griffons remained, and they were quickly being swept up by the ponies in the air.

“This is Windigo Two- air superiority gained,” Nimbus called, his voice ragged with exhaustion.”

“Roger Windigo- standby. Hang on… what’s this?”

The squads waited with baited breath for what the Radiance had deemed so important. A moment later, they had their answer.

“All squads, new contact bearing one zero five. Inbound rapidly at high altitude.”

Wait a minute, Nimbus thought, making a connection. Mako squadron had reported something similar right before disappearing off madar. He squinted towards the horizon, and sure enough something was headed their way, leaving a vapor trail in its wake. The object seemed to be following a ballistic trajectory. Starburst apparently made the same connection.

“Windigo One to all Aviators- climb! Ships- brace for impact! I don’t know what this is, but I have a bad feeling…”

Heart racing, Nimbus pumped his wings, clawing for altitude with the rest of the Aviators as the object grew nearer. They could see it clearly, aimed straight for the fleet, and in that moment, Nimbus knew that what he was looking at was not a target, but a weapon- something launched from far away. The object ripped by beneath the Aviators with a whistling hiss, heading right for the center of the fleet- straight for the Radiance. Nimbus couldn’t tear his eyes away from the approaching doom. Just shy of the water’s surface, the object detonated with a silent, intense white flash. Then the rumbling came, a deep thrum that shook Nimbus’s bones as water sprayed up from the impact zone. Finally, a tremendous crash sounded as the detonation reached its peak, throwing shrapnel everywhere. The Radiance was almost engulfed by the explosion.

“All units, this is the RSS Peregrine- please respond!”

…

Color Splash launched the Phoenix from the back deck, watching it fly away sadly. From here, he’d seen the Radiance go up in flames. From here, he could hear the screams of the dying and injured as he stood- helplessly rooted in place. This wasn’t some tour overseas anymore. Suddenly the reality of what was happening had dawned on him.

This was war.

He barely had time to comprehend this notion though, as he too saw the white streak rocketing through the air towards the fleet. Watching the ballistic trajectory, he felt he knew what was coming, and scrambled back below deck, shutting the door behind him. What followed was nothing short of terrifying. The ground shook; metal screamed as it bent, and an intense heat washed over the huddled pony. A tremendous booming sound filled his ears for a moment before all hearing ceased, to be replaced by a shrill ringing. He was violently shunted around, thrown off his hooves by what he could only guess was a blast. He was powerless to prevent himself from behind tossed around as if in the grasp of some great beast. Then, as suddenly as it started, the shaking and noises stopped. Ears still ringing, Color Splash cracked a bruised eyelid open as he nudged the door to the deck. It squeaked outward, then fell off its hinges. Outside, smoke assaulted his lungs and he coughed, withdrawing back into the stairwell. He blinked ash out of his eyes, and forced himself back out onto the deck. What he saw stopped him in his tracks.

It wasn’t the Radiance anymore; it couldn’t be. The smooth deck was charred, hot to the touch, and parts of it disappeared into jagged holes, collapsed in on themselves. The tower- bridge and all- was completely gone, leaving in its place a tangled mass of wreckage. The waterline was approaching too- she’d finally taken on water and the ocean was about to claim her. Ignoring his feelings of pain, Color Splash raced to where the bridge had been and set about digging through the rubble.

“Captain!” he called out hoarsely, “Anyone! Is anypony still alive?!”

He knew his words were useless. Nopony could have survived that. But still he dug until his hooves were red with his own blood. He stopped, pounding the deck in frustration with his hoof and trying to fight back tears, which were streaming down his face regardless. Suddenly he knew where he had to go. Abandoning the crumpled tower, he ran back belowdeck, racing through corridors of flashing red lights, passed shellshocked ponies trying to ask him what was going on. He ignored them all, stopping finally in front of a door marked “MADAR control room.”

His room.

The door hung ajar and he entered easily. Many of the displays were cracked, sparks cascaded across exposed wires, and more importantly, pipes had fallen down as the ceiling caved in. Most of the right side operator station was buried, as was the back of the room.

“Sandy!” he called, “Sandy, can you hear me?!”

Frantically, he threw pipes and debris aside, no longer concerned about the aching in his bloody hooves. Sandy had been in here the last time he’d checked.

“Sandy!” he yelled as his voice cracked painfully.

And then he saw it.

Beneath a twisted heating pipe, he saw a flash of white fur. With an almost unnatural strength, he hefted the pipe, exposing the twisted, still breathing body of his comrade and friend. Her horn was broken, and her entire lower half was still beneath a tangle of metal. “Sandy, stay with me” he choked, tears wetting her face. She blinked, and a trickle of blood pooled around the side of her mouth as her dull eyes focused on him.

“Hey,” she rasped, “you got that Phoenix out?”

Color nodded. “Yeah.”

Lips trembling, Sandy nodded. It looked as if the motion took every ounce of strength she had. “Good. ‘Fraid I can’t really do anything now… ribcage is crushed. But that thing that hit us… we- we were lit up on madar, Color Splash. Just… just like an ar- ar- artillery st- strike.”

Color Splash’s eyes widened. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, pretty sure…” she coughed, more blood dotting her coat. “If they hit us again, you know what to look for, r- right?”

Color Splash shook his head. “No… I mean yes, but can’t you… maybe I can just try to drag you out of there! You can show me!”

“Nope,” she sighed, “that’s… that’s all she wrote for me. I’m not so sure I can-” her eyes dimmed and her head fell, limp. Color Splash knew what he’d seen, but he couldn’t bring himself to accept it.

“No,” he muttered, “no, no, no!”

A warning tone and a quick flash turned his attention away from his fallen friend, and he fixed his eyes on one of the few remaining madar screens- it was a madar alert. Someone lit them up with their own long-range madar.

“Just like an artillery strike,” he breathed. Color turned away from Sandy, seating himself back in his torn-up chair. He reached for the switch to openn the radio channel to the fleet. Nothing. The connection must be severed.

“Dammit,” he swore, striking the display with his hoof. He moved down to the backup switch, praying for something, anything to indicate it worked.

The light came on. Quickly, he grabbed the mangled remains of his headset. Hopefully the mic still worked.

“This is the RSS Radiance!” he said with as much strength as he could muster, “all ships still afloat, we believe the previous attack came from an artillery source beyond visual range. Spread out immediately!”

“Radiance, this is the Peregrine, you still have crew? You took a hit.”

“I don’t know how many are alive,” Color Splash confessed. “The captain’s dead, and so’s the rest of the bridge crew… right now we need to spread out, or the next shot will finish us!”

“Aye aye. Can you move?”

Color Splash shook his head, scouring his display for the intercom. “Unknown at this time. Standby.”

“Standing by. As for the rest of the fleet- you heard him. Move!”

Running his hoof down the list of intercom rooms, Color Splash settled on the engine room, hoping beyond hope that somepony was down there.

“Engine room, this is madar control. Does anypony copy?”

There was static for a moment, but finally a weary voice answered “aye, I copy.” It was the engineer- still, thankfully, alive.

“Thank goodness. This is Lieutenant Color Splash, a madar operator. I need this ship moving; is she seaworthy?”

A loud sigh could be heard from the other side. “We’re evacuating the engine room now, actually. The furnaces are taking on water rapidly and the screws are busted. We’re done- the ship is finished.”

At the news, Color Splash cradled his head in his hands. This wasn’t what he wanted to hear at all. Still, if the artillery fire was looking for madar signatures…

Suddenly he had an idea. Thinking quickly, he opened up the intercom to all decks. They couldn’t save the ship, but they could certainly save the fleet.

“Attention all ponies aboard the RSS Radiance, this is Lieutenant Color Splash. The ship’s hull and command tower are compromised. Therefore, under acting authority I now declare that all crew abandon ship immediately and sail as far away as possible. We may not have much left, but we have one last trick up our sleeves.”

There was no “abandon ship” alert setting in the madar room, so Color Splash prayed that the survivors on the ship heard him. If they didn’t, well, ideally death would come swiftly. Outside, a second explosion rocked the ship, farther away. From the radio chatter he’d heard, no one had been hit. Still, he had to act before the next madar sweep happened.

Moving along the control board like a madpony, Color Splash began activating every remaining madar station he could find, setting them for max intensity and distance. In a wartime scenario this was impractical, as the madar signature that would then be projected by the ship would make it a veritable beacon on someone else’s scopes. But that was exactly what he wanted right now.

“All ships,” he said, making ready to flip the last few switches, “I have a plan. Switch off all madar and comms now. Firing time seems to be between five and ten minutes. In twenty minutes, reestablish communication.”

“Aye.”

“This is the Peregrine. Aye aye.”

“Light guide you, shadow protect you.”

The words came pouring in through the speakers before, one by one, all the ships fell silent. Color flipped the last few switches. Every last madar dish on the ship was searching now.

Color Splash sat back amidst the creaking groans of the ship. He wheeled his chair back, holding Sandy Shell’s hoof with his own as he waited. The screen pinged one more time.

“Take the bait,” he breathed, “come on…”

…

“Captain,” one of the Griffons at the madar targeting station called out, “one contact lighting up long range madar. Same location as our second shot.”

Captain Humboldt frowned. “How many shots left?”

“One sir.”

He shook his head, “not good enough. We can’t focus on one target.”

“I think it’s more than that, sir,” the Griffon pressed, “the other signatures are gone. It’s more likely that this is a cluster of ships than a single one. They’d be stupid to throw all madar on at once.”

“Very well,” Humboldt sighed, turning his back on the bridge crew. “Fire our last shot, then plot a course back to the Kingdom. I’ll be in my quarters.”

“Aye sir.”

Humboldt left, making sure to close the door behind him before he heard the order to fire. What he’d done today would be remembered for ever. And for better or worse, he’d impacted countless lives in more ways than imaginable. Sleep would be hard to come by tonight.

