Five Tales

The Liberation War, Year 1

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

Canterlot Valley Campaign, Day 21

Rainbow Dash sat on an old log on the fringes of the Striker encampment, weary from the previous day of travel. The next objective of the Alliance’s campaign stood tall in the distance.

Rainbow Falls, the last caribou stronghold in Canterlot Valley.

It couldn’t really be called ‘Falls’ anymore, due to the lack of it’s once tell-tale cascading rainbows. The rainbow factories had been inactive since the beginning of the Fall, but Dash had a feeling no pony missed the rainbows too much.

Taking the cliff-top town from the caribou would mean the complete liberation of the entirety of Canterlot Valley. Heartland Equestria would be firmly in the control of the Alliance. But like Ponyville before it, Rainbow Falls had to be taken first.

Dash’s mind still dwelled on the events from two days ago. The massacre at Cloudsdale Fog, and the shocking truth about Velocity.

Velocity was a red collar. She destroyed Cloudsdale. But why? It would only make sense to immediately brand her a traitor. She would need no other reason to destroy Cloudsdale than being sympathetic to the caribou. That was the most likely scenario.

Rainbow Dash held her head in her aching hands. She wanted to accept that Velocity could very well have lied to her this entire time. But she couldn’t. Velocity had grown closer to her than any other mare since the beginning of this war in only a few days. Dash could only think of one reason why.

Velocity reminded Rainbow Dash of the past. When life was happy and full of friends. But most of all, she reminded her of her closest friends. The ones who had saved Equestria with her time and time again, before all of this. Rainbow Dash had let go of those friends who had chosen red. But now, knowing Velocity could have chosen red as well, would she just let go of yet another friend?

“Hey Dash. You hear?”

Dash sprung upwards, startled at the Striker before her. “Hear what?”

“The Captain is making a final decision on what to do with the traitor. Wants all of her officers to give their say. That means you.”

The only comfort from the mare’s info was that Spitfire was taking her time. Knowing that the Captain had no issues in executing prisoners, Dash mentally let out a sigh of relief. If Spitfire wanted the opinions of her officers, then maybe Dash could convince her to spare Velocity of the worst.

Dash rose to her feet, pausing before asking the Striker a question.

“What do you think we should do with Velocity? The traitor, I mean.”

The mare crossed her arms. “A lot of us are pretty angry. Me? I think we should just kill her and be done with it.”

“That’s it? Just kill her like that? That would make us no better than the Reavers!” Rainbow Dash argued.

“Well maybe the Reavers have the right idea.” The mare replied bluntly as she walked off towards the camp.

There was a clear difference between killing enemy soldiers to fight for a cause, and outright murdering others. Dash was sure she knew this difference when she was called to fight this war.

But now… she wasn't sure about much anymore.

Rainbow Dash arrived in the center of the camp amidst a scattered sun shower. A large crowd of Strikers, all pegasi, surrounded the small clearing in front of the command tent. As Dash parted her way through the gathering, a commotion stirred.

Two Strikers emerged from the command tent, carrying Velocity by her arms, her wrists bound behind her. Stripped of all her armor and weapons, save for a few ragged clothes, the mare couldn’t even attempt to walk. She looked haggard, her body covered in bruises. Dash only stared as she imagined Velocity’s interrogation at the hands of Captain Spitfire.

With a splattering of rain puddles, Velocity is dropped onto the ground, causing her to cringe from her aching injuries. Her wings were kept folded against her body with a rope harness wrapped around her chest.

The tent flaps parted once more, revealing Captain Spitfire, followed by her officers. They stood at attention nearby as Dash moved to join them, stepping in line.

Spitfire spoke up as the crowd of Strikers grew still.

“… We have finished questioning this mare. She admits to being guilty of treason. She doesn’t deny that she was the one who sent Cloudsdale, our home, to its destruction.”

“I’m no traitor!” Velocity suddenly spoke, now on her knees with her back hunched, “Yes, I destroyed Cloudsdale. But I only did it to prevent the caribou from using it! If our rebellion in the city had failed, they would have used the city against us. They would have stopped Princess Luna from retaking the capital!”

One of the Strikers swung a hardened baton at Velocity’s side, keeling her over into the mud once more. Dash winced from the sight as Captain Spitfire scowled.

