Overgrown Rainbow

by Cytotoxin

Rating: teen
Tags: Fluttershy, Adventure, Wonderbolts, Twilight Sparkle, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Rainbow Dash, Original Character
Length: 13211

Years down the line, an interview is given...

Quick Quill is but a junior journalist. Yet, by a stroke of wild luck, he ends up being invited on board of Rainbow - pinnacle of Equestrian military airforce. The reason? He`s there to take an interview with admiral - first in almost five years. And yes, admiral does have something to say...

(Dark and adventure are added mostly to reflect the implied carnage in first chapter. Don`t expect anything gratuitous.)

Addendum: Well, OK, maybe not just first chapter, now.

Published 2012-07-15 17:24:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-11-25 02:28:30 UTC

Deadly Rainbow

Deadly Rainbow

Rainbow was certainly magnificent. Pride and joy of Equestrian Air force, the immense airship inspired abject reverence. Crewed by two and half hundred ponies, not counting four squadrons of pegasi fighters and a support division of unicorns, Rainbow`s mere presence in the sky dwarfed the castles and cowed the cities into meek submission. An icon of Equestrian military might and technological advancement, Rainbow also carried rocketry and cannon batteries of unprecedented firepower. Only two years into service, and airship already had been known far and wide, inspiring jubilation and confidence in allies and abject fear and begrudging respect in enemies.

Quick Quill was still incredulous about his luck. A journalist just earning his name, he certainly did not expect to be present at the deck of military airship. Yet, there he was. What began as a simple chore of asking around some of the airship crew about the ship had suddenly became a personal invitation by the admiral to attend the patrol flight of the ship, with exclusive rights to publish anything that wasn`t deemed military secret. It was very nice of admiral to write a letter for him too - Quick Quill was pretty certain chief editor of Equestrian Inquirer would have not believed him otherwise.

Of course, young journalist wasnt exactly expecting to be a war reporter - but that didnt matter much, since Rainbow was just performing a routine patrol of the border. Following the recent war of succession in the Griffin Kingdom, the aforementioned kingdom had factually ceased to exist, split into four mutually opposing duchies and their vassals. After unexpected death of Stormwing the Fourteenth in a hunting accident, succession crisis followed, for Stormwing the Fourteenth had neither heir, nor even wife to take the regency. Each of the four grand dukes had some legitimacy beyond their claim to the throne, but none of the four commanded enough clout to overtake the other three.

Military action soon followed, and it wasn`t before long that griffin skirmishers began making incursions into the borders of Equestria, raiding and pillaging small villages along the foothills. Reprisals by Equestrian military came without delay, and soon enough, a dead zone had been established along the border, routinely patrolled by airships and pegasi squads, intercepting and routing skirmishers back into mountains. Normally, a capital warship like Rainbow would not be used for patrol duty, but according to what Quick Quill had been told so far, it was merely sabre rattling - rather insistent reminder to the grand dukes of Silverclaw and Thunder Crown to keep their unruly subjects under control or else.

He peered over the railing. Down below, hills looked almost flat. He knew, of course, that from the ground, hills wouldnt appear to be anything close to flatness he perceived from above. Lifting camera, he pointed it downwards and held his breath.... One, two, three... THERE! A perfect view. He snapped off two shots quickly. It was close to three in the afternoon. Soon, admiral would come to the bridge and he could conduct his interview. He couldnt wait.

Melodic chime reverberated through the frame of airship, three clear tones signaling three in the afternoon. Quick Quill turned around and walked into the command gondola. Admiral was already there, sitting on her chair lazily, tuft of unruly rainbow hair sticking out from under the crooked shako. "Enjoying the view, kid?" - she offered in that raspy voice of hers, nodding at the folding stool next to her chair, - "Sit down and let`s get this interview business started."

Quick Quill nodded, sitting down on the stool and whipping out notepad and pencil from his bag. "...First of all, let me say again Im very thankful you agreed to give me that interview." - he ventured, voice cracking slightly as he forced himself to maintain composure - "While we are on that topic, can you please comment on the reasons why youve consented to give me an interview after more then four years of not speaking to press?" Old mare chuckled, her laughter quickly devolving into a little cough.

I see you did your homework. Fast and to the point, the way I like it. Very well, let`s talk about this first. Why I agreed to that interview? Because sooner or later, I have to speak to press in any case. So why not start with someone fresh in the business? Some of your more seasoned colleagues exhibit a lack in tact that is alarming even to me, and Rainbow Dash is not a mare known for being subtle. Besides, I am guessing your career just might take a leap for snagging this.

Y.. yes, quite so. But what was that about some of my colleagues lacking in tact? Were some of those less tactful journalists responsible for your four year old hiatus from any direct contact with press?

To a point, yes. But thats neither here, nor now. Maybe Ill talk about that more later, but for now... were there any other questions you wanted to ask?

Ah, yes, I understand. Well, the question on everypony`s lips is this - what is your opinion of this airship? Rainbow represents a pinnacle of Equestrian warfare science, and the question is... Is this ship really all that?

Hah, you better bucking believe it. Rainbow is the finest ship Ive had under my command. Despite being the largest combat airship, Rainbow can maintain cruising speed of eighty four knots - very tangible improvement over the Nimbus-class airship with its sixty eight knots.

Maximum speed, eighty four knots... Got it.

What? No, not maximum speed! Cruising speed. In the name of Celestia, what are they teaching you kids in school nowadays?

...Oh. Could you please explain this, admiral?

BuckinA. Ok, listen, its like this. Cruising speed is the speed at which airship movement is the most economic to maintain. Whenever airship is flying somewhere and has no reason to hurry, it will be moving at cruising speed to conserve the engine fuel. Airships can easily go faster then cruising speed if the need comes. Nimbus class can easily give ninety knots, if it needs to be so. As for Rainbow, during test runs she stably performed at the speeds over a hundred knots.

Over a hundred knots... That`s a lot, right?

For an airship? Yes, it`s a lot. Pegasi can reach much higher speed in a free flight, but only for short time and at the cost of great exertion.

What was the highest speed you had personally flown at, admiral?

...Now thats a loaded question, kid. As you know, Ive performed several sonic rainbooms. According to official measurements, pegasus must travel at the speed exceeding six hundred knots to successfully breech into rainboom. After the breech... Nopony knows for sure. Theory suggests that past-breech, speed increases by the order of magnitude, which would put pegasus gliding on rainboom wave at over six thousands knots. But this is just guesswork. It could be equally easily over nine thousands as well. So the most precise answer that would be certainly truthful would be "really bucking fast".

Alright, gotcha. Back to my previous question, however. Rainbow is fast. What else can you tell us about this ship?

She`s powerful. Rainbow is fitted with six cannon batteries, each numbering twelve state-of-the-art six-inch Rainmetall cannons. That totals to thirty six cannons covering each board. Each battery also mounts two Dragonbreath railframes. Each railframe can fire a volley of twenty rockets in under two seconds, liberally saturating air with flak. Lastly, Rainbow is fitted with bomb bays that can accommodate a wide range or ordnance from Discoteque clusterbombs to Grand Slam castlebusters.

Wow. That`s a while lot of firepower.

Damn right it is! And don`t forget that Rainbow also carries four squadrons of pegasi on board, ready to fight within two minutes.

...Admiral, I have to ask. With all that firepower, how well the Rainbow is defended? I shudder to think of how much gunpowder is necessary to keep all those guns fed.

Ah, a good question. The gunpowder bunkers and the fuel tanks are positioned inside the envelope, surrounded by hundreds cubic yards of buoyant cloudfluff on all sides. To put it simply, scoring a reliable hit on either would only be possible if Rainbow was already partially destroyed and going down. The envelope is reinforced with steel wire and is split into self-containing cells of cloudfluff. So even if envelope is somehow punctured, it would not just pop like a balloon. Finally, engines, rudders and all personnel compartments are armored with dural. Crucial areas like engines and command section are additionally shielded by dragonmesh - magisynthetic material that mimics dragon skin in it`s magic-dissipating capacity.

...Impervious armor... got it.