…

From above the fleet, Windigo squadron fell silently into formation. They were far above the blast radius of the shells being thrown at them, and Nimbus felt guilty about it. Their battle was over, but below the ship crews were far from done.

In the middle of the fleet, the sinking Radiance sat low in the water, decapitated and disfigured. Somewhere down there, Nimbus thought, was Color Splash. Alive. Somehow the stallion had survived the blast. Now, he was shutting down communication to the other vessels. Something was going on, and he had to know what it was. He couldn’t help feeling afraid for his ship-based friend.

“Attention Aviators,” Color Splash’s voice sounded over the radio,” I am currently the only ship in communication with you. Let this be the…” his voice trailed off as he hesitated, “let this be the last transmission recorded from the Radiance. You ponies up there have more than proved your worth to the expeditionary fleet. If not for you, our losses today would have been far worse.” A sharp sob broke his words, and when his voice came back, it was shaky, but with a grim determination.

“We’ve all made sacrifices today, Pegasi. Promise me- promise us that whatever happens next, those sacrifices aren’t made in vain. It’s in your heritage. They don’t call you the ‘warrior race’ for nothing. You land on that shore, and you make them pay for what they’ve done here. May the Sisters bless your flight. RSS Radiance, out.”

“Incoming shell,” Starburst said, nodding to the horizon. Nimbus followed his gaze and saw it, tracking a lazy but smooth arc across the sky. It wouldn’t be much longer before it made impact. As he saw the ships draw away from the Radiance Nimbus suddenly felt he knew what Color Splash was planning.

“He’s making the ship a target,” he whispered as the whistle of the shell grew louder. “Dear Celestia no… I can’t… I can’t watch this.”

And with more shame than he’d ever felt in his life before, Nimbus turned his head away. He never saw the last moments of the Radiance, but he heard them. The ship’s dying groans as the explosion subsided were painful to hear, as if the great metal machine had finally given up and was breathing its last. When he looked back, ash was settling over the ocean and the broken up parts remaining of the once-mighty vessel lay scattered, sinking to the ocean floor. It was done.

“What the hay was that?” Storm Runner asked, voice shaking.

“I don’t know,” Starburst confessed, looked like artillery to me. Powerful artillery. And it was fired on us without provocation. This is an act of war. Stallions, we won’t be going home for a while, I’m afraid.”

“Madar contact!” one of the other squads shouted, “multiple contacts inbound vector zero three zero.”

“What is it now?” Nimbus whispered, readying himself to fight again. But before any further order could be given, a new voice breached the channel.

“Aviators, this is Commander Eier of the Griffon Resistance, Air Division. We were to be your escort. I’m… sorry they found you first.”

“Commander, welcome,” Starburst responded dully, “we were fired upon by forces we identified as under the control of the old Griffon government. We need first aid, and we need cover. Our fleet has been decimated.”

Up ahead, a large formation of Griffons could be seen approaching. Below, small patrol vessels cut Vs into the water as they sliced towards the Equestrian ships.

“Roger, Equestrian forces. The attack you experienced was from an unknown source, but we’ve seen it too. We’re going to need you to follow us in. Aviators, you’ll fly with us. Our ships will provide whatever cover we can for the sea vessels, as well as some search-and-rescue on-site later.”

The Griffon squadron merged with the ponies, circling around until they were both flying as one mass formation. Then the two groups set off, flying as one towards the Griffon shore. Up in the front, one Pegasus dipped a wing to the fleet. Others nearby joined him, and Nimbus himself dipped his own wing. It was one last sign of respect, and rememberance for those who had given their lives this day.

And as the ponies righted themselves and flew onwards, Nimbus stole one last look back at the fleet. Nothing remained of the Radiance but flotsam. She’d finally sunk. The odds of anypony onboard surviving were slim, yet somewhere in the back of his mind, hope persevered. There was wreckage. Surely somepony might be found among it. But with a heavy heart he dismissed his thoughts as wishful thinking and set off for the coast. For once, he found himself looking forward to being back on the ground.

…

How he survived, he’d never know. When the ship was hit- almost directly- the explosion had knocked him unconscious. But when Color Splash came to, he’d been very much alive, albeit badly bruised and in a room rapidly filling with water. He’d escaped, leaving Sandy’s body behind, to be reclaimed by the sea, and found a floating piece of wreckage to cling to. When he finally situated himself, he saw the Aviators depart, in formation with a squadron of Griffons. The ships, too, turned toward land.

This, then was how he would die; not in a dramatic explosion, with a bang, but with a silent last gasp of breath out here in the cold ocean. As the sun fell below the horizon and the moon and stars took its place, he finally made peace with himself. On the verge of freezing to death, unconsciosusness tugging at him, he almost didn’t notice the approaching boats. By the time they arrived he was barely awake, but nonetheless welcomed the talons of the Griffons that pulled him aboard. Friend or enemy, they were his salvation. He was safe now. He’d made it. When so many others had given their last today...

He’d made it.

And he felt all the more guilty for it.

…

“My Queen, we intercepted this phoenix heading inland.”

A single Changeling bearing a green, macically-constructed cage entered the dimly-lit throne room. Inside the cage was the phoenix in question- the very same one that Color Splash had released earlier that day. Above the Changeling, a dark shape moved from her throne- Chrysalis.

“Show me.”

Cautiously, the Changeling stepped forward. The bird made no sound, only glaring defiantly up at the dark creature above it.

“It was carrying this as well,” the Changeling said, levitating a small roll of paper up to the queen. Chrysalis accepted it, reading it over.

Princesses Celestia and Luna,

Our fleet has come under fire by forces from the old Griffon government. Request assistance as soon as possible.

Very Respectfully,

Lieutenant Color Splash

Chrysalis rolled the paper back up with a dry chuckle.

“Shall I alter it, my Queen?” the Changeling said. Chrysalis shook her head.

“No. Let them receive this letter untouched. I think we can make this work. However, as for our little phoenix friend here…”

She grinned, bearing sharp teeth as she tapped her horn to the top of the bird’s head. Suddenly its eyes went green, then faded back to their original color.

“As far as he’s concerned, the last hour never happened.” She fixed the smaller Changeling with an even, unemotional gaze.

“Release him, let him complete his journey. We shall thin the ranks of Equestria’s military with cunning, rather than force.”

The last thing the Changeling saw before closing the doors behind him was the queen’s sharp, gleaming teeth curved up in the most disturbing smile he’d ever seen.

Author's Note

Sorry about the delay on this one- it was a long chapter that I just had to get right, and flying IRL made balancing time tricky. My apologies to those who were waiting for this chapter. As you've seen by now, though, the real meat of the story is finally here. I'm doing what I love- war fiction. So hang on- the story only gets deeper from here!

The Kingdom

Nimbus rolled over on the rough cot as rays of sunlight danced across his face. The sunlight wasn’t comforting; it meant that he’d somehow managed to get through the night without a wink of sleep. Every time he felt he could fall asleep, he heard the screams… he could see the bodies floating in the ocean, and his heart began to race. Every beat felt pronounced to him; he counted them, measured their intensity, and this deep thought would lead him back to what had happened out at sea that day, up to the arrival of the Griffons.

The previous evening hadn’t been eventful. They’d made landfall before night, and the Griffons led them to a small encampment near the beach. Nimbus hardly remembered it, given the state his mind was in at the time. He’d been directed to a small tent where he was supposed to have fallen asleep. Obviously that plan hadn’t worked so well either. Eventually his body would shut down, but as long as he unconsciously fought sleep, he’d have to deal with the lack of rest.

Seeing the sun he sat up, yawning softly. Opposite him was Storm Runner’s cot. The Pegasus was awake too, simply staring out the open tent flap. Taking a deep breath, Nimbus spoke.

“Couldn’t sleep, huh?”

Storm Runner turned his head slightly, just enough to acknowledge Nimbus’s presence.

“Not with you tossing and turning around last night. And to be honest, probably couldn’t have anyway. I can’t… I just…”

“Can’t process it, can you?” Nimbus said, stepping down from his own cot and stretching.

Storm Runner shook his head. “I don’t understand. We’ve been in combat before, Nimbus. We’ve seen ponies die before, so why was this time so different?”

“I dunno,” Nimbus confessed, lifting the tent flap open a bit more to let the sunlight in, “honestly, I think it was just the sheer brutality of it all; those ships… those lives were wiped out in an instant, and no one seemed to bat an eyelid.”

He turned back to his cot and grabbed his flight suit. Covered in ash and traces of blood, it was a grim reminder of the previous day. He had nothing else to represent Equestria in, however, so this was his best option. Storm, too, was putting his own suit on.

“Look, Nimbus-” Storm Runner hesitated. Nimbus’s ears perked up; perhaps this was the speech he’d been waiting for.

“I know I’ve been kind of a jerk, and there are still issues I need to deal with about our past, but right now- there are bigger things on the horizon. Those Griffons that attacked us- that was an act of war, not some simple defensive measure. They knew we were coming, and they tried their best to wipe us off the map. Divided, you and I can’t take the fight to them. But together, at least for now, we can make them pay for everything they’ve done.”

There was an unhealthy gleam in Storm’s gaze that unsettled Nimbus, but his words seemed to make sense. He watched as the stallion approached him and extended a hoof.

“Truce?” he said with a faint smile on his face. Nimbus returned the gesture. It wasn’t the words he’d been hoping for, but it was certainly close enough.

“Truce,” he agreed, then straightened up his flight suit as best he could.

“Nimbus, Storm!”

Nimbus opened the tent flap completely. Starburst was running towards them, looking frantically around.

“Sir?” Nimbus responded, stepping out of the tent as Storm Runner followed.

Starburst stopped in front of the two, panting. “Good, you’re awake.”

“Any news from Canterlot sir?” Storm asked, before the squad commander could speak first.

“No,” Starburst shook his head, “but with what happened, I think we can only expect one inevitable response.”

