Five Tales

The Liberation War, Year 1

1 month After Battle of Canterlot (A.B.C.)

Canterlot Valley Campaign, Day 19

“Here you go, Mayor Mare. That blanket should help keep you warm.”

Rainbow Dash laid the forest-green blanket around the Mayor’s shoulders as she sat in a chair within the medical tent, cradling a warm cup of coffee that Velocity had brewed for her.

“Thank you, Rainbow Dash. But… I haven’t been mayor of Ponyville for years now. Just call me Ivory, please.” Said the older mare, her naturally pink mane sagging as she shivered from her cold.

“How long were you and the others trapped in that basement? We didn’t even realize you were all down there until Captain Spitfire ordered every pony to search the town.” Velocity chimed in.

“I’m afraid we all lost track of the time while we were down there. It was the day when stallions came back to their senses. After many had escaped following that uprising, the caribou governor herded the black collared mares and the resistant stallions taken prisoner into the basement and locked us in. It was so strange, they didn’t even bother to change the stallions or blank us mares. They just kept us down there, even fed us. They must have been paranoid of something.”

“It was on the Day of Rebellions then.” Velocity surmised.

“Is that its official name? How long ago was that?”

“More or less official. It was the day Luna destroyed the source of the caribou brainwashing, the corrupted crystal heart. That was nearly a year ago.”

“A whole year? Goodness, I... Well, at least it went by quickly. Perhaps that’s why the caribou governor kept us alive. To use us as hostages to be bartered with, in case Princess Luna decided to take Ponyville. I still find it so incredible what she did.”

Rainbow Dash pictured such a barter taking place. She imagined Luna would have somehow worked around it, both freeing the hostages and killing the caribou. It wasn’t worth much to think about it though. Luna never batted an eye to Ponyville during her own endeavors. The most she ever did for the town was blow up the hospital, though it wasn’t really a hospital when the caribou were using it. Still, it would have been more useful if it wasn’t a mound of rubble.

“That doesn’t matter anymore. The only thing that matters is that you and the others are safe.” Dash stated.

“You’re right. I’m just… overjoyed, that you’re all here. Fighting for us in the… Haven? It’s the Haven Alliance, yes? There’s so much to catch up on. However, the very first thing I’m going to do is find a pair of glasses. I haven’t been able to see clearly since the day that caribou crushed my old lenses those years ago. Hopefully I can find a craftspony who can make me a new pair. And some silver dye for my mane too.” Ivory chuckled in the midst of a cough.

“I’m sure you will. We’ve got to get going on patrol now. The medics here will take care of you, Mayor.” Rainbow Dash stated, shaking Ivory’s hand once more

Ivory sighed with smile. “Very well. Be safe you two. And thank you again for the coffee, young lady.”

“You’re welcome, Ivory.” Velocity replied, bowing her head respectfully before turning to follow Dash.

As they began to head in the direction of their typical patrol route, Dash sighed.

“I still can’t believe that search didn’t turn up the caribou governor or any of his lackeys. I mean, it’s good we found the Mayor and those other ponies, but if we found that governor we could be one step closer to finishing all of this. Ughh… I could use a drink.”

Quietly nodding, Velocity took out a sealed canteen from her bag and unscrewed the cap. She handed it over to Rainbow Dash.

“I think you’ll like this. Here.”

Dash took the canteen, her nose filling with a sweet smell of apples. Her ears perked up in joy as she recalled the familiar scent.

“Whoa! Apple cider? How’d you know?”

“I can tell you’re the cider type.”

“Where in Equestria did you even get this?”

“I found some old barrels in one of the abandoned houses. Seemed like some caribou had an admiration for the Equestrian recipe. I added in a few other ingredients to give it a nice zing.”

Dash’s lips curled into a bright smile after taking a swig of the canteen.

“You don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve drank cider.”

“A few years?” Velocity guesses.

“An eternity.” Dash corrected as she downed the rest of the cider.