Well, not quite impervious, kid. It would be a lethal mistake to believe oneself indestructible - a lesson that I`ve received quite a few times, both personally and as a commander. Just because you can take a buck does not mean you can take a dozen back-to-back. When all is said and done, Rainbow is still an airship, not a castle. Her primary defences are mobility and long-range firepower - not giving enemy a chance to strike at all works better then any kind of armor could.

Superior mobility... Hm. But she still needs all that armor, does she not?

Yes. Yes, she does. All capital airships rely on a combination of firepower, armor and mobility to prevail, and I`m proud to say that Rainbow here demonstrated unsurpassed capacity for it. I can honestly claim that as of now, Rainbow is the most singularly powerful military airship in the world. However...

Yes?

However, kid, even the most powerful ship in the world is nothing without her crew. Make no mistake - in the hooves of fools, even Rainbow would be a lousy fighter. Every single pony on board this ship is among Equestrian finest - cream of the crop, as Rarity would say. Every last one of them is a veteran and a patriot to the bone.

Just as Quick Quill was about to ask something else, one of the unicorn officers run up to admirals chair, stating - "Admiral Rainbow Dash, maam! Boogies spotted at the starboard." Journalist quietened down immediately, his ears pricking as he listened intently. He was about to witness genuine military action! The thought made him both excited and slightly sick with nervousness. Rainbow Dash straightened in her chair.

"Bearing? Altitude? Speed?" - she barked. Helmspony sounded off - "Westnordwest, maam! Eight-thirty fathoms and descending! Eighty two knots!" Dash glanced at the chronometer, then on the map. "Boogies identified?" - she quipped, looking at the reporting officer. "Negative, maam! Spotters report twenty-three griffins, no visible identification. All of them armed able-bodied adults, no cargo spotted. Upon sighting us scattered and took cover in terrain in quadrant fifteen-six!" - replied officer, - "Orders, ma`am?"

Dash checked the map again and heaved a sigh. "Raiders..." - she muttered, - "Any indication theyre withdrawing?" Unicorn shook his head - "None, maam! So far, observation suggests they`re attempting to avoid being noticed." Dash quietly swore under her breath. "Chief cannoneer! Ready the fore starboard battery." - she offered, raspier then usual, - "Launch smoke signal rocket over the quadrant fifteen-six. They have five minute grace period. After that, shell the quadrant." She turned to the unicorn - "Continue observation, report any enemy movement immediately."

Quick Quill expected some kind of commotion to erupt, but... nothing. Everypony was carrying on. Perhaps, he misunderstood? Perhaps, shelling meant something else? He could not help but keep glancing at the chronometer. "Smoke signal rocket deployed! No movement in quadrant!" - sounded off observation officer. Minute. Two. Three. Fo... "Boogies are congregating in the southwest of quadrant! Confirmed defensive formation."

"...Confirmed as combatants, then... Theyre expecting us to send in pegasi squadron, apparently..." - muttered Dash, and brought her hoof down on the chair, having reached a decision - "Chief cannoneer. Commence shelling now." "Aye-aye, sir!" - replied turquoise mare, trotting out of command post briskly. Dash glanced at the journalist briefly - "Open your mouth and plug your ears, kid. Youd be grateful for it."

Just as Quick Quill opened his mouth to reply, ship shuddered. Cannon barrage was absolutely deafening. His hooves pressed into ears almost instinctively, staring at the admiral in shock. Several more jolts passed through, signifying more cannon fire. That... was most certainly not a joke. Not a joke. No joke at all. Suddenly, Quick Quill noticed that Rainbow Dash is apparently talking to him. Pulling hooves away from the ears gingerly, he marvelled at the ringing silence.

"...I said, are you alright, kid? Dont spaz on me there, yhear?" - she barked, waving hoof in front of his face. Quick Quill let out a long shuddering breath. "...Suns glory. Ive never heard cannon fire before." - he admitted shakily, trying to pick up his pencil and notepad again. "Yeah, well, it`s not a sound ponies should ever hear, really." - offered blue pegasus, shaking her head ruefully.

...What would happen to griffins?

What do you think, kid? Most of them are dead or dying by now. If any of them got off lightly, they will return to the duchy of Silverclaw with another horror tale of no pony zone.

...Is it... usual thing to happen?

Not really, no. Most raiders have enough common sense to turn back when they see the smoke signal. Those were.. overly determined bunch. Oh well. They knew the score when they decided to stand their ground.

But why did they do that? I mean, wasn`t it a suicide decision on their part?

Well, my best guess would be they did not expect Rainbow to be carrying any cannons at all. Nimbus-class airships have very distinct dovetail rudders. I believe they assumed Rainbow to be a troop carrier airship... And if it were so, my only recourse of action would be to send a squadron of pegasi down to subdue them. So they tried to form defensive ranks upon confirming we are aware of their presence.

I see. So what will happen now?

Well, that skirmish was already reported... So, most likely a couple of troop carriers will be dispatched into this quadrant. They will investigate the area and capture any surviving combatants still there, providing medical assistance where necessary. Then the place would be photographed and documented, and POWs, if any, would be taken to the holding camp, interrogated and later deported back to Griffin Kingdom.

That sounds awful.

Well duh. It is.

Ok, so what do you think of it? Will that kind of thing ever stop?

What I think, kid?... A good while ago, I went to Twilight with that kind of question. She told me - "Si vis pacem, para bellum.". It means - if you want peace, prepare for war. Theres a good reason why Equestria is such a peaceful country, and its not just because were governed by goddesses. No, its because Equestria was always ready to fight, if it came to it. We normally loathe conflict, its not in our nature. But were ready to step up and buck down any moron who thinks were an easy prey. And if it falls to me to deliver the buck? I dont like doing that, but I like Equestria. Above all else, I`m loyal to my country, my land, my people. So I will do whatever is necessary to protect us.

Overgrown Rainbow

Overgrown Rainbow

Quick Quill stared into the distance. Sunset painted the sky in reds and oranges. He could not make heads or tails out of his mood. Material was simply golden. He had spent a few hours to write a glowing article about Rainbow. Rainbow, as in airship. Admiral Rainbow Dash was quite another matter. Journalist did not know what to make out of her. He knew about her history, of course. An avid flier and aerial acrobat, selected at rather young age to be one of the Elements of Harmony. Hero of Equestria even back then. Her reputation only grew stronger when she ended up in military during Minotaur Revolt.

Quick Quill shook his head. It was not quite that common for a mare to volunteer for militia. It was even less common for militia to end up being in the thick of it, getting brevetted first to lieutenant and then to commodore as the combat continued. By the time Revolt was officially over, Rainbow Dash was officially a lieutenant of Equestrian air force - a situation with practically no precedents. Still, for a pony who was capable to hold the line against the overwhelming force for almost two days, there was simply no other possible resolution. As it turned out, Rainbow Dash thrived in army.

Quick Quill thought back to the collection of articles he read in preparation for this assignment. Dash`s career was just as rapid and jagged as her acrobatics. Less then a month after Revolt, she was in Zarhyme, a part of force overseeing peace talks between the Hegemony and Thirteen Tribes. Talks that failed rather explosively, leading to a sudden and harsh offensive from Hegemony. Again, Rainbow Dash proved her capacity as military leader, promoted to captain after successful defence of Jiffur castle. Amusingly enough, this promotion took place during a court martial session dedicated to Rainbow Dash and her alleged dereliction of duty.

That was rather loud case. Commodore Rushing Wind set the court in action, formally accusing Dash of the aforementioned dereliction of duty. However, throughout the session, court established that her actions prevented the fall of castle to Hegemony. Furthermore, it was established that Rainbow Dash had actually followed the orders to the letter, despite Rushing Winds rather empathic insistence that the spirit of orders was all but taken out back and dashed open. In the aftermath of court awarding promotion as an appropriate response to Dashs actions, Rushing Wind rather publicly retired from the service in protest. This protest buried his political career three months later, when his former title and division was passed to nopony else but Rainbow Dash herself.

There were no split hairs over the second promotion - being in command of the first squadron to breach the walls of Yerrihon, Dashs promotion was all but assured by the fact she personally disabled the gate mechanisms, opening way into the castle for Zarhyme heavy infantry. This victory came at a complete surprise to Hegemony - it was expected that Yerrihons siege would last for months. Instead, city had been overrun after just two days of siege, leaving wide open breech in Hegemonys defences. Pressed hard by griffins advancing from the Rift and Zarhyme forces marching through Yerrihons pass freely, Hegemony sued for peace six days later.