“Based on what proof? This is coming from a red collar. A pony who chose to collaborate with the caribou. And a pegasus who was allowed to keep her wings due to her loyalty to our enemies!”

“Please,” Velocity pleaded, her voice now a ragged whisper as tears dripped from her eyes, “You have to listen to me.”

Moving her gaze to the crowd and her officers, Spitfire stood tall. Her hidden eyes, covered by the emotionless black glass of her visor, made her appear frighteningly determined with her judgement.

“Motivation none-withstanding, Velocity still stands as guilty to her actions. And she must be dealt with.”

The Strikers in the crowd bellowed.

“Pluck her feathers!”

“Cut off her wings!”

“Kill her! Kill her!”

“Execution!”

“She’s no different than the caribou!”

In between their shouts, some of the pegasi Strikers tossed clumps of wet dirt at Velocity. They splattered against her, caking her white mane and purple coat with muddy stains.

“Enough!” Spitfire commanded with a hand held high, regaining control of the crowd. “The decision has already been made. For her actions, the traitor will be removed of her wings. Permanently.”

As some of the crowd jeered in agreement, Dash’s eyes went wide.

She could see Velocity do the same, her breath stopping short as her ears flattened.

“Rainbow Dash.”

Dash snapped to Captain Spitfire, who stood before her. All eyes turned to them.

“All of the other officers have already agreed, but I’d like this to be as unanimous as possible. What do you think we should do with this mare?”

An utter silence settled throughout the clearing.

Rainbow Dash looked at Velocity. She saw a terror and pain in her, the tears streaming down more striking than the drizzling rain befalling the camp.

Dash’s thoughts were hesitant and quick. A choice had to be made. Remain loyal to the Strikers she pledged herself to, or to the mare on her knees, who had destroyed her home.

“I…”

BAM! BAM!

Before Dash could utter any more words, pistol shots rang out from nearby, just beyond the crowd of surrounding Strikers. Many became startled and shaken, though the source of the shots quickly revealed herself.

“Who's in charge here?!”

Roughly parting though the dazed Strikers, a female griffin entered the clearing, followed by a cadre of heavily armed griffins. They looked beleaguered and muddied, as though having trudged through a deep trench. Their armor bore the red markings of a famous unit.

“I’m the Captain of these Strikers,” Spitfire responded, turning away from Dash, “Who’s asking?”

“Commander Skyward,” The female griffin replied, venom in her tone, “leader of the Red Hawk Regulars.”

The Commander glowered at Spitfire, fanning out her huge wings in dominance as she approached.

“I want to know something. What in the world gives you the right to disobey direct orders from your own Marshal? Because of your little adventure, the caribou got the drop on us! I lost nearly a third of my troops in that ambush, and the Thunderhead was destroyed! My griffins paid the price because of your utter lack of discipline and your fucking stupidity!”

There was not a soul who stood to challenge Commander Skyward’s words. She took complete authority, ripping it away from Spitfire with her piercing words.

The griffin turned to a nearby Striker officer, who stood next to Rainbow Dash.

“You. Where the hell did your Captain take you?”

“W-we chased a group of caribou into Cloudsdale Fog.” The mare cowered.

As her gaze shifted back, Skyward stepped closer to Spitfire, staring directly at where her eyes would be behind her visor.

“I don’t give a damn if it was your home or not. You wasted everyone’s time by heading into that fog. And if you think for a second that you’ve had it the worst out of everyone, then you have no idea what it was like in my country.”

She turned her voice to all of the Strikers, her fists held tightly.

“Not everything is about you! Get your shit together! All of you!”

The Commander hadn’t even cooled down when she noticed the bound Velocity below her, still kneeling on the wet ground. She motioned for her griffins to help the mare. They lifted her up carefully and released her from her bindings.

Velocity took one last glance at Rainbow Dash, before being escorted out of the clearing by the Regulars.

“Just what do you think you’re doing? You can’t take our prisoner, not after what she’s done!” Spitfire objected, regaining some courage.

Commander Skyward wouldn’t have any of it.

“I don’t give a flying fuck. The blood of my griffins is on your hands. You owe me, ‘captain’. I’m conscripting this pony, and I’m confiscating the cloud rig I noticed among your supplies for her use. We still have to take Rainbow Falls, and I’ll take every single soldier with usable wings I can get. Report to my encampment at thirteen hundred hours sharp for the briefing on the attack. And don’t be late this time.”