Even though it was heartening to know that Ponyville was safely in the hands of the Alliance, Dash couldn’t shake the awful feelings that came with the patrols. She had been visiting the old places she and her friends used to be all the time. Carousel Boutique, Sugarcube Corner, Fluttershy’s Cottage, Dash’s own Cloudominium which had survived, and Golden Oaks library. Not a single home or building lacked the scars or graffiti of the caribou, nor their obsessive propaganda. Though some of the liberated ponies began cleaning as much as they could, some marks may take a long time to erase. Especially for Dash’s current destination; Sweet Apple Acres.

With the taste of cider still fresh on her tongue, Dash could almost relive moments of her past spent on this farm. So many days and so many adventures started here, with her friends. The memories made Dash feel homesick, despite being there in person.

Both Velocity and Dash had passed by the Apple family farm several times on their patrols in the past two days, always finding it to be as still and empty each time. The fields once ripe with healthy apple trees were now mostly dull, ravaged with the invasive flora brought by the caribou. There were still some apples upon the trees, but many had already fallen and rotted at the roots. Without the cultivating magic of their earth pony caretakers, the orchard didn’t nearly produce as many apples as it once did. Rainbow Dash vividly remembered the food shortages which were all too frequent during the caribou’s reign.

Velocity caught Dash’s attention as they walked beside the broken fences.

“I heard Ponyville used to grow the best apples.”

“You bet. The Apple family were the best. Hopefully someday I can get you to try zap apple jam-”

Rainbow Dash stopped in her tracks, her smile disappearing. Her head swiveled towards the barn.

“Wait… You hear that?”

Dash and Velocity stood absolutely still, twitching their ears to pick up a feint patter of footsteps, coming from the barn’s direction. They each drew a fire dart pistol and moved to the barn doors, flakes of aging paint peeling off from the wood.

Throwing caution to the wind, Rainbow Dash kicked the large wooden doors open, startling the pony inside.

“Ahh!”

She dove behind a small hay bale, though her red tail and mane failed to cooperate in her hiding attempt.

“Wh- … Apple Bloom?!”

Apple Bloom pokes her head out, emerging upon seeing the two Strikers.

“Rainbow Dash? Gosh, y'all scared me! I thought I was done for.”

Apple Bloom had grown since the last time Dash saw her, which was nearly four years ago. She figured her to be nearing her teenage years. Her mane was braided loosely and caked in grime, lacking its definitive pink bow. From the look of her muddied and heavy hiking attire, it was easy to guess that Apple Bloom had been in the wilderness for some time.

“What in Equestria are you doing here?”

“I’m scoutin’ the backroads ‘round here for tucked away trails the Crusaders could use. I wanted to drop by the farm though. Just to see if it was still here.”

Dash tilted her head. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders?”

“No, it’s just the Crusaders now. Sweetie Belle got a message out to me an’ Scootaloo a long time ago about workin’ together from all across Equestria, and that’s what we’re doin’. Our cutie marks can wait. We need to spread as much hope to ponies as we can. One way we do is by setting secret paths to help ponies who had escaped the caribou. I haven’t found an awful lot of trails though ‘round here. The old railroad leading from Ponyville would make a good trail, but I can’t go anywhere near it with the darn caribou still in town.”

“Ponyville is safe now. We liberated it from the caribou two days ago.” Rainbow Dash stated, enlightening Apple Bloom.

“Really? That there’s great news! The railroad will be perfect! And we can now use the farm as a base! I gotta tell Sweetie Belle! You got any pigeons in town?”

“There should be a few around that would be willing to take a message for you. But you’re staying in town once we get there. We can’t have kids like you running around while there are still battles to be fought.” Said Rainbow Dash, adamant with her words.

“We’re not kids anymore. We’ve been through everything you have. But y’all do have a point. If the caribou are still roamin’ around then I’ll stay in town for a whiles. I’ve got letters to write anyway.”

Apple Bloom took a moment to fetch her backpack, which she had deposited nearby before investigating the barn. Rainbow Dash and Velocity met with her outside, having closed the barn doors before exiting the property.

Glancing back at the farm, Rainbow Dash turned to Apple Bloom with a saddened expression, still remembering the past.