Commodore Rainbow Dash returned to Equestria triumphant. And this... this was the moment when something happened. Quick Quill would give much to find out what. Only a scant few days after return, Rainbow Dash very publicly announced her refusal to meet any members of press. Her promotion to admiralty two years later wasn`t the icebreaker everypony hoped it to be - admiral Dash stalwartly refused to converse with representatives of press, resorting to "No comment." every time a public question was poised. Quick Quill also wondered very much what is that about him that prompted admiral to open up at last.

While no reputable sources put forth any information on what prompted Dashs refusal of press coverage four years ago, yellow press was rife with ideas and suggestions. However, most of it was standard rumor and slander yellow press is fond of - illicit children, illicit affairs, illicit fetishes, embezzlement, scandals, yadda-yadda-yadda. Truth was that anypony with a clue was keeping mum on this one. Still.. Quick Quill collated some data from that time. His efforts turned out a few facts of interest that could be related to Rainbow Dash. First, her childhood friend, Fluttershy, had a wedding only a week after Dashs triumphant return. Second, a rather insistent rumor of Rainbow Dash being considered for Wonderbolts team cropped up at the same time. Finally, third, official appointment of Twilight Sparkle to the position of court archmage only a few days before the peace talks.

Journalists suspicions were rather firmly planted on first fact. A childhood friend would likely know the same colts as Rainbow Dash. Perhaps, it was the case of love triangle. In the absence of one mare, colts fancies turned to another, and Dash`s reason for not talking to press was the fact she lost out on marriage. But then again... He shook head firmly. Soon enough, he would be having supper with admiral at her cabin. She promised to consider his personal questions in more candid atmosphere. But for now, he could just appreciate the sublime beauty of sunset.

Melodic chimes announced eight in the evening. Time to attend that supper. Quick Quill pushed away from the railing and trotted into gondola. He arrived without incident to admirals cabin a few moments later, knocking on the door gingerly. "That you, kid? Come on in, its open." - came the voice from inside. Sliding the door open, he stepped into the cabin with, - "Good evening, admiral." He took a seat across the table from Rainbow Dash, checking the meal appreciatively. It was exactly what he asked for - oats with raisins and clover. Admiral`s bowl apparently held a hefty helping of apple salad.

Ahem... Well, admiral, I must admit that I am simply burning up with curiosity. Why did you decide to give me an interview? And what was that about my colleagues being tactless?

Heh. First of all, kid, this is informal supper. And informally, I prefer to be called just Dash. Second... call me nosy, but I`m curious - what did you folks think about my decisions? What did you folks write about me, and what do you personally think about my reasons to shut the press out until now?

Um.. Alright then, Dash. I was not employed back when this... well, was an issue, so I dont rightly know what had happened back then among journalists. Ive gathered everything that made to press, of course, but that`s as far as I got.

Fair enough. So what do you think it was? Speak candidly, Im just curious. Not going to cancel this if I wont like your answers, I promise.

Hrm... Well, this is what Ive got. One of your friends, Twilight Sparkle, was officially employed as courts archmage just before your comeback from Zarhyme. One of my theories is that as a new archmage, she had to share some of the state secrets with you, thus making you shun press to keep secrets secret.

...A bit far-fetched, don`t you think?

Yes, but I couldn`t think of anything else that would apply, if her new post was the cause.

Oh. So it was your last ditch theory? Come on, let`s skip ahead to the theory you put most of stock in.

Um... Well, your other friend, Fluttershy, got married just a few days after your return. I thought that maybe it was a case of love triangle, and you were the one who ended up being the third wheel.

Har, now thats more like it. Of course, this is dead wrong. While she is my dear friend, Ive got no romantic feelings for Fluttershy.

Quick Quill blinked, shaking his head. He couldn`t tell if admiral was serious or just messing with him. Taking refuge in audacity, he heaved a sigh and plunged in with the truth - "Actually, my theory was that both you and Fluttershy were interested in same colt, and... his fancies turned to Fluttershy in your absence." Rainbow Dash guffawed unceremoniously.

BWaha!.... Me and Big Mac... Oh, thats rich...! Hah. Naw, kid, thats bollocks. I like the big lug, but fancying him? Heavens forefend. Between the two of them, I`d think Fluttershy had better chances of catching my eye. Neigh, I was happy for them. In fact, they delayed their wedding by a week just so I could attend. Got anymore theories?

Well... there was a rumor of you and Wonderbolts...

...Oh?

Well, factually, there were many rumors about you and Wonderbolts. I mean, its publicly known your life ambition was to be Wonderbolt before military... Im not sure what exactly could have happened, but I think its possible that something did. Something that wouldnt let you be Wonderbolt.

...Huh. Well, I got to hand it to you, kid. That one... it`s rather close to the spot.

It is? Well, uh... I don`t really want to dredge the unpleasant memories, but... pretty much whole of Equestria would like to know what happened, at last.

Hah. You know what, a couple years back I wouldve even believed you. Whole of Equestria.. heh. Truth is, I would have loved for all of Equestria to know about me back then. Nowadays?... Lets just say it aint the first thing Im after.

So, what happened?

Well... As you know, being a Wonderbolt had been my ambition ever since I was a foal. In a way, that was also the reason why I decided to sign up in army. When I got a hoof in, as an officer to boot? I thought my dreams are coming true.

Wait, wait a second. That would be just after the Minotaur Revolt, yes?

Yep. Princess Celestia was... ahem, pretty surprised when she found out who was in charge of the line in the end. She insisted on making me an honorary officer just to commemorate that, but I got thinking - hey, fame is fame, but Wonderbolts are kind of a part of army. Sure, they accept particularly gifted civilians, but most of them were in army before being hoof-picked for Wonderbolts. So I asked Celestia - "Princess, can I join the army for real, instead?" And she said - "Sure!" So there I was, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, just waiting for my invitation.

Oh. And the invitation never came?

Got that right, kid. I mean, I knew what I wanted, heck, everyone knew what I was after. Ive been bumping into Wonderbolts more often then Ive seen my friends. And nope. Nothing. Nada. So... I went and wrote an official request to be considered for Wonderbolt team. There was an opening on the team, too. This is the letter I got back from Spitfire.

Rainbow Dash looked aside, frowning. It was obvious even now she`s still less then pleased with what happened back then. She trotted over to the bureau, opened it and pulled out a letter from it, handing it to Quick Quill. Journalist skimmed through it quickly. It was full of officially-sounding phrases, but the meaning of message was rather clear. Summed up, it sounded like - "Your application is rejected, as Wonderbolts are looking for genuine flying talents, not for celebrities." He returned the letter, frowning.

That seems rather strange to me. I`ve been but a schoolcolt back then, but even I remember hearing about Rainbow Dash, the fastest flier in Equestria. But this letter, it looks like as if you were a total nopony before getting honors for Minotaur Revolt deeds. Surely, Spitfire would have had some idea about how good of a flier you are.

Bingo, kid. By the book, I should have been invited to the tests, at least. Instead, I got this letter. At first, I didnt know what to think, then I started noticing Spitfire started to avoid me like plague. So a week later, Ive cornered her at the ladies room and demanded to know what`s going on.

So what did she say?

That I`ve been passed over. That, "for political reasons", a son of count of Hoofington had been given the spot.

Oh. But wait... You have a direct line to royal ear. Wouldn`t Princess Celestia have something to say about this?

Oh, yes. Yes, she had much to say. The problem, kid, was that this other kid was unaware of it. His dad pulled the strings, greased some hooves, twisted some ears. In short, Spitfire was ordered by a superior officer to give a slip to anypony who stood a chance of testing out better then count`s son. That kid genuinely believed he beat all the other applicants. Only Spitfire knew that he got the spot only because I got bumped off the track before the starting line.

I see... But still, didn`t you deserve that spot?