With one last glare, Commander Skyward and her griffins departed, taking the shaken Velocity with them. The Strikers were left speechless, still reeling from the Commander’s punishing voice.

Spitfire stood for a few moments, before silently returning to the inside of the command tent. Some of the officers followed, but most remained outside, lost in thought. The crowd dispersed.

Rainbow Dash stood alone, stricken with nothing but regret.

The morning didn’t last very long, the light showers stopping as Dash found herself entering the Red Hawk Regular encampment only a short distance away from the Striker’s own camp. The differences between the two sites were astonishing. Whereas the Strikers had several tents and open areas for supplies, the griffin encampment was that of an entrenched barracks. It was established in only minutes, with barricades and foxholes dotting the area. The camp looked as though it could withstand a siege on a moment’s notice.

Following a still-disgruntled Captain Spitfire, along with a few other officers, Rainbow Dash entered the griffin command tent. There, the griffin Commander and her lieutenants were waiting.

“Glad to see you’re on schedule this time, Captain.” Commander Skyward remarked with a scoff. The Strikers remained respectful as the Commander continued, placing her hands along the edges of the large table before her.

“But the past is the past. Can’t change that. Let’s get to more important things.”

The Regulars and the Strikers circled around an expansive map of Rainbow Falls and its surrounding area, spread out on the table. Commander Skyward began the briefing.

“My scouts have taken a good look at the area. The caribou are dug in at the top of the cliff. They’ve destroyed the railway bridge towards the south, and any other pathways up have been blocked off or demolished. Which means we will have to climb the cliff face using our grapple launchers.”

Commander Skyward pointed to several marked spots and sectioned zones with different labels.

“We will deploy the grappling hooks on these points along the two zones of attack. The Strikers will take the south zone. My Regulars will take the north zone. Just to be clear, we will be heavily dependent on the grapplers. The caribou rangers positioned at the top of the cliff will make short work of any of us who try to fly up. More importantly though, we want to make sure our pegasi friends make the climb as well. We can’t afford to get cocky here.”

The griffins in the room nodded in agreement. Dash felt safer knowing the griffins wouldn’t leave them in the dust.

“The hardest part about this attack will be getting our grapplers to their deployment points. The instant those rangers see us, they’ll hit us with everything they’ve got. And we won’t have much support, with the loss of the Thunderhead. But we do still have one trick up our sleeves.

Alliance Saboteurs managed to stow aboard an Equestrian airship being used by the caribou. It’s already headed to Rainbow Falls, and by the time it gets here, the Saboteurs will have commandeered the airship to support our attack. That should help ease the pressure off of our advance, and to establish a beachhead.”

Commander Skyward straightened herself, looking to the tent’s occupants.

“The goal here is pretty simple. Climb the cliff, eliminate the rangers and move in to clear the town. Once we take Rainbow Falls, the whole Valley is as good as ours. Any questions or concerns?”

The griffins and ponies shook their heads, fully grasping the plan. Spitfire voiced no objections.

“Fantastic. The attack begins in half an hour. Begin mobilizing your troops, everyone. Dismissed.”

As the many ponies and griffins filed out of the room and back out into the camp, Dash stayed a moment. She noticed the Commander remained at the table, staring at the map and its marked operations. Dash cleared her throat.

“Excuse me, ma’am. Striker Officer Rainbow Dash.”

Skyward’s eyes shot upwards, her beak still pointing to the map. “What can I do for you, Rainbow Dash?”

“If you don’t mind me asking, ma’am. What exactly happened to the Thunderhead? That was the cannon used to help take Canterlot, wasn’t it? How could it have been destroyed? I heard it was massive.”

“That’s exactly it,” The Commander replied, “It was huge. And slow. We had to move as slow as the cannon did to keep it guarded. That lack of mobility is how we were ambushed to begin with. The caribou really wanted to take the Thunderhead out of commission.”

“I just don’t get it though,” said Rainbow Dash, “You’re the Commander of THE Red Hawk Regulars. Those caribou should have been nothing to you.”

Commander Skyward sighed, lifting her head away from the table. “The attack was so fast that we panicked. I panicked. I thought the caribou would capture the cannon and use it against us, so I ordered it scuttled. We left its burning husk in a field.”