The ponies nodded as Starburst continued. “But that’s not important at the moment. I need both of you ready to go-” he looked each of them up and down briefly, eyes darting over their uniforms, “-good enough I suppose. Commander Eier, the Griffon who met us yesterday, wants to meet face to face. I suspect he may also have a job for us.”

“..Sir?” Nimbus asked, “aren’t we forbidden from doing anything until a formal declaration of war is received?”

Starburst winked, “I guess we’ll see about that.”

Without another question, the ponies stepped out into the camp, following their commander, and for the first time Nimbus had a good view of where he actually was. They weren’t far from the seashore, and from here, Nimbus could even see the Equestrian fleet sitting just offshore. The beach ended only a few feet away from the camp’s edge, and the camp itself was nothing short of amazing. It was massive; rows upon rows of tents were set up in neat lines, occasionally divided by a much larger tent between them. As they set off, Nimbus kept his head on a swivel, drinking in the scenery. Griffons walked about, some paying them no notice, but others looking at them as if they were alien, foreign, which- Nimbus realized- they were. He’d never actually seen one on the ground before, and looking at them now, he could see how they’d held up their warrior reputation for so long. Their stature alone was intimidating; each one was far bigger than the average pony. Some of them seemed to glare as he walked past, and Nimbus consciously shivered.

Another curious point he took note of was a strange, almost foul smell wafting out from between the tents. He caught the scent of smoke mixed with it, leading him to believe that he was smelling some kind of food, though what exactly it was escaped him. Hopefully this stay wouldn’t force him to eat local cuisine, but he supposed at least humoring them by trying it was worth a shot.

Starburst turned and entered a large tent with two Griffons by the flaps. Both Griffons snapped to attention as the ponies walked past, then closed the flaps behind them. Nimbus turned his eyes back forward, then started to snap to attention. It was Commander Eier, now resplendent in his own, decorated flight uniform.

“At ease,” the Griffon said quickly, before the ponies could complete their movement. Eier gestured towards a cluster of chairs on the other side of his desk, “please- have a seat.”

Nimbus took his seat carefully, unsure still of how exactly Griffon customs worked. Not sure how formal his situation was, he eventually settled on a sitting position somewhere halfway between attention and rest. Eier held up a claw.

“Relax, ponies. You’ve had a rough journey.”

“With all due respect, sir,” Starburst spoke, leaning forward in his chair, “we won’t relax until something is done about our fallen.”

Eier nodded. “Yes, the attack yesterday. My sympathies extend to you and your comrades, soldier. While I know there is nothing we can provide you with that will ever compensate for their loss, I can assure you that we are doing our best to ensure that those responsible pay dearly for their actions.”

“Has no word been received from Canterlot?” Starburst pressed, keeping the conversation on track. Eier shook his head solemnly.
“No, we’ve received nothing since you checked earlier.”

“Damn,” the Captain whispered under his breath.

“There was, of course, that little… thing you and I talked about earlier,” Eier said, nodding to Starburst, “if you are indeed so sure that your Princesses will provide help to our cause.”

“With all due respect, sir,” Starburst said, a raising his voice a little, “it’s not even a question of if they’ll send help at this point. It’s a question of when. Half our fleet was wiped out- they’ll take notice of that.”

“Of course.” The Griffon stroked his beak, sizing up Nimbus and Storm Runner, “you two must be the Captain’s proteges. Awfully quiet, I must say. Surely you’re not curious about who I am?”

“Commander Eier, sir,” Storm Runner replied quickly, with a promptness that even managed to make the steely-eyed Griffon raise an eyebrow.

“Well, no question of who I am then- perhaps you wish to know why you’re here? Why I singled out your commander for what I have to say next over some other squad?”

“Actually… yes sir,” Nimbus spoke up. Eier fixed his eyes upon him and stood, pacing around the tent.

“Good, good. I want you to ask questions- this isn’t a formal military meeting here. I’m trying to build some trust between us. Ask away if there’s ever anything else you want to know. As I said before, I spoke with your commanding officer this morning. He shared with me his- and I’d assume by extention your- feelings about the attack on your fleet yesterday. While you can’t officially do anything until you have word from the crown, there is still one way we can get you up and moving as soon as possible.”

Curiosity registered on Nimbus’s face, but Storm Runner was the one to speak first.

“How?”

Eier didn’t answer right away. Instead he shifted a few papers around on his desk, bringing out a map of the Griffon Kingdom.

“This is us,” he said, pointing to a spot on the northeastern coastline. “And this-” he moved his talon just slightly inland, “is the town of Lak, which we were forced out of almost two weeks ago. Everything you see on this beach is what remains of the main resistance force here in the Northeast. We were once the biggest single force in the country, so they swept down on us hard. Now we’re all that’s left. If we don’t take Lak back, the Kingdom will start deploying reinforcements there, to stage one last offensive. If they succeed, our cause is done, and we can hardly start waiting around for royal orders and reinforcements.”

He let out a long sigh, and rubbed his forehead, tired. “There is but one way for you to get up into the air as soon as possible, but you won’t like it. Remove the Windigo name, fly with my squadron, and we can begin aerial operations as soon as you’re ready to go.”

“Sir?” Storm said, shocked. The Griffon didn’t answer, and Starburst simply nodded.

“Sir, the Windigo name is our standard,” Nimbus added quickly, “not being able to carry it into battle-”

“Is the price you’ll pay if you want to fly with us now. We can’t have Equestrian forces operating outside of orders. But volunteer forces… that’s another matter entirely. You’ll have the name back when you return to Equestria of course. For now, though, you will fly under Gheist squadron. Do we have an agreement?”

The three ponies looked to one another, each daring the other to say yes. Everypony was thinking the same thing- that it was a small price to pay to be back in action- but nopony wanted to be the first to cast off the Windigo name. Finally Starburst spoke up.

“We’ll do it,” he said.

“Excellent. I have a reconnaissance op planned tonight which I’ll brief you on later. For now- come with me. I’d like to give you a tour of our camp, and personally welcome you to our country the way you should’ve been welcomed.”

Eier stood abruptly, motioning for the ponies to stand as well. As Nimbus followed him out of the tent, he stole one last look at the Griffon’s desk. To his amazement, it was covered in displays, bearing coins and awards. This wasn’t some low-class schmuck publicly elected to lead a squadron- this Griffon was a hero.

“Excuse me,” he asked timidly as they stepped out into the muddy lane between tents, “Commander Eier-”

The Griffon turned his head, his stride unrelenting, “yes, Aviator?”

Nimbus cleared his throat, “I, uh, couldn’t help but notice… you served, didn’t you?”

Eier fixed his eyes forward, silent for a moment. For a few brief seconds, all the ponies heard was his regimented steps and his shallow breaths, clouding the morning air. Finally, as they exited the tents, he turned to them.

“I was a soldier, one of the Kingdom’s Aviators. Just before the revolts happened, I was transferred to a command position. By then, talk had already started about overthrowing the old monarchy and implementing a democracy. As an Aviator, my nationalistic pride vastly overshadowed any feelings of doubt that could have formed, but behind a desk… behind my desk I began to think. When the first blows were struck, when the revolutionaries were met by violence, I left my post for good. I traveled east, protecting convoys and refugees as the violence escalated, then stopped at the town of Lak, our old headquarters. They overran the town and, well, you know where that leaves us.”

He turned his gaze back inland, wistfully eyeing the gray-green horizon. “I’ll return to my home one day,” he whispered, “now that you’re here, that goal will be closer than ever.”

Turning once more, he headed downhill, towards the beach. A fog bank partially covered the fleet, shrouding the ships in a way that chilled Nimbus; to him they looked like ghost ships, perhaps drifting over the ocean in search of some unwary ponies for unknown purposes. He quickly squashed these thoughts before his mind could wander more, focusing on the smaller boats headed out to the fleet, probably with supplies.

“That’s our fleet,” Eier commented, pointing to the boats, “so you can imagine why we were grateful for the arrival of a much larger naval power. Rumor has it there’s a larger force south of us, but we simply don’t know. Communications are bad, and the resistance is scattered. Once we take Lak, our focus needs to be on reestablishing communication with our allies and pushing inland.”

Now Nimbus understood just how bad things had become, and despite his overwhelming sadness for the losses the ponies suffered, he found himself moved by the Griffons’ plight. For the last few months, he’d been living a relatively cushy life back in Equestria, blissfully unaware of the gravity of what was going on overseas, save for a few newspaper articles and the occasional patrol. When the Griffons attacked the day Cloudsplitter went down, it was an eye-opener for him.

He found himself wondering, then, what he would have done if the same situation had arisen in his own country. The Griffon Resistance was a bunch of rebels; back home they would have been branded as traitors, not unlike the Awakening situation not long ago. Still, he reminded himself, some differences were still present. While he couldn’t speak for their actions yet, he was almost certain he’d heard nothing about the Resistance committing any acts of terror, or directly trying to assassinate the current ruler. As far as he knew, the government had struck first. If the same had happened back home, who would he have sided with?

“Storm,” he whispered to his friend as Eier moved on, taking them back in the direction of the camp, “I’ve been thinking- what if this happened back home? Who’d you have sided with?”

The blue Pegasus wrinkled his nose as he digested the question. Deep thinking wasn’t something he was fond of, and truth be told, he wasn’t so sure he wanted to know the answer anyway.

“Uh, if I’m honest, probably the royal sisters’ side. We kinda swore an oath and all.”

“To country, not to royalty,” Nimbus pointed out, “but still- would’ve been pretty hard to just throw that aside if you knew what you fought for was right. Kinda builds a new respect for these Griffons, doesn’t it?”