“Listen, Apple Bloom. I’m, uh…. I’m sorry about what happened to your family. About Gra-”

“I don’t want none of it, Rainbow Dash,” Apple Bloom quickly replied, almost sounding like her older sister, “If I get stuck in the past, then how am I gonna be able to help others? No. It’s like Sweetie Belle says in her letters. We need to spread hope. And that’s just what I’m gonna do.”

Turning briskly, Apple Bloom headed off towards Ponyville’s direction, leaving behind a startled Rainbow Dash. Velocity watched the younger mare walk off before looking to Dash.

“Did she lose her family?”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Her parents passed away when she was still a foal. Her older sister and brother were separated when everyone was escaping on the Day of Rebellions, but her grandma… Well. You know what they did to elders.”

“I know,” Velocity muttered somberly, “I’m sorry to hear that. Though I’ve never seen someone her age show so much strength of will.”

“Yeah. Runs in the family.”

It wasn’t long before the Strikers moved out once again, having been given new orders to circle northward and rendezvous with a griffin unit on their way to one of the last caribou strongholds located on the very fringe of the Canterlot Valley; Rainbow Falls. The trip to meet with the griffins was expected to take only a day.

Some Strikers were left behind with a replacement unit to help guard Ponyville and its liberated inhabitants, along with the Heartmenders and Reconstruction surveyors who had arrived shortly before the departure. Though it was a token force, the town was considered completely secured, as the caribou were pushed back across the Valley.

Dash and Velocity had joined the rear section of their column, marching along the empty back roads. They had barely gotten past the outskirts of Ponyville, when the aftermath of a battle was spotted. The Strikers passed by scorched fields and the blasted ground of a battlefield, marred with black ash from a massive fire which had swept through the area.

The victims of the battle were littered across the field for all to see. Warped pikes and crosses held aloft the mauled and seared remnants of caribou bodies, torn and sliced to bits. The mere smell of the burnt flesh was enough to cause some Strikers to hurl as they passed.

Dash stopped to look at the grisly sight. There were times in her mind when she thought that Strikers were too cruel or too brutal when out of combat. But she had never seen anything like this. The gruesome effigies were everywhere, dotting the open landscape like toothpicks with stands of meat stuck to them.

As she reeled from the smell, Velocity stopped beside her.

“I wonder if this is our escaped caribou governor and his group.”

“Who did all of this? There weren’t any friendly forces near Ponyville when we took it.”

“Reavers.”

Dash turned to Velocity, her eyebrow raised. “Reavers? They’re Alliance?”

“Well,” Velocity cocked her head, “They’re Alliance. But they took the route of the Guardians, so to speak. They were formed in secret not long before Luna took the capital, and they don’t take orders from the New Monarchy whatsoever. They do their own thing, and this happens to be what they enjoy the most.”

“Are they psychotic? This is… Not what we’re here to do.” Dash spouted, her eyes fixed onto a head impaled onto a spear tip.

“Pretty much. From what I’ve heard, they’re made up of ponies who believe that wiping out all of the caribou, down to the last stag, cow and fawn, is the only way to heal Equestria. I hear they have a thing for forbidden Zebra alchemy and blood magic.”

“Blood magic?” Dash asked, “How could a unicorn cast magic without her horn? Stallions could I guess, but…”

Velocity shook her head. “Oh no, you don’t need a horn to use blood magic. All you need is a sharp object and enough perverse zeal to cut yourself open. The bigger the wound you give yourself, the stronger you become.”

“Jeez. How come I’ve never heard of that before?”

“Some say it’s Zebrican in origin. Others say it was an Equestrian form of dark magic, similar to King Sombra’s, that was kept under lock and key by the Princesses. Either way, the Reavers re-discovered it. And they love it.”

Dash took in Velocity’s words as she turned to look once more upon the bloody scene laid before her. Though their entire bodies were eviscerated far beyond any recognition, Dash could make out other victims. Ponies, both stallions and mares.

Velocity noticed Dash’s discovery.

“They don’t have any remorse for traitor stallions or mares either. They execute anyone that they think are ‘tainted’.”