Dash somberly nodded. The griffins were superior fighters, but it made sense that they had their faults as well. When the caribou properly adapt, like their Legionnaires did, they can go toe-to-toe with even the strongest griffins.

“I’m sorry to hear that, ma’am. And I’m sorry that we weren’t there for you.”

“That’s the first apology I’ve gotten from any of you ponies. It’s good to hear, thank you. Though you can stop calling me ‘ma’am’. It makes me sound old. Commander will do.”

“Sorry. One more thing, Commander. Is… Is Velocity ok? The mare you took.”

Commander Skyward scratched the grey feathers on her head. “Oh yeah, purple-coat. She’s either still with the medics or having herself fitted by the armorer. She was pretty shaken, considering you were all about to practically chop off her head from the looks in your eyes. What bugs me is that your Captain was more willing to punish a pegasus who still has her wings instead of make use of her in the field.”

“The Captain was going to remove her wings on the charges of her having caused the destruction of Cloudsdale.”

“I’m aware. Velocity told me her side of the story. I’d say she’s one of the strongest ponies I’ve ever met. She made a decision which had enormous consequences, and she's managed to live with that choice for so long. If she hadn’t destroyed Cloudsdale, the caribou would’ve won a long time ago.”

Though she remained mostly calm, Dash was completely surprised by the Commander’s view. Whatever the exact story of Velocity was, it was enough to gain the admiration of a renowned griffin commander. Griffins don’t often give out their respect so easily.

“Your Captain needs to realize there are bigger things at stake in this war than petty revenge. Your country, my country, and every other country in the caribou’s sights are still in danger of being destroyed. And we’ve still got a long way to before the caribou are finished. No matter what shit happens to us, we have to remember this.”

“I understand, Commander.” Dash nodded.

“I’m glad. You should rejoin your superiors before they leave. The attack will begin soon.”

With a respectful bow, Rainbow Dash departed from the Red Hawk Regulars command tent, stepping outside under the cloudy skies. She too a few glances around, seeing nothing but griffins going about their duties, preparing for the battle ahead. No sign of any purple-coated mare.

Dash rubbed her forehead tensely. She would have to find Velocity after the battle. With the hope that they both would survive what’s to come.

No glorious horn or massive battle cry preceded the charge. Commander Skyward simply turned to the troops before her, pegasi and griffins, and gave them a confident grin. Waves of pegasi and griffins followed her as she started to run, approaching the daunting cliffs ahead. But first, they had to cross the large fields before them.

Rainbow Dash recalled the fields beneath her boots. Rainbow Falls was known to hold all kinds of events and gatherings, from the Equestria game tryouts to the annual Traders Exchange. Though it held little use to the caribou, aside from acting as a place to store things or to host their own perverted forms of the games. Though in this war, its value was clear.

It didn’t take long for the caribou entrenched atop of the cliffs to notice the attackers coming towards them from the fields below. In a loose flurry, a hail of crossbow bolts began raining down from the emplacements. The projectiles riddled the ground, sporadically layering the open fields of Rainbow Falls with sharp spines. Several bolts found their marks in unfortunate pegasi and griffins, but the withering fire failed to slow the charge.

Dash and her group kept moving, still heading straight towards the steep rocks. Bolts struck all around them, whisking through the air with whistling crescendos.

From the very edge of the cliff side, there stood a large stone structure that was built on outward supports, culminating in a large mezzanine which extended outward above the fields. The building served as an airship dock, and was considered the focal point of the assault.

Atop the mezzanine lied a piece of caribou artillery, a trebuchet of sorts. Dash had never seen one in Equestria before. Only the caribou Legionnaires had use for heavy artillery. This particular piece must have been brought down into Equestria as the war had begun.

With a swing and rear of its weight, the trebuchet hurled a ball of fire towards the fields. It careened right towards the Alliance troops, bouncing along the ground and rolling, lighting its path ablaze. Most of the troops were able to see it coming, though it obstructed a huge chunk of the field as its fires spread.

The mad dash across the fields felt like hours, but it was over in only minutes as Rainbow Dash and several other troops reached the cliff wall. The Red Hawk griffins among them got to work, driving thin, pole-shaped tubes into the ground, their open nozzles aimed skywards. The barbed grappling hooks were loaded into the tubes, coils of rope securely attached.