Storm Runner frowned. Not exactly what Nimbus was expecting, but he’d also forgotten that the Pegasus’s father had served in the brutal war against the Griffons only a few decades ago. This, too, brought a new thought to Nimbus’s mind- they were right now walking on a beach that had probably already seen its share of fighting. Perhaps older hooves had trampled this very sand. His imagination ran wild, picturing countless ponies from older days forming up in columns, assembling rank and file and eager for blood. The fight to push the Griffons out of Equestria those many years ago had almost ended in a counter-invasion, or so he’d been told. Only the mercy of the sisters had prevented it. How differently today might have turned out if they hadn’t held back…

Through all of this Eier plowed on, directing the ponies past a flattened grass strip being used as a temporary airfield, past a guarded tent being used as an armory, and around a wide common area in which several Griffons were passing the time mingling with one another, or sharing worried, hushed conversations. Nimbus made a mental note of this location in particular. Social skills weren’t his strong suit, but making friends with the Griffons who would soon be his allies was something he’d have to get used to. Finally, Eier had them sit down in a large tent he identified as the mess hall. As the ponies took their seats opposite the Commander, Nimbus caught a strong whiff of the foul smell from before, and made a conscious effort not to appear too disgusted in front of his host.

Eier glanced over at a table full of Griffons nearby. There were four of them, all in all, and they seemed to recognize the commander.

“Gheist,” Eier called over to them, “won’t you join us for a meal? These are our new squadmates.”

Mystery solved then. Some of the Griffons looked cheery enough- or as cheery, Nimbus supposed, as one could be whose home had just been taken from them. One, however, scowled at the ponies. Still, Nimbus just made a note to steer clear of him for the time being and concentrated on a white female Griffon who sat down next to him.

“Greetings, Pony,” she said with a warm smile, “the name’s Greta.”

“Nimbus,” Nimbus said, mustering up a grin and extending a hoof. Greta took and shook it enthusiastically, and Nimbus winced as he felt her sharp talons. Strong hoofshake indeed. The others were talking amongst themselves for the moment, so Nimbus decided to try to make some small talk; admittedly not something he considered himself to be good at.

“You’re, um…” he slowed himself down, not wanting to say something dumb and shoot himself in the hoof. He caught a glance at the Griffon’s strange, circular ranks and latched on immediately.

“Oh, forgive me, ma’am,” Nimbus stammered, “I may be very out of line.”

The look Greta skewered him with was one of confusion, and Nimbus felt his heart drop at her words. “Out of line, eh? Go on…”

Nimbus gulped, then looked back at the ranks on her collar.

“Well, ma’am, I don’t know your rank. I don’t know how to properly address you!”

The look changed from sheer dumbfoundedness to a complete deadpan. Nimbus had almost given up hope when the Griffon held up a claw to her beak; failing to hold in her laugh, she rocked forward, slapping Nimbus on the shoulder. The impact hurt and he winced, but he hardly cared.

“What… did I do something wrong, uh, ma’am?”

“No!” she shook her head, staring down at the table as her chuckles subsided, “no Nimbus, not at all. You do remember we’re not an officially-recognized military force, right?”

“We do still have a rank hierarchy, Major,” Geier said dully from across the table, “and since we’re on the subject, why don’t you explain it to our guest?”

Greta sighed, “yes sir.” When she turned back to Nimbus he found himself rooted in place by something he’d never seen before- her eyes. They were a vibrant shade of green, almost alive with dancing, flickering little shades as they fixated themselves upon him. How had he not noticed this before? He was so transfixed by the Griffon’s eyes that he only half-heard her speech to him.

“-and then obviously I’m a Major, as you heard. Actually, our ranking is very similar to that of your own Equestrian form.”

The sudden silence snapped Nimbus back to reality. He found himself on the receiving end of a painfully condescending smile from Greta.

“Shall I repeat myself, Lieutenant?”

Nimbus blinked, recoiling slightly. “uh, no. That’s okay ma’am. You’re a major, then? What would you like me to call you? I’m only a First Lieutenant myself.”

“I’d expect you to see me as an equal, Lieutenant. My opinion remains resolute. Call me Greta or embarrass me with ‘ma’am’ every time we meet. The choice is yours.

A Griffon walked by, placing a few dishes on the table. The ponies’ plates all had small salads on them, but the Griffons, in addition to a few vegetables, also had some grey lumps of something Nimbus had never seen before. He wrinkled his nose at the smell, and Greta noticed this.

“What’s the matter?” she grinned, “never see meat before?”

“M- meat?” Nimbus stammered, “you mean that’s… that’s from an animal?”

Greta dug in wolfishly, tearing the brownish-grey meat to shreds with her sharp beak, a look of bliss on her face. It was all Nimbus could do to focus on his own food and try to keep it down.

“Yeah,” Greta said, running her tongue across her beak, obviously enjoying the impact her actions had on poor Nimbus. “And it is dee-licious.”

Nimbus stared back down at his own cold salad, stomach turning over. Here he was, miles overseas with the Windigo name dissolved, his mood low, and to top it off, he was in the company of carnivores.

Guess it’s what I signed up for, he thought to himself as he took a bite of his salad and tried to avoid thinking about the squelching and tearing sound coming from his companion as she ate her own lunch.

…

The three ponies and four Griffons sat huddled together in Eier’s tent. A small fire blazed just outside, but it hardly helped as the breeze from the ocean, chilled by the night air, whistled into their midst. As soon as night fell they’d been summoned. It was to be Nimbus’s first sortie on the Griffon continent, and despite his exhaustion, he was looking forward to getting back at the Griffons in any way possible, however small.

“Right, let’s get this briefing started,” Eier said, rolling a large map down on a blackboard. “You’re all familiar by now with Lak. It sits just twenty-seven miles west of us, and it’s currently an extended ops post for old government soldiers. They mean to wipe us out in a few weeks’ time. In order to ensure that doesn’t happen, we’ll be retaking it as soon as the Equestrian princesses give their troops the go-ahead. Now you all met Windigo squadron-”

The Griffons looked over the ponies, exchanging a few brief nods and making eye contact with one another, “-and as of now, they’re with us. I expect full hospitality towards them, as we’ll soon be watching each others’ backs in the sky. Anyway, I received word that Lak received a new batch of reinforcements a few days ago. Our mission is to scout out Lak’s defenses. From there, we can decide how best to approach its liberation.”

Greta raised a claw and Eier nodded to her.

“Will we be armed, sir?” she asked.

“At this point, we’re no longer conducting unarmed flights,” Eier replied, “the risk is far too great. All of us will be armed for this mission, but shots will not be fired unless I give the go-ahead, understood?”

All of the Aviators in the room either nodded or gave a “yes sir” as an affirmative.

“We’ll be going in below madar, through the Ruar canyon formation. Stick close to each other, fly the predetermined path, and we’ll be fine. Suit up and meet at the flight line in one zero minutes. Dismissed.”

Nimbus stood, marching eagerly over to Storm.

“Just like back at College!” he whispered, “remember that canyon run?” He stopped, wincing as he remembered that Sun Blaze, Storm’s traitorous marefriend, had also sortied on that particular exercise. Surprisingly, however, Storm cooly nodded.

“Yeah, just like that run. Only this time we won’t be in the fog. Piece of cake.”

Or so one would hope, anyway. The night was clear, almost cloudless, and while those conditions were great for flying, they were less than ideal for a recce run. Visibility was almost certainly greater than ten miles, which meant that if the ponies were close enough to see the town, the guards posted there wouldn’t have much trouble seeing them either. Nimbus had a feeling a quick escape would probably be imperative tonight.

When he reached his tent, Nimbus wasted no time in suiting up. He still hadn’t had the time to get his flight suit washed or repaired, so it likely wouldn’t be as aerodynamic or tough as usual. He wouldn’t be able to take as many hits as before, at least. He and Storm both put their helmets on, then gave a quick comm check. Before heading out, Nimbus took one more look back at the tent. It was likely they’d survive this mission, but then again- this was war. Nothing was certain anymore.

I’ll be coming back, Whirly. Count on it.

He had to come back for his little brother. This was indisputable. No, the hostile skies of the Griffon Kingdom would not claim his life. From this point on, he was resolute. He had a promise to keep back home. He’d welcome danger, embrace it even, but nothing would keep him down. With a long sigh, he turned away and set his eyes on Storm.

“Let’s get back at ‘em,” he said simply.

Storm nodded in reply- nothing more needed to be said- and the two walked off into the night, two Aviators in a hostile, foreign world.

…

“Tia, awaken please.”

“Tia?”

“Tia, art thou awake?”

“Celestia, please wake up!”

At the mention of her formal name and the tone with which it was delivered, Celestia’s eyes immediately snapped open, and she found herself face-to-face with her sister, Luna.

“Luna?” she whispered groggily, “I’ve just gone to bed. What is it?”

“It’s the Griffons,” the dark Alicorn replied, “we received word from our fleet half an hour ago.”

Luna passed Celestia Color Splash’s report as she quickly climbed out of bed. Celestia’s eyes darted over the page furiously, and when she looked back up at Luna, her eyes seemed full of fire and sadness.

“How many are left?”

Luna shook her head, “we know not- only what was reported in the statement.”

Celestia stopped in front of her stained-glass window, regarding the night with a cool, emotionless stare. Suddenly she whirled around and planted her hoof squarely into the floor. Fire flared up from her mane and her eyes glowed a deep crimson. Luna jumped back, afraid, but held her ground. She’d seen this before- in herself so many years ago.

“We played right into their clutches!” Celestia snarled, “everything they said- everything I ignored… the warning signs were all there! We knew something was up ever since the attack on Windigo, but even so I sent those ships… I sent them straight into Tartarus itself.”

“Celestia,” Luna said evenly, “calm thyself. Thou did not act alone. We are equally responsible for this turn of events. But now we must consider swifter, stronger action. This attack was an act-”

“Of war,” Celestia finished, panting as the flames around her died out. “Yes, Luna. That it was. But I can’t… I just can’t do this again.”

“Again, sister? I don’t-”

Celestia trotted to Luna, resting a hoof on her shoulder. “Just over twenty years before your return, Luna, the Griffons tried to invade our homeland. We pushed them back, even staged a counterinvasion, but in that time… we lost so many. And I felt each loss as if it were my own family. I can’t do that again, can’t you see?”