I did, kiddo, I sure did. The thing is, the counts son also deserved it. Ive seen him at the practice, and I can honestly say he wouldnt shame the name of Wonderbolts. Hes a good kid, and it was not his fault his dad played dirty. So I asked princess to let it be. But I wasn`t happy about it, not the slightest. And so, I volunteered to go to Zarhyme, to get away from it all for a while. Imagine my joy when I discovered that my commanding officer is the jerk who ordered Spitfire to bump me off the list.

Rushing Wind? He gave that order?

Yep. He was a smug bastard about it too. Went out of his way to stiff me in Zarhyme as well.

Why did he have such a vendetta against you?

Two reasons. First - he knew I knew that he gave the order, and he was afraid I have a vendetta against him. Second - princess reassigned him to Zarhyme for that order. She wanted to drum him out of service, but that would become a public scandal - and a public scandal would kill the kid`s chances at Wonderbolts. So, yeah, he had plenty of reason to have a grudge. Besides, I had a grudge as well.

I can`t imagine that went well.

Oh, it didnt. Especially once the fighting broke out. He bent over backwards to put me and my squad into the shittiest positions, then blamed me for not making a candy out of shit he shoveled my way. Things really got to head in Jiffur. Buckers orders were pretty much a death sentence for all of the squad, including me. So when I got creative with it and ended up not only saving my colts but also sabotaging the siege itself, he saw red. I dont think I need to tell you about that court martial session, its been all over the newspapers.

Yes. It was a sensation. Court martialed to promotion. You have to agree, it`s pretty much unheard of.

Heh. But anyway, bucker resigned after that. I think he was afraid I might retaliate.

Were you planning to?

...Maybe. I cant say for sure now. I had some plans to make sure I dont answer to him no more, of course, but how far would I go to get rid of him? I dont know, and it a way, Im glad I dont have to find out. Its revenge enough I got his whole division after Yerrihon. Speaking of sourface, whatever happened to him? I was too busy after the war to pay much attention to news.

Rushing Wind? Well, after he resigned in protest, he tried to get elected as Hoofington mayor, but... er, elections were held three days after the triumph youve been given in Canterlot. He lost by the landslide and, according to experts, bankrupted his credibility. After that, hes done nothing newsworthy, I believe.

Heh. I`d be lying if I said I feel sorry for him. Nah, he deserved every bit of it.

Well, this is certainly riveting story, but what does it have to do with your refusal to speak with press after you`ve been promoted to commodore?

Getting to that, kid. See, before Zarhyme, I was not in position to do something about Wonderbolts. Since the things back then were handled quietly, general public was not aware I applied and got bumped off. So now as I returned from Zarhyme with all the accolade, most of the reporters put together two and two, got five and went on to pester me with quiestion - when I will be joining Wonderbolts?

Well, that makes sense. Even if one knows the story... Since you got Rushing Winds division and his title, wouldnt it give you the authority over Wonderbolts? You couldve simply ordered Spitfire to write you into the roster, and shes have to say "Maam, yes maam!".

Rainbow Dash heaved a sigh and stood up. She was silent for a few moments, looking out of the illuminator at the starry sky. Then, she spoke, without turning back - "Yes. I could. And no, I couldn`t." She turned to the bureau again and pulled out an old dog-eared book. Quick Quill stole a glance on the title as Dash opened it. The book was called - "Wonderbolts: History and Traditions" She put the book down on the floor and pointed out one passage with the hoof.

This. This is why I couldn`t do it.

...There were, traditionally, twelve Wonderbolts?...

There was NO spot now. The team had all twelve members. I couldn`t just order myself to be written in as the thirteenth - it would be a spit in the face to all that Wonderbolts are. If I did that, then every Tap, Buck and Berry with an ounce of clout would write themselves in as "extra" Wonderbolts.

...Ah. I see where you`re coming from.

Having a spot on the team is actually rather rare thing for Wonderbolts. Being best out of best means that spots usually open up only when somepony retires. So in order to make a spot for myself, I would have had to order somepony to retire.

The count`s son?

Well, if I had the heart to crush his dream like that, do you think I wouldve gone to Zarhyme? I would have simply asked princess Celestia to overturn the order given to Spitfire. The public outcry from that alone wouldve made it impossible for the kid to show up in Wonderbolt uniform without being booed out of the sky. No, if I wanted the spot he stole from me, I wouldn`t need to wait to take it back. The correct answer is that I could NOT join Wonderbolts.

So, let me get this straight. Journalists keep pestering you about joining Wonderbolts - and you are aware you can not join Wonderbolts at the time because there`s no fair way to do this, right?

Pretty much. I tried to shrug off some of your colleagues at first, kid. But they kept getting more and more ludicrous with their questions and theories. Finally, Ive tried to explain to a pair of journalists exactly the same thing Im explaining to you now - that Wonderbolts already have all twelve spots filled, and I wouldn`t be able to join without bumping someone out of the team. Can you guess the spin they put on that story?

Quick Quill facehoofed. He had pretty good idea what kind of headline would likely be concocted out of this explanation. Rubbing his nose with the hoof, he paused for a second, getting his thoughts together, while Rainbow Dash closed the book and put it back into bureau. "Im guessing they did something like "Look out Wonderbolts! Rainbow Dash is after you all! Whos spot the fastest mare in Equestria is going to take?" kind of article?" - he ventured, shaking his head.

Got it on the first try, kid. Yes, thats exactly the kind of article that started cropping up in papers. Wasnt long before the word got to Wonderbolts as well. I didn`t know what happened, since pretty much the whole team started avoiding me. Then Spitfire came over one evening.

Were she angry with you?

MMmm? No. She wasnt. I suppose some other members of Wonderbolts were, but she knew better. After all, she of all ponies knew I had a good reason to be gunning for a specific somepony on the team. And so, she assumed that this is exactly what is happening. That I am going to kick out counts son and take "my" spot back. She came to me hoping to talk me out of it.

Really? Why would she want that?

Because it was a sordid affair, and it would have soiled the honor of Wonderbolts for decades. Theres no question about it - if I used my clout to oust counts son out of the team, his dad would certainly retaliate somehow. It would`ve ended up being exposed to public sooner or later.

And she hoped you`d see the things this way?

Actually... no. She also felt guilty about the whole affair, you see. And so, she offered me her spot on the team, if I leave the kid alone.

Her spot?... As in, Spitfire offered to leave Wonderbolts so you could join?

Yep. As you can obviously see, I wasnt fine with the idea. So I told her that I wouldnt be joining Wonderbolts. That the time for that had come and gone, and I missed the brass ring. I told her to go back to the team and assure them I have no designs on any of them. Next morning, I announced my seclusion from press. So there you have it, kid. The story of why.

...I see. And this whole seclusion from press was caused by a few bad apples playing fast and loose with your words? ...I`ve got to hand it to you, adm... Dash. That was pretty abrupt way to snag all the credibility from the rumors from then on. One last question remains, however.

Really? So what is that question?

As I remember, a year ago, there was another opening in the team. By all the facts, you should have had the dibs on it. So why didn`t you took it then?

She shrugged, leaning back on the pillow - "It was a case of "too little, too late". Ive overgrown that dream, kid. When the opening finally came, I was an admiral. Look around yourself. Theres almost three hundred ponies on this ship alone that trust their lives and well-being to me. They trust me to make the right call, to win the fight and keep them alive through it. Theyre giving their all. Would I dare to let them down? Would I throw away their trust to fly stunts? ...No. Never. Above all else, I am loyal. Loyal to my crew, to my division, to my ponies. After all that Ive seen, all that Ive done... I coudlnt really make peace with being just an entertainer no more. Ive moved on to things that are bigger than me and bigger than Wonderbolts. Id never dare to turn my back on this, now."

Where The Rainbow Starts

"...Are you alright?" - a strange question to ask. No, she was definitely not alright. It would be inane to assume anypony could be alright after seeing their parent fall into the cauldron of boiling raw rainbow. She turned around, looking plainly at the pony who asked this. An aging stallion pegasus with a cloud scoop for a cutie mark. One of the rainbow factory workers, no doubt. "No, I am not." - she answered clearly, - "I need help." He lurched forward, scooping filly up in his hooves. "Hang on, sport... It will be OK, I promise." - he rasped, flying down the corridor quickly. Rainbow Dash recognised the corridor. She was carried to the infirmary. Good enough.