With a yank of their cords, the tubes launched the sharp grappling hooks high into the air, arcing downward upon the edges of the cliff. The hooks found purchase on jutting crags and wired fences as the caribou rangers struggled to aim steep enough to continue assailing the Alliance forces.

Double checking their ropes with a few tugs, the Strikers and Regulars sent one chosen trooper up each of the dozens of ropes to secure moorings at the top, thereby preventing the ropes from falling. This was a safety tactic employed by griffins when fighting in mountainous terrain, and was often seen as the greatest show of courage and fearlessness for those making the climb.

Naturally, Rainbow Dash was the first to volunteer among her group to secure the moorings.

As the grappling hook dug itself behind a large chunk of rock directly below the huge mezzanine, Rainbow Dash latched onto the rope and began scaling the rock wall with a steady pace. She had several iron stakes slung over her shoulder to use in securing the hook once she reached the top.

Commander Skyward’s prediction had been correct. While the caribou bolts were numerous and deadly out on the open fields, once the majority of the Alliance forces were at the cliffs, their line of sight and ability to fire was severely diminished. What few bolts still being shot through the air only flew over Dash’s head. The battle may very well be won the once the Alliance forces were able to reach the top.

As Dash continued up her rope, a sudden vibration in the air shook the entire cliff. A percussive sound followed, coming from the sky above.

Rainbow Dash stopped and looked upwards to the dense clouds. The airship that Commander Skyward had mentioned emerged from the cloud cover. It looked like the Alliance Saboteurs had managed to keep the airship on course.

But something was terribly wrong.

With a screeching and twisting of wood and metal, the airship listed at a dangerous angle. Fires were fuming from the rigid airship’s hull, spewing smoke from its sides. It steadily made its way towards the cliff, diving straight towards the mezzanine dock.

Dash watched as the airship lumbered past and collided violently into the mezzanine directly above her, crushing the trebuchet and enveloping the dock in a torrent of fire as it exploded.

Chunks of flaming debris from the doomed airship rained down, endangering many soldiers still climbing cliff face. Among the deadly debris came tiny embers drifting down, carried around by the winds. Some embers stuck to Dash’s rope, spawning a fire which began to eat away at the top of the rope’s frame.

Dash’s first instinct was to jump, but her rational thought quickly reminded her that she would only fall to her death, with no wings to save her. She only looked up in fear as the rope finally gave way.

Shutting her eyes tightly and preparing for the spine-shattering smack which would come, Rainbow Dash tried to think of happier things as gravity pulled her into a free fall. But her thoughts were cut short.

Something fast tackled her in mid-air, plucking her from her fall. Dash instinctively grabbed on to her savior, in shock at what just happened. She immediately suspected a griffin had leapt from another rope nearby to save her. But as she opened her eyes, she saw purple feathers fitted to a cloud rig.

“Hang on!” Velocity warned as she banked right, turning a loop from her rescue of Rainbow Dash.

As Dash tightened her grip, Velocity headed straight for the very edge of the cliff, a flurry of caribou bolts narrowly missing her. With her teeth gritted, she reared herself and Dash forward, flapping her wings to slow their landing. The two somersaulted onto a narrow strip of grass.

Dash panted, glancing at her surroundings. Velocity had brought them near where Dash’s hook was anchored, right next to the now burning mezzanine.

It was now when Rainbow Dash noticed Velocity’s changed appearance. She wore fitted griffin armor, having several of the typical large plates and pauldrons removed to make her more lightweight. The old cloud rig Dash had discovered days ago was fixed upon her back, its wire frames aligned to her wings. She had been given two new fire dart pistols, and to replace her serrated blades, she received a single, heavy falchion, which was not akin to any griffin designs Dash had seen before. The serrated blades used by Strikers were griffin made, and most of their swords were serrated in some manner. The falchion in Velocity’s possession was smooth and glossy, as though it came straight from the forges. Its blade was wide for a sword of its size.

Rainbow Dash let out her thoughts.

“Velocity, I’m sorry! I’m sorry I didn’t stand up for you!” She said, raising her voice to speak above the crackling flames of the destroyed airship.

“Not now, Rainbow Dash. We’ve got more important things to do!” Velocity assured, motioning her head towards the mezzanine.