Taking Celestia’s hoof in her own, Luna turned her sister towards the door and led her out and down the staircase.

“We never knew,” she said, awestruck, “why did thou not tell us?”

“Because I thought you’d find out yourself one day” Celestia confessed, magically lighting the torches they passed by. It never ceased to amaze her how her sister could find her way up these stairs in the dark, but- then again- she was the princess of the night.

“I was too ashamed to tell you of my mistakes- I thought I could spare myself the pain. How foolish I was.”

“But we won,” Luna countered, “and that was not a mistake, sister. That was thine planning and the spirit of our populace.” They approached the throne room door, and suddenly Celestia knew where Luna was taking her. She’d feared it above all else, but she also knew, as Luna knew, that by now there was no further choice in the matter.

“We’re going to need that planning and spirit again,” Luna added, pushing the doors open. The guards on either side snapped to attention and Luna dismissed them with a curt wave. “And whether we like it or not, sister, we don’t have much choice in the matter anymore.”

“We must declare war.” Celestia nodded, eyes blurred and distant. Luna saw the pain in that gaze and knew that she’d have to choose her words carefully.

“We know thou hast witnessed the horrors of war before, sister, and we regret that thou will have to face them again. However this time, thou shalt not be alone. We will be here as well. It’s like thou said- from now on, we’ll never be apart.”

Philomena, the royal phoenix, flew down from the rafters, cooing softly as he perched on Celestia’s outstretched wing. Their eyes locked for a solemn moment, and Celestia dipped her head once.

“Of course, Luna. You’re right. So it shall be, then. Prepare a draft, sister. We have a declaration to make.”

…

While Nimbus would never have admitted this out loud, the so-called Ruar Canyon Formation was laughable thus far. The walls on either side, beautiful as they were, were also far apart, and less than a hundred feet high, if he had to guess- nothing like flying through the Unicorn Range back home. What they lacked in complexity, however, they more than made up for in beauty.

When Eier had initially brought up the formation earlier, Nimbus had felt as if he’d heard about it somewhere before, when it hit him- this was one of the Griffon Kingdom’s hottest landmarks, and now, flying through it, he understood why. Many small waterfalls dotted the top of the canyon, and below him he could clearly see walkways and viewing platforms. The water fell from above, creating a shimmering mist in the canyon that reflected the light of the moon beautifully. It was the perfect cover. Yet the sight of the now-abandoned tourist paths below was also an odd disconnect for Nimbus. Months ago, they would probably have been jam-packed with happy, awestruck visitors, but now they were just the backdrop, more scenery to look at as they crept closer to Lak.

Nimbus focused back on his HUD. He was holding a steady two hundred feet calculated AGL, and trailing just behind and to the right of Eier. The Griffons made up the front line of the formation, with the ponies just behind them, and Nimbus was pleased to note that they were having no trouble at all maintaining a nice, compact formation.

“Look sharp,” Eier radioed, “Lak’s coming up just ahead. I’ll go ahead and pop up over the canyon walls and have a look. Once it’s clear, you may follow me.”

Eier dipped his wings to the left. then climbed up and over the squadron. Nimbus tracked him as he rose slowly and steadily up to the top of the canyon. Then, very gently, he leveled off and poked his head above the ridge. Rocks raced by on either side, but the moment was a calm one. Nodding to himself, Eier was about to go down when his head snapped to the right suddenly. He seemed fixated on something on the other side of the canyon. Slowly he slunk back down to the squadron, falling back in perfectly.

“Interesting,” he said, regarding the ponies behind him. “Lak hasn’t changed much, but they’ve added a few long-range cannons on the walls. A few more baracks outside the city too- but there’s something else I noticed; Equestrians- how would you like a little early payback?”

The Pegasi looked to one another, confused, but Eier spared them the trouble of deciding what to say.

“Hang on, I’m updating your target displays.”

A moment later, a small, green target circle appeared on the corner of Nimbus’s display. He turned his head, tracking it. The target was just to his right and heading towards Lak. They were far closer to it then the town- was Eier going to strike it?

“That’s a supply wagon of some sort,” Eier said, watching the target himself, “not sure what it’s carrying, but it could be useful to us- weapons, maps, documents… I don’t see any harm in taking it, so if you want in, just say so.”

Storm Runner wasted no time. “Roger Gheist lead- I’ll follow you.”

“Gheist Five, Affirmative,” Nimbus added. Starburst relented, giving his own consent, and Eier started a climb.

“Okay, once we clear the canyon, it’s full speed to the target location. We hit it fast, we hit it hard, we take no prisoners. Clear?”

Nimbus’s heart was racing as the canyon’s edge drew nearer. This wasn’t defense. This was his first offensive action in what was by now a very real war. He was going to attack someone without provocation. He almost turned around then and there, but he remembered the fire, smoke, and screams, and remembered the last words of his friend, Color Splash.

You make them pay for what they’ve done here.

It was so very personal now.

The squadron cleared the canyon and immediately shifted to high speed flight. Nimbus started pumping his wings, drawing quick breaths as he watched the airspeed indicator on his HUD creep upwards. Around him, he heard the telltale crackling of the squad’s CAL-2s (or whatever he supposed the Griffon equivalent was) charging up and arming. The caravan was dead ahead- a small, covered wagon pulled by two armored Griffons.

“In range in three, two, one- fire! Cut them down!”

The green ring around the target turned red and Nimbus lined his pipper up with it. He felt the weapon on his shoulder buzz as it unleashed a flurry of blue rounds downrange. On the ground, the Griffons started running, trying to make it to the safety of the town, but both parties knew it was no use. The squadron banked, leading the target with the attack, and both Griffons fell twitching to the countryside. As they passed over the now wrecked wagon, Nimbus looked down at the broken forms of his enemies below. They hadn’t seen them coming, and outside of war, this would’ve been murder. He was surprised, then, to find that he felt a bit of satisfaction at his work. These weren’t the Griffons that decimated his fleet, but it was certainly a start. The squad made one more slow pass, and then Eier circled around to land. As the others alighted on the moonlit grass, Eier slid his visor up.

“Well, let’s have a look,” he said, climbing up into the back of the wagon. Nimbus could see Storm Runner with a strange sneer on his face as he stared at the bodies of the Griffons, and he shivered. The thought of what he- what both of them were becoming was still startling, but he knew it was something they’d just have to deal with in the coming days. From inside the wagon, the ponies could hear the sounds of muffled speech and the occasional thump. Then Eier returned.

“Well, it’s hardly going to win the war…” he said with a sigh.

Confused, Nimbus and the others followed him to the back of the wagon, where they each had a look inside. When it was Nimbus’s turn, he realized why Eier had been so confused. On either side of the wagon’s interior was a line of shelves. And on those now disheveled shelves was a vast array of ornately decorated cakes and other pastries. The mark on the outside was that of the Griffon Army, so why was the wagon carrying something as trivial as this? Then it hit him- no escorts, two barely armed pullers, and the cargo- it must have been for an event of some kind. Evidently Greta came to this conclusion too.

“What if someone’s arriving in Lak soon?” she offered, grabbing a carefully-wrapped cupcake, “I mean suppose some general’s going to show up- maybe this was for his welcoming banquet?”

“Good point,” Starburst agreed, “I can’t see any other reason we’d be intercepting a pastry wagon traveling under the cover of darkness. Do they really think they’re that close to victory.”

“That’s why you’re here,” Eier responded, taking one last look around the wagon, “this was a pastry wagon to be sure, but this is also our first kill- our first act of revenge. Next time, we’ll hit something a bit more dear to them…” he looked back at the food and a wry smile worked its way across his beak. “For now, bring whatever you want back, I suppose. No reason for us to let this food go to waste.”

Nimbus had to agree, making sure to grab a satchel of cookies and sling it over his back. Tonight’s target may have been small potatoes, and it would hardly turn the tide of anything, but at least the rewards were instantaneous.

Besides, he confided in himself, and mentally kicked himself for what he was about to think, revenge had never tasted quite this sweet before.

…

When the squadron landed (in perfect coordination, Nimbus happily noted) a Pegasus from another squadron was waiting for them by the side of the strip. Seeing him, Eier turned to Starburst.

“Dismissed for now, have your ponies come by my tent in thirty minutes for debrief. I assume you’ll want to hear what this pony has to say.”

“Yes sir,” Starburst nodded, gathering Nimbus and Storm Runner by him. The Griffons congregated, then headed together back to Eier’s tent. The Pegasus waiting for the ponies looked tired, and held a scroll.

“That’s what I think it is, isn’t it?” Starburst said quietly.

The Pegasus nodded. “I can read it if you’d-”

“No,” Storm Runner cut him off, “we know what it says. And it’s about damn time, too.”

A sound somewhat like a “humph” could be heard from the Pegasus as he opened the scroll. “Yeah, Aviators, it’s official now. War’s been declared on the Griffon Kingdom. We’re getting reinforcements soon. For now, we’re to do what we can to help the rebels.”

“Sun and Moon guide us,” Nimbus whispered, the gravity of the declaration not lost on him. The Pegasus frowned, eyes on the inland horizon.

“You got that right, Aviator. Sun and Moon guide us all…”

Prologue

War is the food of nations. Throughout history, conflict has taught us one thing- that regardless of who the victor is, both sides come out stronger. In the early days of Equestria, after the Great Vanishing when the Alicorn Kingdom fell, the Griffons had their eyes set on the lush continent that would eventually become Equestria. Perhaps it was the country’s abundant natural resources, or the vast wealth that lay buried beneath the ruins of the Alicorns’ once mighty kingdom that attracted them, or maybe their interest was as simple as their domineering nature. Whatever the case may have been, the Griffons watched while the Alicorns faded from existence, watched as the strange new creatures called Changelings spread across the land, led on in search of the few Alicorns that had managed to survive the destruction of their home, and watched as the Changelings one day fell dormant, leaving the land to a fledgeling race- the ponies.

