Wings of Deceit

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…”