The two Strikers gathered themselves, climbing upon the stone rubble from the collision to make their way to the top of the mezzanine. Most of the large platform was splayed with burning debris from the airship’s frame and the destroyed trebuchet. From what remained of the airship’s deck and the bodies of ponies and caribou, it looked like there was a struggle while the airship was being commandeered, which likely resulted in its loss of control.

“Commander Skyward mentioned that this airship was meant to help establish a beach head. If there are no survivors, then it’s up to us to secure the dock.” Dash breathed

Velocity nodded. “Then let’s get to it.”

The crumbling and ruined mezzanine led to a larger clearing, which hosted a swath of supplies being used by the caribou defenders. Caribou stags and their few traitor stallion allies scurried to and fro, delivering bolts and other weapons to the rangers defending the cliff. A few were in the process of hauling their supplies away from the structure, as it became much more precarious after the sudden collision of the airship.

The enemies remained oblivious to the two Strikers. The element of surprise was theirs.

“I’ve got your back.” Rainbow Dash said.

“And I’ve got yours.” Velocity replied.

Side by side, their weapons drawn, Rainbow Dash and Velocity steadily walked forwards into the clearing, garnering the attention of some of the nearby caribou.

Beating her wings once, Velocity took a huge leap forward, slashing her falchion downwards upon the first caribou she saw. The blade cut into his shoulder, taking him out of commission as Dash stood at a distance, taking a few shots at incoming caribou with her fire dart pistols.

After expending her loaded ammunition, Dash drew her serrated blades, moving to block a caribou’s axe as Velocity drew a pistol in one hand. She shot at another caribou charging, the blast erupting from the pistol’s muzzle with incredible force. It sounded twice as more powerful than Dash’s older pistols.

Rainbow Dash spun sideways, dodging the caribou’s axe and planting her blades into his side. Another caribou came around, aiming straight for Dash. She leapt into a somersault as Velocity swung her falchion with two hands over her, landing a crippling blow upon the caribou.

The remaining caribou and traitor stallions became hesitant. The two Strikers cohesion with one another was making them unstoppable, as though they were two soldiers acting as one. Coupled with the additional arrival of pegasi and griffins who had applied their moorings and ascended the cliff, their situation became dire.

The enemies occupying the airship dock began to fall back, retreating to more defensive positions waiting for them towards Rainbow Fall’s town buildings.

Rainbow Dash and Velocity continued to clear out the caribou within the dock, making their way to the upper levels. Most of the enemies were defeated, save for one caribou who made his way to the rooftop in a vain effort to escape.

Following him up the stairs, Dash and Velocity cornered the lone and unarmed caribou, nearing the edge of the rooftop. He hesitantly exchanged glances between the approaching Strikers and the dizzying fall behind him.

Velocity reloaded a cartridge into her pistol, keeping it at the ready. She looked to Dash to make the next move.
Lowering her blades, Rainbow Dash addressed her enemy.

“I’m no murderer. If you surrender now, we’ll let you live.”

“No, y-you’re… You’re crazy. There’s no way I’d surrender to a mare. I couldn’t… You’d just kill me anyway…”

The caribou looked over his shoulder at the drop behind him. One slip, and he would plummet to his death. His deep voice waivered from defiance to uncertainty.

“Not if you have any kind of military information we could use.”

Following Dash’s words, Velocity leaned in towards her, whispering. “Dash, you know there’s nothing stopping Spitfire from executing him after he tells her everything he knows.”

“That’s why we are giving him over to the griffins. Commander Skyward could use the intelligence. It’s the least we can do to make amends for not being there when she needed us.”

Rainbow Dash spoke up again to the caribou.

“I don’t want to kill you. Or make you kill yourself. You caribou value life in your own way. Don’t throw that value away when you have the chance to keep living.”

Taking one last look at the edge, the caribou relented, moving away from the ledge and towards the two Strikers with his hands held above his head. Velocity kept him at gunpoint as Rainbow Dash moved to glance at the view of Rainbow Falls.

Now gathered atop the cliff in full force, the combined mass of Strikers and Red Hawk Regulars swept through the town, brushing aside the last defenses of the caribou. Rainbow Falls had been taken.

The battle was won.

It had taken some convincing, but Rainbow Dash held true to her word. The caribou prisoner she and Velocity had taken atop the dock rooftop was handed over to Commander Skyward. He pledged to provide his full cooperation and knowledge, in exchange for his life to be spared. Surprisingly, the griffins were tolerant of this, which Dash was grateful for. Captain Spitfire wouldn’t have shown the same mercy.