“What is this war doing to us…”

Rainbow Dash stood for a minute longer, still trying to contemplate the sight before her. But as she scanned the fields, she spotted something, further past the effigies. Something kneeling, in the center of the burned field.

Taking a cautious approach, Dash went further into the field, followed closely by Velocity. Her steps crunched the smoldering remains of grass as she closed in on the kneeling mass, realizing it to be a mare. A scorched and dirty trenchcoat covered the mare, and a hood concealed her mane. The only bits of the pony which showed were her ears, which stuck out from openings in her hood. The little tufts of fur visible were a pale grey.

Hanging on the shrouded mare’s back was a rectangular blade, resembling an overly-proportioned cleaver. Bloodstains were sunk deep into her boots and the storm patch covering her shoulders. She had tiny viles of an unknown liquid dangling on the side of her belt. The opaque glass looked ancient.

The mysterious mare hunched over a mostly-intact corpse, fiddling with a strange tool. The popping in of a cork reached Dash’s ears as she noticed the mare slip another filled glass vile into the hooks on her belt.

The Reaver paused, sensing the presences behind her. She rested her hands on her knees as she slowly straightened her back.

“… You have nothing to fear from me, Strikers. My business here has just finished.” The mare spoke. Her voice was unsettlingly smooth.

“What business is that, exactly? What are you doing here? And where are the rest of your Reavers?” Dash quickly barked, a serrated blade drawn to her side. Its intimidating appearance paled in comparison to the Reaver’s own cleaver-blade.

The Reaver slowly rose to her feet, turning to face Rainbow Dash and Velocity. Her eyes were hidden by the shadow cast from her large hood, and a dark scarf covered her muzzle.

“Contributing to the war effort. I apologize if the smell is strong. It’s just the toxins seeping away. Normal results for any cleansing. As for my comrades, they have already departed. In case you were concerned, those you see here are indeed the caribou who fled from your attack. We were waiting for them.”

“You can lower your guard, Dash. Reavers shouldn’t be hostile, right?” Velocity advised, directing her last words toward the mare before them.

“Naturally.” The Reaver quickly responded.

“I wouldn’t trust any pony who would be capable of something like this,” Dash replied determinedly, “I don’t care what your ‘cleansing’ means to you. It isn’t right. We aren’t here to mutilate bodies or make effigies. We’re here to win the war. That’s it.”

“The only way to win this war is to eradicate their filth. But I doubt I’d convince you of the truth. The Alliance doesn’t see the whole picture. It would be much more effective if it didn’t place so many limits on itself…”

“What does that-”

A sudden commotion echoes from behind Rainbow Dash, coming from the Striker column. Rallying calls could be heard from several pegasi.

“Our time together is at an end. It seems like your fellow Strikers have found something.” The Reaver noted ominously.

With a growl, Rainbow Dash flung herself around, picking up a sprint to leave the field of effigies with Velocity in tow. The Reaver remained in place as the two Strikers departed, only turning to leave once they were out of sight.

Rainbow Dash and Velocity returned to where they had split off from the column, finding the entirety of the Striker unit now running in the opposite direction, heading south. Shouts rang out in the air as they trampled across the fields.

“What’s happening?” Dash called out.

A Striker slowed down to answer.

“It’s the caribou! They were spotted in Cloudsdale Fog! The Captain’s leading us to them!”

As the mare turned to run, Dash drew her swords.

“Come on, Velocity. Let’s go.”

“Wait-”

Not heeding her, Dash zoomed ahead, tailing the last of the Strikers as they made their way down the back roads. Velocity struggled to keep up.

The large field was shrouded in a dense haze, made up of the lingering particles of cloud structure which were obliterated by gravity. Hundreds of homes had turned to vapor when the famous cloud city fell, the core mass of clouds which had held it aloft destroyed by the caribou during the violence on the Day of Rebellions. That day left nothing but the murky field before them.

Cloudsdale Fog.

The fog had persisted for almost an entire year since the Day of Rebellions, still present to mark the grave of the city, and those who fell with it.

