Another great loss in the Crystal War! Last monday at three in the morning, an attack was made on a large training facility just south of the border, three weeks after Cloudsdale passed over. Seventy-three soldiers and cadets were slaughtered in the attach. Their bodies were paraded around the compound before being buried in a mass grave, a horrid sacrifice to the monstrous tyrant King Sombra. Rumors abound about torture or ponies taken prisoner, but there has been no official confirmation of these stories.

Only thirteen ponies survived the attack. Two, badly mauled and thought to be dead by the attacking army, managed to survive long enough to receive medical attention. The remaining eleven survived by hiding in the drawers of the facility’s morgue.

A statement was released by Fleetfoot, who trained cadets at the facility and was one of the survivors.

“I was woke up in the middle of the night by one of the cadets. I was going to yell at her, but she grabbed me by the throat. Once I was quiet, she warned me that on her way back from an early shower, she’d seen enemy soldiers coming out of one of the nearest barracks, covered in blood.

“Fighting back wasn’t an option [Commander Fleetfoot had seriously wounded her back leg, which was why she had been assigned to training duties] and I was woozy off pain medication. Cadet Rainbow Dash led me and nine other ponies out of the barracks. It was her idea that we hide in the morgue. Can’t go looking to kill what’s already dead, right? She wouldn’t let anyone fall behind. But they started coming closer. So instead of hiding, she ran off in another direction to lead them away. Her quick thinking and loyalty saved all our lives.”

Cadet Rainbow Dash also survived the attack, and was found lying in the electrical closet. Although seriously wounded, she managed to avoid capture. Due to the severity of her wounds, however, we were refused an interview.

There has been discussions of a promotion or reward to honor Cadet Dash’s service to her fellow ponies, but due to heavy invasion fronts to the west, any discussion was tabled for a later date.

The survivors of the attack are being reassigned with no further training. The military would like us to remind readers that the Crystal War is a threat to the happiness of all Equestria. Remember to do your part by joining the armed ranks, donating food drives, or coming out to the front lines to work as a nurse. Equestria needs you! (More on supporting the war effort, pg. 4)

Author's Note

Long time no update! Like, really long time! I wanted to add a few newsclippings/letters/files etcetera to add a little contrast to the rest of the POV. There will still be mostly chapters following Rainbow Dash in a traditional story format, but I wanted to include shorter bits like this as well