As Rainbow Falls was fully secured, Rainbow Dash found Velocity sitting near the old train station. She was resting above the ruined tracks, her legs hanging off the side of the concrete station platform.

Rainbow Dash joined her, taking a seat on the cold concrete.

“Nice work out there. We make a pretty good team.”

“Thanks.” Velocity replied, sounding morose and tired instead of thankful.

Rainbow Dash paused, her eyes fixed to the ground. She soon lifted her head back up to Velocity.

“I’m no mind reader, but you look like you could use some pony to talk to.”

Velocity sighed, turning to meet Dash’s eyes.

“I never was in hiding during the Fall. I… chose red, after seeing what the caribou and the stallions were doing to black collars. I was miserable the whole time. The only reason I was allowed to keep my wings intact was because my caribou owner had a secret thing for feathers. I wasn’t forced to wear wing sheathes, but I couldn’t leave his home in Cloudsdale.

When Princess Luna was gaining strength, I overheard some caribou talking about their plans for Cloudsdale. They were trying to find out how to manipulate the city’s mobility and weather creation, so they could use it as a weapon to crush any kind of future rebellion. If they succeeded, then they could have had the means to stop Luna from ever reaching Canterlot. I couldn’t let that happen.

I escaped from my owner on the Day of Rebellions, and headed to the core of the city. I wanted to disable the city’s ability to move, and I thought it operated like an airship’s engine. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I tampered with the controls, and sent the entire city plummeting from the sky.

I don’t know how I survived. All I know is that a lot of ponies didn’t, because of my mistake. I was lucky to have come across a group of ponies who were fleeing to Haven, and I joined them. We made it to Haven, and ever since Luna’s victory I joined up with the Strikers, trying to find some way to redeem myself. I hadn’t told a single living thing about what I had done.”

A silence followed Velocity’s confession. It was interrupted by a loud pat on her shoulder by Rainbow Dash.

“Feel better?” Dash asked, echoing Velocity’s own words from the day they met.

“Heh… Yeah. I’m feeling better. You some kind of therapist?”

“Nope. I just learned how to listen.” Dash said with a smile.

The two chuckled. Dash was happy to feel that friendly warmth radiate from Velocity once more. It persisted as Velocity’s smile disappeared, a curious look taking its place.

“Can I ask you something, Dash?”

“What’s up?”

“You hesitated when Spitfire asked you for your decision. What were you going to say?”

“I was going to say no.”

“You’d throw away your loyalty to your superior just like that?”

“I don’t ‘throw away’ my loyalty. I give it to those who have earned it. And if I don’t think they deserve it, I take it back. I don’t care if it would’ve been against orders. You’re my friend. And I don’t leave my friends hanging.”

Velocity smiled, a brightness in her eyes.

“Thanks, Dash. That means a lot.”

“Don’t mention it.”

The two gazed out at the view before them. The burning wreck of the airship had been successfully put out, though a large plume of cooling smoke still seeped from the mezzanine dock. Alliance troops began work on establishing usable trails and crane elevators along the cliff side, with the help of griffin fliers.

“So now what? I’d imagine it would be bad sticking around with Spitfire’s Strikers after what happened.”

“I was thinking about that,” Rainbow Dash said, “I’m going to put in a request with the higher ups to transfer out of this unit. I want to form a small unit of Strikers, one that can be called on by other Alliance units when they need help. Something like…”

“Pocket Strikers?” Velocity suggested.

“Yeah! Exactly.” Rainbow Dash grinned, the new title already sticking.

“Well, you can count me in.”

“Are you sure? You’d probably be making the drinks for everyone.”

Velocity laughed. “Are you kidding? I’d give anything to get my old bar back. I’d be more than happy to make drinks for anyone. But besides that… I’d rather stick by a friend who’s got my back. If you lead, Rainbow Dash, I’ll follow.”

With a rustling of her feathers, Velocity extended her wing out to Rainbow Dash. Dash scooched over with her own featherless wing lengthened, completing the wing-bump.

Though the war was far from over, and would likely be strewn with more hardships ahead, things just got a little bit brighter.

The loyalty they shared would see them through.