Since that day, the Griffons sought to take Equestria, and claim it as their own. It was by sheer fortune that the three pony races were able to unite so quickly, for it wasn’t long before the Griffons arrived on the Equestrian shores. In those days, ponies had yet to spread throughout the continent, and when the Griffons finally encountered them, they met crushing defeat at the hooves of Commander Hurricane and her forces. As the ponies drove their aggressors back, new lands were discovered, and Equestria was settled and fortified all the way to the east coast. In a way, the Griffon invasion had only strengthened the country. Attempts were made continuously to break the ponies’ coastal defenses, but none were successful.

It wasn’t until the banishment of Princess Luna that a second serious attempt at invasion was made. An ambassador from the Griffon Kingdom offering his “condolences” to Princess Celestia proved to be an assassin in disguise, but the Princess quickly dispatched him, once again foiling the hostile nation’s plans. Tensions grew between the two nations until finally reaching a boiling point just three decades before Luna’s return. On one foggy morning, the Griffon armada sailed into Manehattan bay, opening fire indiscriminately, and laying waste to both the harbor and the waterside facilities in the city. The country was devastated. Following Celestia’s declaration of war, the ponies rallied to defend their nation against the first true invasion the country had faced for millennia. The battle was long and bloody, but after four years of fighting, the Great Griffon War, as it came to be called, ended with the Griffon surrender at Baltimare. Bloodied, exhausted, and humiliated, the Griffons retreated to their homeland. Equestria was safe once more.

After the war, Equestria’s economy boomed. The many scientific advancements made during the war were slowly applied to the civilian market, and soon electronics, medicine, and transportation were all on the rise. Equestria not only survived the war; it flourished in its wake. Even the Griffons, it seemed, had grown tired of fighting. Leaders from both sides met frequently to discuss treaties, and travel was encouraged between nations. For the Griffons, however, memories of defeat were difficult to abandon. For some, Equestria was still that jewel on the horizon- barely out of reach. Before long, both nations were on edge again, this time waging a “cold war” with one another. Militaries raced to outperform one another, and units made ready to fight again should the need arise. Nopony wanted another war, and one day it became obvious that there were those in the Griffon Kingdom that felt the same. On that day, communications between Equestria and the Griffons ceased. Word reached the ponies that civil war had erupted on the Griffon continent. Ponies waited with baited breath for the outcome, but no news reached them. Equestria made clear its policy of isolation in foreign matters, and stayed clear, but observant ponies knew it was only a matter of time before something snapped. One way or another, war would come to Equestria, and this time, nopony was sure what the outcome might be.

Farewell to Equestria

It wasn’t hard for Nimbus to guess why he’d been called into Starburst’s office before the rays of Celestia’s sun had even touched the sky. Quite frankly, he would have been more surprised if he’d been given the day off, but with what had happened recently, he highly doubted that was possible, and wouldn’t have accepted leave anyway. Now Windigo was minus one soldier, and much worse for wear as a result. Never had the ponies stationed here appeared so tired. Very few even spoke anymore; the Colonel’s death had touched almost everypony. Starburst, it could be said, was taking it the worst of all. He refused to move to the Squadron Commander’s office after receiving the position. “It’s too soon,” he’d said quietly before turning away and leaving his superiors. He was truly a defeated pony, yet today, when Nimbus greeted him and Starburst had ordered Storm Runner and himself to be seated, he saw something else, too. The pain was still there, of course, but there was fire, too- pent-up rage directed at those who had killed his friend. So again, why was he here? Nimbus was quite sure he knew the answer: revenge.

Now, though, Nimbus wasn’t quite so sure what was going on. He and Storm had been sitting together, awkwardly trying to avoid eye contact for the last five minutes while Starburst pored over what looked like orders. With every twitch of his eyes, the stallion seemed to grow more agitated. Just as Nimbus began to wonder whether or not his commanding officer was going over the orders again, the stallion raised his head to meet the gazes of Storm and himself.

“So,” he said slowly, “the First, Second, and Third Expeditionary Forces set sail this afternoon for the Griffon Kingdom. As you might imagine, that just so happens to include us.”

Storm Runner cleared his throat, “I’d have it no other way. After what happened to Colonel Cloudsplitter…”

“Indeed,” Starburst nodded, “the higher-ups acted more quickly than I thought they would. Evidently they understand the seriousness of this matter.”

“And we’re part of the Second, are we not?” Nimbus added, “so we’re deploying as well?” Even as the words left his mouth, he wasn’t sure why he was saying them. He wanted to avenge Cloudsplitter as much as the next pony, but going overseas… he knew that his family was prepared, but Whirlwind- Whirly wouldn’t take this easily.

“Well, that’s where things get a bit different for us,” Starburst winced, shifting in his chair; now the whole truth would be revealed. Whatever had made Starburst uncomfortable was about to be heard by all. Nimbus braced for the worst.

“We have a choice,” Starburst said simply, “we can go or stay.”

Nimbus’s mouth dropped open in surprise and shock. It was the last thing he’d expected to hear. Here he was, mulling over the prospect of telling his younger brother he may never see him again, and now he had been suddenly presented with the chance to avoid doing so, to avoid this whole mess altogether.

“That’s not a choice at all,” Storm Runner said, barely above a whisper as he leaned closer, “and sir, I think you know that. Why would we just sit back here while-”

“And I don’t think you truly understand why we’re setting sail today,” Starburst said sharply, cutting the Lieutenant off, “perhaps you haven’t heard, but we’re not exactly marching off to war here. We are not to intervene with the Civil War in any way while we’re abroad, and quite frankly, I’m not sure we can do that. I want to see Cloudsplitter avenged as much as any of us, but threatening the already fragile stability between our nations is far from worth it.”

“But we have to strike them now!” Storm Runner countered, “while they’re weak and divided!”

Nimbus was startled at his old friend’s words. Not only were they born of arrogance and rage, they were completely nonsensical. The past few hours had taken their toll on him, it seemed.

“You forget your place, Lieutenant,” Starburst sighed, standing up from behind his desk, “you both have families; I think you can appreciate the need to keep potential enemies off our shores and away from them.”

“What does that have to do with-”

“It has everything to do with the matter at hoof,” Starburst cut off Storm Runner again, “I’m of half a mind to keep us back here regardless of what you two think, simply because I don’t want to be the pony that starts a two-front war!”

“Sir,” Nimbus said quickly, making sure to get his words in before Storm could derail the conversation any further, “Lieutenant Storm Runner speaks from stress and grief, something I think we’re all experiencing right now. While I may not agree with everything he’s said, I do believe that staying behind is the wrong course of action. For what it’s worth, you’d have my word that I won’t start anything. Storm’s too, right?” he looked questioningly over at the Pegasus scowling next to him.

“Right,” Storm Runner mumbled.

“And besides,” Nimbus continued, “it’s what Cloudsplitter would have wanted.”

At the mention of Cloudsplitter, Starburst’s face softened a bit. He blinked a few times, holding back what was quite possibly a tear, and swallowed. Nimbus was right, of course, but it wasn’t Nimbus that had him worried. Storm was out for blood now, and fully capable of jeopardizing this operation. He’d have to keep an eye on him.

“Right,” he said, “well, our decision’s supposed to be unanimous, and if I can’t convince either of you that this is a bad idea…” he turned to look out his office window, watching a group of Pegasi bank into the sunrise, “I suppose I’m with you. I’ll contact Coastal Defense Command and let them know we’re in. Since we’ve agreed, I need both of you at the docks in four hours with standard deployment gear. We’ll be sailing out with the Second Expeditionary Fleet. I’ll also take the liberty of contacting your families. If they can make it out here, I’m sure they’ll want to see you off.”

“Thank you,” Nimbus said, standing up, “will that be all sir?”

Starburst nodded. “Be punctual, be professional. Lieutenants, you are dismissed.”

It was all the ponies needed. They both saluted sharply, turned, and exited the room quickly and silently, both dealing with their own thoughts- thoughts of family, of revenge, and above all, thoughts of an uncertain future. As he watched Storm gain some distance ahead of him, Nimbus’s thoughts turned towards his old friend. Maybe now was the chance he’d been looking for to finally bury the past between them. .After all, he’d rather have a friend than a rival by his side overseas. It was hardly an opportune time, to be sure, but Nimbus had made his mind up; it was now or never.

“Hey Storm,” he called out as the Pegasus pushed open the door to the flightline. Storm Runner kept going, either oblivious or simply pretending to be. Nimbus persisted, pushing the door open and following him.

“Storm Runner,” he repeated with a bit more emphasis, “fellow classmate, wingpony, dare I even say old buddy? You listening?”

From behind, Nimbus saw Storm Runner stop, and then raise his head and drop his shoulders as if uttering a long, drawn-out exhale. Finally he turned to face Nimbus with tired eyes.

“What?”

Progress. Nimbus didn’t care what his rational side was saying to him right now; the fact that Storm Runner had even acknowledged his presence was progress. A bit of a stretch, perhaps, but it was a start. Baby steps, after all.

Nimbus cleared his throat. “Look, I know it’s a bad time, and it’s awkward to ask, but… are you- do you still…”

Storm Runner squinted his eyes at Nimbus as the Pegasus struggled to find the right words. Truth be told, he knew exactly what he was about to say. Some days he wanted to end it- to just go back to the way things were between the two of them, but it was hard to forget the startling revelation of last year. That Nimbus would lie about such a personal matter was simply unbelievable to him. Yes, he knew what Nimbus would ask, and he knew his answer. Still, he’d hear him out anyway. Might as well.

“Do I still what?” Storm Runner pressed, “out with it. We don’t have a lot of time here.”

“Well, I guess,” Nimbus shuffled his hooves, staring down at the tarmac below, “I guess what I meant was- is there a chance we might be able to put everything behind us? Perhaps even, I don’t know, be friends again?”