An hour later, she was curled up on the couch, when her mother came barreling into the room. "What happened? Wheres Rainbow Dash?" - granted, Sunbeam had a cause to worry, but there was no point in screeching like that, now was there? Dash raised her hoof languidly, offering - "Im here, mother." She was feeling very slow, dim. Probably the effect of the sedative nurse gave her earlier. Silly pony. Dash did not need to be calmed. Apparently, Sunbeam thought the same, because she was currently haranguing the aforementioned nurse for giving her precious foal "the drugs".

Rainbow yawned. She honestly couldnt figure why "drugs" were supposed to be bad. After all, her parents kept giving her some other drugs. But those other drugs were not like these. They were terribly spicy and she always wanted to drink after taking them. Nurses "drugs" were bland and made her want to sleep instead. Maybe that was the problem. Oh well. Let the adults sort it out. She knew she could use more rest - her plans needed carrying out, and she had nopony to rely on.

"Come on, Rainbow Dash. Were leaving!" - her mothers announcement was... less than welcome, but Dash bore with it. Patience, patience and more patience. She knew she had to be patient and bade her time. As filly tried to follow, however, she fell over, her hooves tangled together. Huh. So thats why nurses "drugs" were considered bad. She frowned. "Look what you did! Poor dear is stoned!" - apparently, that was her mothers line. Stoned? But she wasnt a statue...?

Rainbow Dash awoke with a start. She felt awful. Headache, throbbing hooves, aching wings. But at least, everything worked. Sort of. She patted her neck with hoof and winced. Of course. Fresh cut. Another pint down the drain. She swore to herself that would be the last one. It was simply too much to ask of her! Rainbow Dash was a good filly! Never protested when it was time to be harvested. But it wasn`t supposed to happen so often! It was too much. Too painful.

Gathering hooves under herself gingerly, she looked around. Her own room. Good. Sunbeam would be somewhere around the house. Time to put the end to all of this. She trotted to the door, and pushed it open. Calendar on the wall. And the day of Equinox marked in red red ink. She would be twelve the day before Equinox. And the day later, she was slated to die. Was. Rainbow Dash was amending the plan.

She crept to the opening to the first floor. Pegasi had no stairs in the house, for obvious reasons. Where... a-ha. She spied her mother puttering around the stove. Of course. Even the death of her husband wouldnt dissuade Sunbeam from sticking to their plan. Preparing the extract, of course. Rainbow Dash fought back the gagging as she caught the whiff from the pot on the stove. Its been happening for years. Once in a month, her parents would drain a about a pint of rainbowy liquid that was her blood. Then they`d cook it somehow, until it became a shiny flat disk. Disk that reflected any light into the purest rainbow anypony ever seen. She was OK with that. Was. But lately, they started doing it more often, taking more, and she could tell it was killing her. And then she overheard this discussion, late at night. Rainbow Cult. Her parents were the cultists. It was obvious, in retrospect.

Rainbow Dash was never the eggheadest of ponies, but she knew how to read and how to look for a book in library. And so she did. Reading about Rainbow Cult chilled her to the bone - and in the same time explained a whole lot of weird things that happened to her. 'Sevenfold the seven of purest lens, let them cast the light upon the sacrifice of twelve when the sun and moon stand equal.' - allegory, but the annotations were pretty clear. And that was why Rainbow Dash had pushed her father into that boiling cauldron, in cold blood and clear conscience. He had no time to think, no time to even scream - she was planning this for weeks now.

Ducking back, she nudged the door to her room open again, nosing the bedding carefully. Under the cloudfluff was a sock. She stole that sock from her friend, Fluttershy. And stuffed it full of bits that she saved one by one - until the sock was thick and heavy with metal. Grasping it with teeth, she chewed on the sock until it was taut - no sound must be allowed. And then, she trotted back out.

...It was over. She did it. Rainbow Dash let go of the sock, letting it fall on the floor. It flew open, bits scattering over the hardened cloudfluff. Good. Shed need those bits to buy Fluttershy a new set of socks. She couldnt return the bloodied sock, now could she? Nudging the floor in the corner of the room, she pulled up the trapdoor. Parents always forbade her to try and look into the "cellar". Their explanation was that cellar floor was not hardened and she could fall through it, down all the way to the ground. What a load of bull. She knew what REALLY was in the cellar. It was full of raw concentrated rainbow. Astonishing substance, really. After much nudging and dragging, she deposited the fresh cadaver into the cellar. She knew what would happen. Rainbow would dissolve Sunbeam`s body, break it down into base colors. Within a few days, it would vanish without a trace. This was not the first body that would be disposed of in this way. Factually, on the Equinox, Rainbow herself were supposed to end up down there... after being completely drained, of course.

She tossed the sock down and slammed the trapdoor shut. It faded out of view - anypony without prior knowledge would have no clue there`s something underneath the floor there. All that she had to do was to remove the possible spots and traces, and collect the bits. She needed them. Needed them lots. It would be a few days before anypony would get suspicious - she needed to be prepared. Hopefully, everypony would buy her story about being left there - her parents were always considered an odd bunch. Hopefully.. Very hopefully...

...Rainbow Dash woke up, panting, her hoof pawing around blindly until she slammed it into the lightswitch. Lamps flared up, illuminating her cabin. "...Im on my ship." - she muttered, smiling goofily - "Im not a little filly, I`m an admiral and I am on my ship." She grasped around the nighttable, coming up with an old-fashioned glass vial full of pills. Swallowing two dry, she momentarily winced at the rasping taste. Time to make a call. Standing up, she pulled open her personal communication panel. Crystals hummed to life as the sensor recognised her aura print. Habitually, Rainbow concentrated on the person she wanted to call. One Twilight Sparkle.

...Wha... Huh, Rainbow Dash? What happened?

I had a dream, Twi.

...Oh. Oh dear. How are you holding up?

Could be better. But no ruckus this time, at least.

Oh, good. Did you take your pills?

Oh, yeah, took two.

Are you sure? Had you really taken two?

I swear, Twi... Buck it, I`ll Pinkie swear if it makes you feel better.

...Haha, no, no need to. I believe you.

Im tired of this, Twi. Will it ever end? I thought theyd go away, but... I`m still getting them.

How often?

...Well, once in a few months now, I guess... Twi, why can`t this shit just go away!?

Im sorry, Dash, but... I dont really know. Youre pretty unique case, you know. Nopony else ever survived a rainbow poisoning as acute or long as one youve endured. You`re bleeding rainbow liquid, for crying out loud.

But why does it give me those psychotic dreams? Im tired of dreaming about this, Twilight! Im going nuts here. Why are the dreams all the same? Why am I dreaming about murdering my parents again and again and again!?

...I dont know, Dash. Im sorry. My best guess is that this is your subconscious reaction to their actions. They did poison you with rainbow, after all. Did that to you for years, until things were finally discovered. Anypony would feel bitter about it.

I thought I got over that years ago. Forgive and forget and all that jazz.

Forgive and forget? Not for us, Dash. Youre too smart for your own good. Forgive, yeah. You can do that. But forget? Thats the tough part.

Aw, come on, Twi. Youve got over your own beef with princess, didnt you? If you can look past the fact she let you kill yourself, why can`t I?

Well, simply because I didnt forget that either. Sure, I forgave Celestia for letting me contract Arcanorum Veneficii, but forget? No, Im going to remember this, you can bet on that.

Well, you don`t dream about killing her, now do you?

...No, I dont. Simply because undead dont dream, if nothing else.

Rainbow Dash sighed as the awkward pause filled the air. That was a sore topic. She was one of the few who knew that Twilight Sparkle was dead. Had been dead for years. And at the moment, she felt particularly uncool for reminding Twilight of that regrettable fact. Granted, Twilight was a very cool lich at the moment, but still, it was... less then polite to point it out. Again.

Im sorry, Twi. I shouldnt have brought that up.

Heh. Really, it`s OK, Dash. I would go as far as to say I quite enjoy being what I am now. But... you know. Sore topic. Just like your poisoning.

Oh, haha. Yeah, I suppose. Thanks, Twi. I feel tons better now.