Rainbow Dash and Velocity stopped upon a small crest in the hilly terrain leading to the field. The Strikers ahead of them had already rushed down into the thick of the fog, following the lead of Captain Spitfire. There was little sign of the caribou, but based on the shouting from the officers and other Strikers, the caribou were fleeing into the depths of the fog itself.

Velocity put a hand on Dash, stopping her for a moment before she could bolt down the hill.

“Rainbow Dash, wait!”

“We can’t wait, Velocity! The caribou should pay for what they did to Cloudsdale!”

“We need to… We need to be careful! We don’t know what to expect. We shouldn’t… go in there.” Velocity urged.

Dash turned around, noticing a strange shift in Velocity’s usually calm tone. She seemed afraid of something, visibly on edge as she glanced at the fog.

“What, are you suddenly scared of fog?”

“No, it’s just… Poor visibility will make it dangerous.”

“Everything we have been doing so far has been dangerous! And I’m not one to back away from danger! Now come on! I need you!”

Whisking herself forward, Rainbow Dash flung herself into the fog, followed closely by Velocity. Their serrated blades drawn and ready.

The visibility was nearly nonexistent. Weapons clashing, pistols crackling and dying screams could be heard from everywhere all at once. But there was nothing in sight. Though that soon changed.

Pegasi and caribou battling one another faded in and out of the cool haze, the bashing and cracking of metal against flesh emanating in all directions.

Rainbow Dash narrowed in on a glimpse of a caribou, running forward and impaling him from behind with both blades. As she let his body fall to the ground, another Striker appeared from the other side, only seconds away from having shot the very same caribou. Dash flinched from seeing her, though the mare quickly moved on to find another opponent in the fog.

Regaining herself, Dash moved forward again, despite having no sense of direction. She relied on the sounds nearby, swiveling her ears as Velocity watched her back.

A caribou suddenly appeared from behind, swinging his axe wildly at Velocity. She darted to the side with a flap of her wings, giving time for Dash to quickly turn and fire her pistol at the caribou, felling him. Another caribou appeared from behind Dash this time, though he was quickly spotted by Velocity. She leaped forward in a thrust of her wings, slashing her blades across the surprised caribou’s chest. The soldiers here were not as capable as those they previously fought. These were sloppy and rash, flailing their weapons rather than skillfully wielding them.

Rainbow Dash kept her senses honed, trying to predict her enemies’ movements behind the thick shroud.

Her ears twitched at a few muffled steps before her. Dash made out the faint brown color of the being only feet in front of her.

Rainbow Dash leapt forward, and gutted her twin blades into the caribou.

She froze instantly.

The cow screamed for only a second, shuddering as she fell to the grass below. Her tear-filled eyes aligned with Dash’s, showing nothing but fear.

Dash couldn’t stop staring at her, even after her life had gone. Her swords still pierced wholly through the unfortunate cow’s small body. She was a caribou, but the mounting shock and urge to scream in horror filled Dash’s mind. What was a cow doing here?

Her eyes stayed widened as she finally trailed away from the defenseless cow she had killed. Other cows lied dead nearby, caught amidst the brutal fighting.

This had to have been some sort of cruel tactic. The caribou stags must have brought their cows to use as meat shields or distractions. It was the only way Dash could explain it to herself.

“Rainbow Dash. You have to get up.” Velocity spoke.

Dash pulled her swords out of the cow she had slaughtered, her gaze riddled with confusion and loss. She turned her head to Velocity, but her eyes were still glued to the ground.

“I… I… I just killed that cow. How could…”

“We should leave, Dash.” Velocity pressed.

Nodding after another glance to the dead cow, Rainbow Dash followed Velocity out of the relentless fog, stepping over more bodies along the way. They soon regrouped with the rest of the Strikers near the edge of Cloudsdale Fog’s field, on the opposite side from which they had charged.

On this side of the fog, a small patch of forest laid nearby, holding what looked like a large encampment. Tents dotted around the trees, and the site was littered with caribou items and symbols. Several Strikers were already sifting through the camp, under Spitfire’s orders. Some were escorting a group of pegasi that were being held as prisoners in the camp.