Storm bit his tongue at the prospect of saying something he might regret, and made a point to choose his words carefully. Nimbus wasn’t done paying yet; he could not show weakness.

“No,” he whispered, shaking his head, “no we cannot be friends again. Have you forgotten so easily why we distanced ourselves in the first place?”

“But that was a year ago!” Nimbus protested, “Storm, we’re going overseas, maybe even into battle. I want somepony I know by my side-”

“And I want somepony I can trust by my side, Nimbus!” Storm Runner barked, “and you betrayed that trust!”

Nimbus took a few steps back, shocked, though he couldn’t deny he’d been expecting this.

“How am I supposed to fly with somepony I can’t trust?” Storm Runner continued, “and why would you even dare to be the first to suggest becoming friends again? And right after we both watched our squadron leader die in front of our noses?! Nimbus…” he clenched his teeth, then relaxed his face, rubbing his eyes. “Nimbus, I need time. I need to know I won’t be betrayed again, and right now I’m not entirely convinced.” Before Nimbus could say anything in response, Storm turned his back on him.

“Now if there’s nothing else you wanted to say, I think we’re done here.”

There were hundreds of things Nimbus wanted to say, but none came to mind. All he could do was watch, his failure piercing his heart like an icy dagger, as his friend walked away again. This was it, then. Storm had turned away completely. Nimbus had hoped he’d have a friend overseas, in the event that things might ever get rough, but that clearly wasn’t going to happen. No, instead he’d be thousands of miles from home, surrounded by Griffons with one of the few ponies he’d ever called “friend” positively hating his guts.

It was going to be a long tour.

…

War was coming. Of this, Captain Ocean Echo had no doubt. It wasn’t that he could “feel it in his bones” or “smell it in the air,” like other captains around his age seemed fond of telling younger crewmates. The old sailors’ tales were just that- tales. In reality, any smart pony could see that conflict was inevitable. In the days leading up to the Great Griffon War, he’d seen the same things. Tension, skirmishes, “preventative troop deployment,” nothing had changed between then and now, and look what had happened then.

With a groan, the old Earth Pony stretched and leaned against the wall of his quarters. The Peregrine had been given to him almost four years ago, and to date, she still felt like a brand new ship. The oaken walls hadn’t lost their lustre yet, and the whole ship smelled fresh. Four years ago, he’d been planning on retiring from the Royal Equestrian Navy, believing himself done with sea battles, diplomatic missions, and exploration; this ship had convinced him otherwise. She was a full one hundred feet longer than Equestria’s former largest cruiser, outfitted with six cannons, four torpedo tubes, powered by steam, and bearing some of the finest armor available. Upon her maiden voyage, she was immediately designated the nation’s new flagship, and captaining her was a duty that never got old, or so Echo had once believed.

Now though, as he watched young, smiling faces board his vessel, he wasn’t so sure. He could still remember boarding a warship for the first time, taking his first steps towards command as he eagerly awaited the chance to prove his might against the invading Griffons decades ago. A lot of his friends that boarded that day with him bore the same sparkle in their eyes- the same, confident swagger in their steps. It was all a show; deep down, all of them were afraid, and for good reason. Many of those faces left the shore for the last time that day, and while he tried not to be cynical, Echo knew that the odds were not good that they’d get out of this operation without casualties either. Somewhere along the way, someone would slip up, and then there would be blood in the water. It would simply be best to be prepared when that time came.

A shuffling sound caught his attention, and the captain turned towards the entrance to his quarters. A uniformed pony approached, snapped to attention, and saluted stiffly. He returned the gesture, and both ponies dropped their hooves.

“Sir, Ensign Bluecrest reporting in the place of Engineering.”

Ocean Echo smiled. “Ah, yes. I’ve been expecting their report. Are we ready to sail with the fleet this afternoon?”

The ensign blinked and swallowed nervously; bad news, then. Best get it on with.

“Actually, sir, they wanted to run a request by you before making… an alteration to the ship.”

Echo raised an eyebrow. “An alteration? What is it and why do we need it?”

“It’s the Aviators, sir,” the ensign continued, “we need a launch area for them, and that’s going to mean clearing space and painting some runway markers on the foredeck.”

This was certainly not what Echo wanted to hear. He’d never been much of a fan of the REAF in the first place- like other traditionalists, he believed they should just be integrated into the army. Now, not only were they going to be traveling to the Griffon Kingdom with them; they were already making demands, demands that would require him to deface his beautiful ship. It was preposterous, it was absurd, it…

Realizing he was breathing in and out at a frantic pace, Echo put up a hoof and exhaled slowly, regaining his composure.

“Is this really necessary? Can’t they just take off vertically like every other Pegasus?”

The pony shook his head. “No, sir. Aviator formation code forbids it, and they need the room to gain speed for weighted takeoffs.”

“Fine,” he said, sitting down behind his desk, “if there’s no other way, let’s get it done with. Just have the stallions paint it… tastefully. She’s nearly a brand-new ship.”

“Yes sir, I’ll tell them.”

“Dismissed then.”

The pony saluted, whirled around sharply, and exited, and Echo rubbed his mane thoughtfully. It wasn’t his choice to bring the Aviators along, but like it or not, they were still part of the Expeditionary Force. It wasn’t his place to question why they were on his boat, and it was his responsibility as Captain to ensure they were treated fairly. He groaned as he absently circled a time written down on a nearby calendar- a meeting with one of the REAF commanders to be stationed on the ship. He wasn’t one to question royal orders, and he knew he’d get through this deployment just like every other time, but there was no denying it- this would easily be the most memorable sea voyage of his life.

…

‘You got that, or would you like some help?”

Nimbus grunted as he heaved his deployment bags onto his back for the third time since leaving home. To his embarrassment, he was practically wheezing in front of the pony who’d asked him the question- a Navy stallion standing on the gangplank between himself and the vessel scheduled to take him across the ocean: the Peregrine. Nice name for a ship, Nimbus admitted to himself, though it hardly fit a seagoing vessel. Still, he wasn’t here to judge.

“What was that?” Nimbus asked as his bag slid forward, unceremoniously boxing him in the ear. With a growl of frustration, he threw the bag back again as the pony walked towards him.

“Just wondering if you needed help,” the Unicorn said, “looks like they had you pack heavy.”

“And they didn’t make you?” Nimbus asked, noting the Unicorn’s uniform as he straightened himself up.

“Hah, nope. I’m stationed aboard this ship. All my stuff’s on board. Name’s Color Splash- er, Ensign Color Splash.” The pony smiled and cheerfully extended a hoof. Nimbus eyed the white Unicorn’s hoof for a moment before shaking it, returning the gesture.

“Well, I guess I might need a little help,” he decided, dropping one of his smaller saddlebags down, “any chance you could grab that?”

“Sure thing,” Color Splash said, hefting the heavy bag. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to your quarters. They’re keeping squadrons together- who’re you with?”

“The 132nd,” Nimbus replied as he stepped onto the ship’s deck. Around him, other Aviators were boarding- his companions for the next few weeks. Most of them looked as confused as he was, while sailor ponies stood around, some talking and laughing amongst themselves, some chuckling at the Aviators’ confusion, and others going out ot their way to help them. Nimbus decided he was lucky to have found one willing to do the latter.

“Oh, so you’re actually stationed nearby, then.” Color Splash opened a large, creaking metal door leading below deck and gestured for Nimbus to follow him, “I see you guys flying around a lot. You were…” he hesitated, “you were the ones involved in that ordeal with the Griffons yesterday, weren’t you?”

“Yeah…” Nimbus said softly.

“Well for what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” Color Splash said, leading Nimbus through a tight, metal corridor that Nimbus felt might influence claustrophobia in even the bravest of souls. Once again, Nimbus flinched at the words. He’d heard the same phrase many times, and had hoped that enough exposure might numb him to the reality of what had happened. It didn’t. The best he could do would be to channel his sorrow into motivation to be the best he could.

Color splash entered a small room lined with bunks. Currently, nopony was inside, but that wasn’t a surprise. Nimbus knew others would fill the empty spaces soon.

“Pick a bunk. Nice thing about getting here early is that you actually have options.” Color Splash smiled at Nimbus, “and hey- if you ever need anything, let me know.”

Nimbus heaved his bags up onto the top bunk nearest to him. It was an uncomfortable thing, looking more like a hulking, metal torture device than something meant to sleep on, but it would do- after all, he’d basically slept on rocks at REAC not long ago.

“So, got family you need to see off today?” Nimbus asked, trying to make conversation as he neatened up his bunk.

“Actually, yeah,” Color Splash replied, “saw ‘em off this morning, since they live right here in the city.”

Nimbus nodded. “Mine are coming up from Hollow Shades, or at least I hope they are. This deployment came as a bit of a surprise.”

“Hollow Shades?” Color Splash grabbed a bag and hurled it up onto the bunk,”that’s quite a long distance away. You’ll probably want to be on deck so you can see them when they arrive.”

“Yeah,” Nimbus finished laying out his bedding and hopped down from the bunk, “I just hope they can make it.” He took a long look at the door leading out of the room, studying the maze of corridors stretching out before him.

“Er… can I trouble you to guide me up top? I think it’s gonna be a while before I learn the layout of this ship.”

“No trouble at all,” said Color, chuckling, “no trouble at all.”

…

Whirlwind just couldn’t sit still; not since the Phoenix had come early in the morning bringing details of Nimbus’s eminent deployment. Since his parents had opened that letter, all he could think about was getting to the docks on time. His parents had promised they’d be there an hour before the boat left, but one train delay and a late carriage hadn’t helped ease his anxiety as he sat in the back of the carriage with his family. His hooves tapped nervously, and the little pony glanced anxiously towards the ocean for any indication that Nimbus was nearby.

“Whirly, please,” his mother said, noting his obvious distress once again, “I told you we’d be there. Nimbus hasn’t left yet.”