No problem. You know I always have time for my friends. Particularly now, when I dont have to sleep anymore, heh. On unrelated topic, youre going to be in Canterlot tomorrow, right?

...Well, yes, if nothing goes wrong. Why, that`s the matter?

Fluttershy called while you were out on patrol. She has some interesting news.

Oh buck. News?... Tell me it`s something personal, Twi. Please.

Sorry, Dash. But if what she sent over is right, it`s news for admiral Dash, not buddy Dash.

Discord touch it, what now!?

Not over crystalline, Dash. You know it can be listened in.

With the kind of encryption we have on it?

Even with encryption, yes. It would make things harder, but not impossible.

...Fine, but Im thinking youre paranoid, Twi.

Better safe then sorry, Dash. Remember?

Yeah, yeah. Alright, see you tomorrow, miss archmage.

Heh. See you tomorrow, miss admiral.

Hidden Rainbows

Hidden Rainbows

She trotted down the ramp. Rainbow had been moored at the Canterlot Castle Docks two hours before, immediately engulfed in a flurry of restocking, refueling and maintaining. Even now, pegasi dockers were all over the envelope, checking it for any possible rips, while the land-bound crew examined the interiors and engines. Still, her job as captain of the ship was over for today. Works would take long into the night and probably well into next morning, but that was now the responsibility of Shiny Brass. And Rainbow Dash trusted her quartermaster enough to leave the ship in his hooves for a while.

She had to brief Quick Quill on what should be put to press and what should be kept quiet, but that took less then ten minutes. Young stallion turned out to be particularly savvy on the matters of security and need-to-know. Of course, Rainbow Dash suspected, it`s highly likely that whatever newspaper Quick Quill worked in, in practice he answered to Fluttershy.

Speaking of whom, she would be already at Twilight`s place. Lazily, Dash began her trot into castle, nodding in passing to the guards as she headed for the Arcanum Wing. Just a meeting between three life-long friends, nothing important. Of course, there was a little matter of those friends being court archmage, admiral and head of state intelligence, but... Hey, things be things. She missed her friends something fierce at times.

Rainbow Dash paused before the door. It was rather unassuming wooden door, similar to the doors anywhere else in the castle. Similar being the key word. The engravings on the wood were different from decoration that permeated the rest of the castle. Naive mind would assume the motif to be in tune with the overall theme of Archmage`s Tower. Everyone else treated the door as the deathtrap it was. Swallowing, Dash looked around and pressed her hoof to the door knob, round and cool aluminium under her hoof vibrating almost imperceptibly. Door swung open, and Dash let out a little sigh of relief, much to the amusement of Twilight Sparkle.

"Hey there, Dash. Still wary of my door?" - she quipped merrily, as he pulled out a chair for her friend - "Its perfectly safe, you know. For you, its just an inert piece of wood and metal." Blue pegasus snorted, as she closed the door behind her gingerly. Her ears immediately popped. "Ow. I hate when it does that." - she grumbled, shaking her head as the pressure normalised.

"Well, thats the price of security and safety. I tried my best to tone down the less... pleasant aspects of sealing enchantment, but... you know. Not always having a good grasp on hows that feel for living ponies." - responded Twilight gayly. Fluttershy sneezed. "Well, it`s not that bad." - she offered quietly, taking a sip from her cup - "Kind of peaceful, really, when the air is still like that."

Rainbow Dash trotted over to the proffered chair and flopped on it, doffing her shako as she got comfortable. "Hey there Twi, Shy. Hows things, you both?" - she offered, her voice taking on unintended husky tone. Blinking, Rainbow Dash coughed to clear her voice, and continued - "Before we get to anything... Any news on the group I got to yesterday?" Twilight sighed and pursed her lips - "Nothing we didnt know already, Im afraid." - she responded, unrolling the scroll - "Twenty three cadavers recovered. Twenty two griffons, one changeling. They had a number of items marked with seal of Silverclaw, but duke rather empathetically denies any connection. According to his official statement, this band consisted of criminals on the run. Hes claiming that the amount of marauding gangs in his duchy is increasing with each day of the succession crisis and rather unsubtly hints that he`d put an end to all of this if only Equestria backs his claim to the Plumed Throne."

Fluttershy heaved a little sigh - 'Hes not lying about marauders, too. Im starting to think that maybe we need to discover us a Stormwing the Fifteenth. This power struggle is threatening to plunge whole north into anarchy." Dash nodded - "Either that, or backing one of the dukes would do the trick. Any word from princesses on what`s most preferable?" Yellow pegasus slumped a little - "Well, Luna is mostly disinterested in the situation. Her advice is to pick someone who would be on tolerably agreeable terms with all the sides. I.E. Silverclaw or Stormwing."

Twilight frowned - "What about Celestia? I thought she considered Guizarme for the Plumed Throne?" Fluttershy shook her head - "Not anymore. Guizarme made public claims that if he were to take the Plumed Throne, he would demand the sovereignty over the griffins of The Rift. Theres a good chance that hes been pressured into making those claims by the conclave of Blackfeather duchy, but... The fact remains that he publicly stated he would demand of Equestria to surrender The Rift to his kingdom or extradite Sabbrush and his tribe." Dash`s face creased with a sneer - "Yeah, he can go suck a rock."

Twilight pressed her hoof to the forehead, rubbing it a little as she mulled over the options - "Wait, wait a second. Blackfeather are the oldest clan, but they are not the most important duchy. It should be Silverclaw versus Thunder Crown. Wasnt Guizarme suggested as 'third option'?" As Fluttershy opened her mouth to reply, Rainbow waved her hoof. "Ive got this, Shy." - she offered, looking on Twilight then - "Twi, thats the problem. Blackfeathers are only fourth in power in Kingdom, and thats only because theyre the oldest ducal house in existence. Silverclaw and Thunder Crown are top two contenders for the throne, and if someone were to make questionable claims, it would be either Aurik or Jag the Scarred, not Guizarme. Its bloody obvious Celestia would look on the demand dimly..."

"Meaning theres someone forcing Guizarme to sabotage his own chances at the throne." - offered Fluttershy - "Or, for some reason, Guizarme wants to make sure he would not be the next king." Rainbow nipped her lip - "So... any guesses why Plumed Throne is such a poison chalice right now, you two?" Twilight bit her lip as well, her mind quickly combining the proffered facts and ideas in every way. "Hm. I think I have an idea why Guizarme did that." - she offered tentatively - "Sabbrushs flock was driven out of Kingdom mostly by the influence of Jag the Scarred. Its possible that Blackfeathers are trying to curry the favors with Thunder Crown. Its not a secret that Silverclaw and Blackfeather duchies are historic allies... If Guizarme could get Jag on his side as well, he could get the Plumed Throne without Equestrian backing at all. And seeing as Celestia would obviously refuse to give up The Rift or its duke, that gives Guizarme an excuse to put economical sanctions on trade with Equestria. In Kingdoms favor, obviously."

Fluttershy nodded thoughtfully, as she pulled out a piece of paper from her saddlebag - "...You know, that might be it. Jag had been hinting at having some kind of 'icebreaker' lately. Maybe its just an attempt to solve the problem diplomatically in-house, at expense of expatriated flock." Dash tapped her hoof against the table softly, as she mulled over the situation. "I remember Jag a little." - she offered pensively, - "If hes been hinting at having an 'icebreaker', I dont think he would care for Blackfeathers petty politics. No, I think he already has backers powerful enough to make him think he could take on Silverclaw. The question is, who? Cant be Snowvale - Frigga barely got along with Stormwings, let alone dukes. But if not Snowvale and not Blackfeather, then whom?"

Yellow pegasus sighed softly - "Well, thats my news that I wouldnt want to send over the crystalline. I have a good reason to believe Jags been negotiating with Hoofington count, Minted Coin." Twilight quirked her brow, humming. Apparently, Fluttershys notion meant something for her. Rainbow Dash, however, was just surprised. "A count? Come on, Shy. I know that Hoofington is a rich county, but its not a separate country. What could Minted Coin offer to Jag that Equestria wouldnt?" - she inquired, wrinkling her nose.