Dash didn’t bother to look for a suitable spot to sit down, plopping herself onto the rough ground. Cloudsdale Fog laid in her view, still lurking like a malformed storm.

Velocity took a knee beside Rainbow Dash.

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. I’ll be fine. I just… I just need to breathe.”

She wasn’t the only Striker reeling from what happened in the fog. Two others had fallen to the ground, trying to erase the memories they had just made. They looked completely shell shocked. One mare couldn’t stop vomiting.

Taking a few breaths, Rainbow Dash composed herself as best as she could. She slowed her panting until her breaths became deep and full.

“I thought we were chasing a caribou unit. Why were there cows in the fog?

“I don’t know,” Velocity replied, “None of those stags were soldiers, not with how they just ran at us like that. I think… I think we may have just committed a massacre.”

Velocity looked back at Cloudsdale Fog. Even after the unrest and slaughter, the fog remained anchored in place. It now served not only as Cloudsdale’s ruins, but as the mass grave of an entire group of caribou civilians.

Velocity stood up as the rest of the Strikers returned from investigating the camp, carrying some salvaged goods and the former prisoners. She met eyes with one of the freed pegasi, who was wrapped in a blanket to cover her nakedness. The mare wearily looked at Velocity with familiarity.

Only seconds later, her eyes locked on to Velocity, widening in anger.

“You.” She mumbled.

“Do you need something?” Velocity replied. The mare marched towards her.

“It was you! YOU DESTROYED CLOUDSDALE!”

In an instant, every pony stopped. The heads of all the Strikers nearby turned to face Velocity and the brazen mare.

“You were there! I saw you run into the core of the city as the rebellion was happening! You sent our home plummeting to the ground!”

“N-no, you’re mistaken. I wasn’t in Cloudsdale when-”

“Liar!” The driven mare cut in, a sharp glare in her eyes.

“I’d recognize that coat and mane anywhere. You were the only pegasus who still had her wings. The only thing you’re missing from that day is the red collar around your neck!”

Other pegasi rescued from the empty camp followed with their own accusations, all casting blame on Velocity. The outcries were joined by growing looks of hatred and malice from the Strikers.

Rainbow Dash had gotten to her feet, garnering Velocity’s attention.

“…Velocity?”

“Dash, please, don’t… Don’t listen to them. I wasn’t a red collar, I-I swear! I…”

A look of fear found its way onto Velocity’s face. Her voice faded to a near-whisper.

“I did- didn’t mean to…”

“GET HER!!” Some pony yelled.

In a flash, the surrounding pegasi descended upon Velocity with mob-like frenzy. Dash was pushed aside as her shock still grabbed hold of her. She quickly recovered, trying to make her way back to Velocity, throwing aside ponies from the ravenous crowd.

The angry Strikers and Cloudsdale survivors latched onto Velocity from all sides, hitting her and pummeling her in a combined rage. She cried out in pain as the frenzy swallowed her whole.

“ENOUGH!!”

Following several shots from her fire dart pistol, Captain Spitfire appeared, parting through the crowd as the Strikers receded. Velocity writhed on the ground, covered in bruises and scratches. Her weapons had been ripped away from their holsters in the attack. What light armor she had protected her from some of the more serious blows, though she was severely dazed and wounded.

“We just achieved a victory, here at the gravesite of our home. We are not going to turn into a bunch of mindless killers now! If the survivors of Cloudsdale are adamant that Velocity was the reason behind our home’s destruction, then we’ll look into it. But not like this.”

Spitfire motioned for two of her Strikers to grab hold of the injured Velocity, lifting her to her feet. They held her onto her arms tightly, only causing her more discomfort as two more Strikers trained their weapons on her.

“Velocity,” Spitfire spoke as she was brought before her, “I’m placing you under arrest in light of these accusations. We’ll find out if you’re truly guilty.”

The angry crowd began to disperse, urged on by the Striker officers to resume their march to Rainbow Falls.

Rainbow Dash remained frozen in place, and watched as the Strikers hauled Velocity away.