“How do you know, Mom?” Whirlwind said, shifting in his seat, “we’ve had two delays now! He might already be gone.”

“Whirlwind, listen,” Updraft chimed in, lifting his head from its resting place on the carriage window, “I know you’re anxious. We all are- but so’s Nimbus. Remember, Whirly- he’s going to be overseas soon, and when we meet him, he’ll want you to be strong.”

“Pft, Nimbus isn’t scared,” Whirlwind snorted, thinking back to all the stories his brother had told him .As far as he was concerned, there wasn’t a better flier in Equestria, and that was the end of the story.

“Oh?” Updraft countered, “Whirly, something you’ll find out soon enough is that everyone gets scared at times. Nimbus has a big, important job to do, and that’s not going to be easy for him. Do you ever get nervous before a big test in school?”

Whirlwind gulped, nodding slowly.

“That’s how Nimbus probably feels right now. It’s our job to make sure he’s on top of his game when he gets on that boat. You with me?”

“I guess so,” Whirlwind sighed, “but I still don’t think he’s scared.”

“Everypony gets scared sometimes,” Comet Stream said, “even Nimbus.”

Outside, the docks finally began to roll into view; they were positively crowded with ponies waiting to send their families off to distant shores, all just as hesitant to watch them go. Nimbus was down there somewhere, and as Whirlwind scanned the crowd, he felt a chill run down his spine. This would be the last time he’d see his brother for a while. Hopefully, he could make this visit worthwhile. After all, if Nimbus really was scared, who better to support him than his own brother?

…

Nimbus sat down against a wooden dock post, groaning and rubbing his mane. He’d been waiting almost all day now, and still no sign of his family. The sun was already beginning to set over Manehattan Bay, and he’d already helped his squadron onto the ship. He was the only one left to board for good, and he wasn’t budging. Not until he finally got to say goodbye.

The possibility that this could be the last time he’d see his family’s faces wasn’t lost on him. With the attack yesterday and the turmoil going on overseas, it’d be a miracle to make it back from this tour without seeing any combat. Dying scared him; he had no problem admitting that to himself. What bothered him more, however, was what would happen to his family in the event of his death. They were a close family, and he hardly wanted them to witness their own son’s or brother’s death. Whirlwind would be torn, to say the least. Nimbus resolved then and there to avoid death at all costs, if Whirlwind’s sake for nothing else. The little guy thought him invincible, and this was not time to change that.

For the hundredth or thousandth time today (he’d lost count) Nimbus scanned the crowd, looking for familiar faces. It was thinner now than it had been earlier; many ponies had already bid their loved ones goodbye. Still, his family was not among them. Why? Where were they? As he pondered these questions, he felt frustration, confusion, and anger, and it scared him. He was about to be deployed for the first time. The last thing he wanted to be was angry at his family, yet he couldn’t drop the feeling. He was their son, and they weren’t here! At the sound of hoofsteps, Nimbus turned around. It was Color Splash, stepping onto the dock beside him. It wasn’t hard for the Navy stallion to see Nimbus’s expression and read it. He knew what was going on.

“Hey,” he said casually.

“Hi,” Nimbus replied, voice cracked from the dry air. Color Splash had a quick look at the crowd, then sat down next to Nimbus.

“First time, huh?”

Nimbus raised an eyebrow. “For what?”

“Deployment. Family’s not here, are they?”

“No,” Nimbus stood, adjusting his uniform. Sitting down hadn’t done its appearance any favors. “Your first time too?”

Color Splash smiled wryly, “no, not at all. Second, actually. I know how it feels.”

“Hmm,” Nimbus said, “guess that happens a lot working on a ship.”

“And I have many ahead of me,” Color Splash continued, “that’s just something we come to accept in the Navy.”

Nimbus looked back to the ship, watching smoke trail lazily into the orange sky from one of the ship’s large smokestacks. The serenity of the image calmed him somewhat, and he let out a deep breath.

“Time to go, then?” he said finally “I’m guessing that’s why you’re out here.”

“Yeah,” Color Splash smiled faintly, “it is. I just wanted to let you know that even if your family couldn’t be here for this, they’ll keep you in their thoughts. If they were dedicated enough to try and come here today, there’s no way they’ll forget about you.”

“Just wish I could’ve seen them one more time,” Nimbus admitted as he prepared to step onto the gangplank.

“Lots of us do. If there’s any consolation in this, it’s easier to leave them behind when they’re not present. Parting is bittersweet, to say the least.”

As the ship’s horn echoed over the harbor, Nimbus and Color Splash boarded, staying by the ship’s railing and watching the crowd behind them. Many ponies were waving banners or shouting up to the soldiers on deck, wishing them a safe voyage. None were his family, but as others gathered near the rail, Nimbus joined them in waving to the ponies below. It was the right thing to do, and it was the best goodbye he’d get.

…

The sound of the horn filled Whirlwind with dread. His parents were right- Nimbus was here, but he wouldn’t be for long. He could see the boat ahead, but the gangplank had been stowed. Nimbus was on the ship now, and between both of them was a crowd of ponies. There was no way they’d get to the end of the dock on hoof, not in time at least.

“Mom, Dad,” Whirlwind said, tugging on his parents, “I’ll be right back.”

“Wait, Whirlwind, where are you-”

His mother’s words were lost to the wind, though. Before she could grab for her son, Whirlwind was already long gone, darting through the crowd. It hurt to leave his parents behind, but Whirlwind knew he had a job to do. Nimbus had to be brave, and that wasn’t going to happen without his help.

“Nimbus!” he called out as he darted through the cloud, “big brother! Nimbus, we’re here!”

The crowd was thicker the closer he got to the end of the dock, but there was no way he’d give up, not now. Nimbus had his duties, but now it was time for Whirlwind to do his.

…

“Nimbus!”

Nimbus immediately snapped his head up off the railing where he’d been resting it. He knew that voice.

“Whirlwind?” he called down from the deck, “Whirly, is that you?”

A low, throbbing hum sounded underneath him and foam began to churn near the end of the ship as the large vessel began to slowly move away from the dock.

“No, no, no,” he mumbled, “come on Whirly, where are you?”

He squinted, trying to make out a familiar shape in the crowd, but there were just too many ponies obscuring his view. Whirlwind was down there, he’d heard him, but where?

…

He’d definitely heard Nimbus’s voice. Of that, Whirlwind was positive. There were still too many ponies between him and Nimbus, though, and the ship was already moving. There had to be another way. Whirlwind looked up- orange sky pierced through the crowd above him. Of course- there was always another way. If he couldn’t reach Nimbus on the ground, then he’d just have to go vertical. Whirlwind flared his wings and pushed off, breaking through the crowd. The ship was dead ahead, now where was his brother?

…

Nimbus saw the grey streak soar out from the crowd immediately, and locked his eyes onto it. The dock was growing farther and farther away, but now there was no mistake. It was Whirlwind; his family had finally come to say goodbye.

“Whirly, over here!” Nimbus called out. At the sound of his brother’s voice, Whirlwind’s eyes lit up, and he dove straight for Nimbus, stopping just short of the rail. Finally, they were together, and despite his best efforts, Nimbus felt his eyes tearing up.

“Hey buddy,” he said, ruffling his little brother’s mane, “come to see me off?”

“Yeah,” Whirlwind, said, “Mom and Dad said you were scared, and that we should help you be brave.”

Nimbus chuckled, “yeah, I’m scared, Whirly. Mom and Dad were right, though. With you here, I think I feel quite a bit braver.”

Whirlwind sniffed, and Nimbus bit his tongue. His little brother was about to start crying, and if he wasn’t careful, so would he.

“Nimbus, I don’t want you to get hurt,” Whirlwind said through shuddering sobs, “do you really have to go?”

“I’m an Aviator, buddy,” Nimbus replied, straightening himself up as best he could, “and while that may take me to some dangerous places, it doesn’t change the fact that this is my job.” He looked back towards the docks. Both Comet Stream and Updraft had finally made it to the front of the crowd. They were too far to hear, so Nimbus simply nodded to them. Then he turned back to Whirlwind.

“Remember back at Hollow Shades, when I promised you I’d see you again?”

Whirlwind nodded, wiping away a few stray tears.

“Good, continue to remember it, because that promise still stands. I’m coming back to you, Whirly. Don’t you worry about that.”

Whirlwind smiled as one more tear fell from his face into the ocean below. “I know you will,” he crossed his arms, “and you wanna know why?”

Nimbus smiled. “Why’s that?”

“Because you’re my brother.”

Nimbus patted his brother on the head. “That’s right, buddy.” He took one more look back at the dock where his parents stood. “And now, little guy, it’s time for me to go.” Taking two steps back, Nimbus snapped to attention and brought his hoof up in a sharp salute to his brother. Whirlwind returned the gesture, the little stallion’s pride welling up inside him like a geyser. At the salute’s conclusion, Whirlwind waved one last goodbye and turned back to the shore. Nimbus waved as his brother faded back into the crowd, and turned to Color Splash. The Unicorn nodded approvingly.

“It was a long time coming,” he said, “but that goodbye was worth it.”

Nimbus nodded in agreement, turning his attention back to the horizon. There would be long days ahead, on the open ocean, and they’d certainly test him, but he knew that they were the least of his priorities. The true tests lay ahead, across this vast expanse of water. Somehow, some way or another, those responsible for Colonel Cloudsplitter’s death would pay. As the flag of Equestria caught the sun’s dying rays, Nimbus stood fast, watching the sun disappear below the continent he’d just departed as the moon rose into view behind him. One way or another, he knew that this voyage was just the beginning than something much bigger than Windigo Squadron. In the days to come, everypony would have a part to play. Now, he was finally ready to play his.

End of Book I

Author's Note

And so ends book one of many within Wings of Deceit. Since the school year's starting, I'll be picking up speed a bit. Expect more content soon!