"Well, I think I know that one." - offered Twilight suddenly - "You see, Dash, Hoofington county is one of the royal counties. It is not a part of any duchy, which gives itself an autonomy equal that of a duchy. Particularly, in economic and logistic departments. Hoofington county spans over four fifth of the total border length with Griffin Kingdom. Most of our trade with the north goes through Hoofington. More importantly, all of the border that Silverclaw duchy shares with Equestria is in Hoofington county. If Jag has some kind of agreement with Minted Coin, he could put a serious cramp on Aurik`s chances for the throne."

"Alright, so what do we do about the bastard?... Er, wait, count of Hoofington?..." - Dashs rush suddenly faltered as she recalled the conversation last evening, - "...Shit. Minted Coins the one who spoiled my chance of being Wonderbolt, isnt he?" Lavender and yellow ponies nodded simultaneously, looking on blue one with matching expressions of unrest. Dash inhaled and exhaled a couple of times. "...Alright, Im fine. I`m calm. Not the time for personal vendetta. So, what do we do?" - she offered strenuously.

Twilight and Fluttershy exchanged glances. "That really depends." - Fluttershy offered finally, - "You see, thats not all. Weve been getting reports of changelings among griffin forces. An odd one or two caught in the middle of things is nothing unusual, but theres just too many of them turning up. Not to mention that some of my sleeper agents in Hoofington left clandestine messages about encountering changelings there as well. I have a suspicion that Minted Coin has a secret arrangement with changelings about the fates of Plumed Throne. Jag is too territorial and patriotic to influence directly, but with the help of changelings.... Or maybe, Minted Coin himself is compromised - but if thats the case, he compromised himself willingly, or always were an agent of the Hive."

"In addition, there was another attempt at my life the night before last night." - proffered Twilight with a serious expression - "And tracks lead back to Hoofington." At that bit of news, both of the pegasi stopped talking and turned around to face Twilight. "...OK, so what did you do?" - inquired Rainbow finally. Twilight shrugged as she pushed back from the table, rolling back on her chair easily. "Well, I kept this one..." - she offered, lifting the jar off the shelf, - "The ringleader of the group. Others... Well, Shining`s got them locked up in the dungeon, the one that survived, that is." She shook the jar slightly, making the brain within wobble a little. Rainbow Dash swallowed.

"Ok, so... how did that even go down?" - she quipped uneasily, peering at the jar warily, - "And what did you find out?" Twilight chuckled darkly. "As usual... Everyone underestimated me."

It was rather late at night. Almost two past midnight. Not that Twilight cared much. She havent had the need to sleep in years, after all. Still, it was a very slow night. In fact, at the moment, unicorn was lazily doodling random patterns. She was bored. Several long-time experiments were in various stages of incubation/maturing/solidifying, and she had absolutely nothing to do. Even the paperwork was done already. At this rate, she would have to teleport into library and look up something she havent read yet. Which would probably end up being some trashy novel - everything else had already been perused extensively. Having no need to sleep, rest or eat would do that to a pony. But then again, Twilight took a measure of pride in the fact she was the only pony in the whole Equestria who personally read and comprehended every single written work on magic, science and philosophy.

Just as she got up, ready to cast teleportation spell, her alarm enchantment around the tower tripped up. Someone`s coming. She glanced on the bed. Rarely used, nowadays, but Twilight kept it around just in case. And today, the case seemed to be quite fitting. She trotted over to the bed and flopped on it, wiggling under covers. Intruders tripped the second line of alarms. Now she knew the exact number, species and even the looks of them. Passive observation, what a concept. Four attackers. Three of them are passing through the hall, one is going for the window. OK, so... Griffon at the window. With a crossbow. How curious. She reached out to the window with her magic, turning off the lightning trap. That one would be the ringleader, and she wanted to grab him without burn damage.

Trio approached her door. One earth pony, one mule, one changeling. Curiouser and curiouser. So, the muscle, the sacrifice and the charmer. That made griffon the sneaker. Alright. She flipped the door spell to cold and winced when mule pushed the door. So naive. Earth pony reared, then bucked against the frozen cadaver, sending the torso crashing at the door along with chunks of ice. Seriously? They expected one trap to be all that stands before them? Heh.

"Damn it, he was a funny guy." - groused the pony as he jumped over the scattered ice. Changeling followed, hissing - "Psst, thats what we brought him over for. Be quiet, you dont want to wake her." Pony groused back - "Like I`m afraid of one filly. Not with this." Oho. The suppressor. Things got interesting. Twilight snorted, pretending to be disturbed by the sounds. Intruders quietened down immediately. Then earth pony crept forward, then. Just as he lifted the ring over her horn, Twilight stopped pretending. Magic-encased hoof sent the intruder flying over the nighttable, suppressor ring clinking weakly against the wall.

"Seriously?" - she quipped, hopping up, her magic illuminating the whole room with sharp light, - "Are you clowns for real?" Second punch sent the changeling hooves over head into the wall, where she slumped, unconscious. Maybe that was just a little too strong, mused Twilight, as she noticed the cracked carapace caving in at the spot where she struck. "Agh! Damnit, what the... BOLT, NOW, NOW!" - apparently, pony thought the reserves had to be brought in. She shrugged. "If youre talking about your griffon buddy, hes already dead." - she offered calmly, pushing the curtain away with magic. It fluttered in the wind slightly, revealing the griffon. Surprise etched all over his face, both paws clawing at the silk curtain cord wrapped tightly around his throat, he was obviously and irrevocably dead.

"...Aaght!" - she sighed, sending the pony back with another magically enhanced punch. This one was directed at his shoulder, and delivered with enough force to shatter the bone. He flopped down on the floor like a sack of potatoes, howling in pain. "Why? Why do you clowns always underestimate me?" - she quipped sadly, taking a step back, - "For crying out loud, why? Why does everyone think I`m such an easy target?" Pony was not in the mood to elaborate. She heaved another sign and yelled - "GUARDS!" Magically-enhanced yell rung out through the courtyard, alerting the pegasi in the barracks. Two minutes later, she was standing among four guards, led by Shining Armor personally.

"...Twilight." - he muttered with a touch of disapproval, eyeing the carnage - "Was there really a need to shout? Why raise the alarm if you already did them in?" Twilight quirked brow at him - "Seriously, Shining? Howd they get into courtyard, then?" That woke him up. "Oh, cripes. Alright, you fetch the medics, you three verify the outer wall posts. I want to know who let the bastards in!" - he snapped, - "Sheesh, and here I thought we tightened security." His sister patted his shoulder and chuckled - "If thats of any consolation, I dont think its a treason. You may be down a guard or two, though."

Shinings face scrunched up at this, though - "...Damnit. I hate losing good stallions over... this crap." He glanced on the changeling with obvious distaste - "Figures theyd be involved. Im guessing youre going to keep the griffon for your forensics... Do you want whats left of mule as well, or should I call the cleaners?" Twilight snorted - "Cleaners, Shiny. Im going downstairs." She disengangled griffons body from the curtain cord and levitated it out of the door, calling over her shoulder - "Ill leave you a note on what he was thinking." Shining Armor rubbed his nose and sighed. "My little monster sister." - he grumbled, - "When did things came to be like this?"

He grunted and turned over the pony with the hoof. "Quit pretending. I know youre awake and can hear me." - he offered, - "Youve got off easy, you know?" Pony on the floor stared at him incredulously, doing his best to disturb shattered shoulder as little as possible. "You call that easy, bucker? What kind of monster she is, anyways?" Shining Armor leaned on the table. "Well, to begin with, she is my sister. Some ponies would argue that its a claim enough to be called a monster as is, but she also happens to be dead." - he mused - "Pretty spry for a dead mare, dont you think? She`s been in good mood today. Last assassins that got in? She breathed acid on them, I kid you not. Poor bastards. Must be a rotten way to go, having your face melt off."

Having no answer from downed pony, Shining Armor sighed - "So much for casual talk, eh? Fine, lets get to brass tacks. Who sent you and why?" Pony just spat in his direction. Stallion shrugged - "Look, Im just being nice. Right now, Twilight is raising your buddy griffon as a zombie. No will, but all the memories. In about fifteen minutes, shell know all about your plots. So if youll give me no reason why youre worth the expense of medical supplies to deal with your injury, Ill just tell Twilight to go ahead and use you for whatever experiment she wants. Knowing her, it will be painful agonising experience and you`ll never get to truly die, instead being forced into aeons of undead servitude."

"...Aaaalright. Moving right along." - offered Rainbow Dash, glancing at Twilight nervously, - "What did you get out of that brain, anyways?" Mage frowned. "Not as much as I hoped, to be honest." - she retorted, shaking her head - "As I mentioned, the trail leads to Hoofington, but I dont have anything certain beyond that. Griffons name is Bolt, he and Heavy Hoof are crooks for hire... Er, Heavy Hoof is the name of earth pony. Whoever hired them was a male pegasus, most likely of military background. He introduced himself as Fake Name and wore a cloak throughout the interaction. During that meeting, Fake Name secured their assistance, paid them a hundred bits in advance and promised two thousands if they pull their part off. He did mention that he`s hiring them for kidnapping and clandestine murder but divulged no details beyond that."

She paused and shook her head - "Obviously enough, Fake Name is a... well, fake name. Ive considered the list of male pegasi with history in military, but theres a little over three hundreds of suitable suspects living in Hoofington, and it`s not a sure bet our customer is even a registered resident of Hoofington to begin with." Fluttershy nodded thoughtfully - "Well, that makes sense. Cutoff layers are the staple of plausible deniability, after all. So, griffon and pony used to be a team. What about mule and changeling?"

Twilight snorted. "Mules name is Floppy Ear. He was known in Hoofington as petty crook for hire. He was hired by Heavy Hoof to be used as a patsy. Or, as facts would have it, a trap discharge dummy. He was not told anything about the operation, per ce." Rainbow quirked her brow - "That poor sod. Why hed even agree to that?" Lavender mare shrugged dismissively - "As far as I gathered, Heavy Hoof told him that the whole thing was to shake down some petty noble on the orders of moneylender. Common enough thing, to be honest. Some of the nobles think it below themselves to actually pay back to moneylenders. Obviously, they`re most commonly young and stupid."

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash shared a little chuckle over that as Twilight continued - "Now changeling? Shes rather interesting part of this puzzle. Shes the one who had the exact details on the mark, namely me... And the only one who actually knew they`re taking on Twilight Sparkle. Bolt and Heavy Hoof were under impression that I am, once again, a minor noble. In fact, their only difference from Floppy Ear was that they knew it was kidnapping and murder, not a shakedown." Yellow mare let out a soft sigh. "Let me guess... blanked out, is she?" - she offered quietly. Unicorn nodded back - "Yes. Cautious too - triggered the blanking before entering castle. I thought her carapace gave out way too easily."

Adjusting her shako, Rainbow Dash sighed - "So you got nothing from her, am I right?" Twilight nodded, her lips pursed - "Quite so. I mean, I did run a magic scan on her just in case, but..." Unicorn sighed and waved her hoof - "You know how it is. Once they are blanked out, they just fall apart within a day or so." Blue pegasus snorted and leaned on the table, resting her cheek against the hoof.

"So... where do we stand?" - she inquired after a few seconds - "I dont see anything useful here, so far. Weve got a bunch of suspicions and loose ends.. but nothing solid." Twilight nodded at that - "Yes, not a lot to go on... Fluttershy, this is your ball, so far. Whats your opinion on all this?" Fluttershy hummed a little tune, mulling things over. "Well..." - she offered softly, - "I have somepony investigating in Hoofington already. So for now, we wait. Though, there are a couple things I need to discuss with both of you, if you dont mind."

"Well, shoot." - offered Rainbow Dash, giving a vague hoofwave - "Youre in charge of this one." Letting out a little giggle, Fluttershy nodded - "Well... heres what I got so far. Dash, you will depart on board of Rainbow tomorrow around midday. You will moor at the Little Oaks base for "inspection". My agent from Hoofington will contact you there, and depending on information they`ll have... If Hoofington is secure, you will proceed with another sweep of the border. If Hoofington is compromised... well, in that case you will take command of Silver Cloud, Aegis and Bulwark and storm the Hoofington castle."

Rainbow jolted upright as if she just swallowed a poker. "WHAT?! Storm the castle?" - she blurted out, blinking, - "Fluttershy, you cant be serious." Yellow mare heaved a little sigh - "Im sorry, Dash, but... It may be quite necessary." Twilight nodded resolutely - "I know it sounds preposterous that we may have to assault our own castle... But there is a very unpleasant tendency forming. Changelings keep cropping up in the north, and there is a distinct possibility that Hoofington had been discreetly taken over by them already. Situation is complicated by the fact that some of the known changeling sympathisers had departed for Hoofington within last month."

Dash looked back and forth between two of her friends - "Oh, come on, you cant be serious, you two. A crooked count I can accept, yes. But storming the castle... Youre talking about this as if were about to face a... a..." Twilight nodded, her face hard but sympathetic - "Yes, Dash. A full-scale uprising. It would not be the first time for changelings to attempt a subversion of a whole province at once. Which is why were talking about launching a preemptive assault on the castle in case our worst fears are confirmed."

Fluttershy nodded, her own face marred with worry - "I sincerely hope it wont come to that, but if it does... Then your task, Dash, will be to take over the county and institute a martial law to ferret out all the changeling infiltrators. Some of the reports we got indicate a strong possibility there is a hidden base of operations close to Hoofington. If so...." Yellow mare turned to unicorn - "Twilight, what is the status of Project G?" Twilights eyes widened momentarily, her face splitting in excited grin a moment after - "Oh, that? A big success. A series of successes, actually. As it turns out, theres a whole family of agents that suit our needs perfectly. Ive had to split the project into lettered subprojects, due to the fact that properties run a wide enough gamut to be different in tactical use."

She turned around and opened the wall safe, pulling out a thick binder out of it. "GA and GB series show good potential for open confrontation. Both undergo explosive atomisation well, form stable mist and act within five minutes. A series is more unstable of the two and decomposes within two hours - a good choice for a pre-assault strike. B series retains its potency for up to six hours and should be a good choice for siege scenarios and short-term defence." - she proffered proudly, - "GC is a fluke, sadly. Abnormally low flash point - it can be ignited by direct sunlight. Pretty fireworks, but nothing worthwhile. GD, on the other hand, is a keeper. With persistence of about three days, its a good choice for area denial and defensive scenarios. Oh, and let`s not forget about GF. That one is most viscous out of them all. That does present a problem for atomization, but also lends the most persistence. With average lifespan of about two weeks, GF should be great for long-term area denial and surgical strikes beyond the front line."

Dash perked up, offering - "Wait, wait. You skipped GE." Twilight shook her head - "Ah, no. GE is extremely unstable and deteriorates within seconds. Completely unsuitable for any practical purpose. Ive examined the series further, but further derivatives are prohibitively expensive to synthesize and therefore are not viable. Still, some of the samples, particularly GJ and GM, show interesting properties... Ah well, Im still working on analysis of the full line." Pegasus quirked her brow, doffing the shako back habitually - "Yanno, Twilight, you`re disturbingly chipper talking about military poisons."

Unicorn jerked a little, her face adopting sheepish expression. "..Well, yeah, uh... You know." - she offered, rubbing the back of her head - "Sometimes I get too caught up in science. I mean..." Fluttershy waved her hoof lightly. "Thats OK, Twilight." - she offered - "Youre usually dealing with all those, um, things in laboratory. It`s hard to actually consider what kind of havoc they would wreak in the field." Rainbow Dash looked on the yellow pegasus inquisitively - "Speaking of havoc... What do those have to do with the problem at hoof?"

Fluttershy heaved a little sigh. "GF is the persistent one, yes?..." - she offered, looking off into the distance - "I cant believe I have to suggest this, but... Id like Rainbow to have cannonshells loaded with Project G. The most persistent one that can be produced on such short notice." Twilight`s face quickly adopted the same far-off expression - "...I can manage a gross of GF shells, I think... Fluttershy, are you sure we need to have something THAT heavyhoofed ready?"

Yellow pegasus looked on her friends with inscrutable expression. "If what I suspect is right... then we might not have time for kinder solutions." - she offered quietly.