Letter of Condolence

by Drakkith

Rating: everyone
Tags: Random, Sad, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 5582

Following the death of his predecessor at the hands of an unknown enemy, a new Colonel takes command of a Royal Air Force unit in the Saddle Arabian desert and must deal with the mess left behind. What he finds shocks him.

Following the death of his predecessor at the hands of an unknown enemy, a new Colonel takes command of a Royal Air Force unit in the Saddle Arabian desert and must deal with the mess left behind. What he finds shocks him.

Published 2013-01-23 17:00:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-01-23 17:00:02 UTC

Letter of Condolence

I sighed and dropped the folder on my desk, adding to the growing stack of paperwork that was already there. The morning sky outside my small window was a grey overcast that spoke of rain in the near future. I could feel a storm building. Soon it would burst into a crescendo of rain and thunder that would send everyone in the camp running inside to escape the deluge. Unfortunately the events going on inside my office weren't much better.

It was my first day on the job, recently promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and assigned as the Commander of the 2nd Air Group, itself under the 2nd Royal Air Wing. We were tasked to patrol a sizable area a bit north of Saddle Arabia and protect several dozen archaeological digsites that the Canterlot Academy, and Princess Celestia herself, had sponsored to excavate.

Under my command I had three squadrons of flyers and ground troops running around the clock operations to guard the digsites from bandits, thieves, and dangerous creatures. Honestly, it seemed like quite a bit of overkill to have an entire Air Group out here, but I pushed the thought from my mind. It was the details of my promotion that were troubling me.

An ambush by unknown forces in one of the sites had killed my predecessor, Colonel Firewing. Another pony, Lieutenant Updraft, had been injured during the fight, and even though she had managed to fly back to camp she hadn't survived the night. Two other ponies had been there at the time but were unharmed.

A light cough sounded out and I turned to the trio of pegasi seated in front of my desk. The one on my left, Tailwind, my personal aid, scribbled something on her clipboard and cleared her throat. Her short, shocking yellow and green mane contrasted sharply with her maroon coat, as if someone had jumbled up a color wheel and a couple of highlighters just to see what would happen.

“Colonel,” she said, looking up from her clipboard. “I’ll see to the details of the memorial service and make sure Lieutenant Updraft’s belongings are sent back to her family, but the general wants to take care of Colonel Firewing’s himself. Apparently they were old friends.”

I nodded to her.

“Alright, Major. Just hold off on the service until at least tomorrow. A storms rolling in and I don’t want anyone caught out in it.”

She saluted and left, leaving me with two unfamiliar faces. I looked to the mare on my right. Her coat was a light blue and she had a short purple mane that clung to her head and neck. She looked ragged, which given the circumstances was understandable.

“Lieutenant Starchaser is it?”

“Yes, sir,” she said.

“My apologies Lieutenant. It’s my first day on the job and I haven’t been able to meet and greet everyone yet. Anyways, would you mind telling me what happened? I have the reports here,” I motioned to the folder I had dropped on my desk, “but I’d still like to hear it from one of my officers who was actually present.”

“Well sir, we umm...” she trailed off for a moment and glanced up at the third pony in the room, Major Showers. As commander of the third squadron, Starchaser was one of his flyers. He reached a hoof over patted her on the shoulder. I noticed her tighten up when he touched her.

“It’s alright, Starchaser. Just relax and tell the Colonel what happened,” he said before turning to me. “Starchaser was just assigned here a few months ago and Updraft was her first wingpony.”

I knew that from the report but I nodded as if I hadn’t read it and let Starchaser continue.

“We were in digsite five. It’s quite a ways out, so it was only us Pegasi and the Doctor, no Earth Pony guards. We had been down there for a couple of hours maybe when the Doctor found something.”

“Doctor Sandsworth?” I asked.

“Yes sir. Anyways he had found something and was shouting to us when the ambush happened.”

“What did he find?”

“I don’t know sir.” she said. “I only got a glimpse of it before we were ambushed. All I saw was that it looked like a rock, about the size of my head, and it had some kind of glowing... thing on it.”

“Glowing thing?” I asked.

“Yes sir. It was a glowing mark, like a spiral, and it was coming from one side of the rock,” she said.

“Alright. And then what happened? You were ambushed?” I asked.

“Yes sir. They came outta nowhere. I heard Colonel Firewing yell for us to get out so I grabbed the doctor and made a break past one. Updraft... she was fighting one of those monsters and I saw her get hit. She managed to knock it down though, and was right behind us when we escaped.”

“And the Colonel?”

“Colonel Firewing? Last I saw he had two or three of them held back and was yelling for us to get back to camp.”

“And you three flew straight back here?”

“Yes sir. I had to help Updraft about halfway back. I didn’t know she was that bad until then. I tried to get her to stop so I could look at her injury but she wouldn’t let me, she just...” she trailed off, her eyes tearing up.

“That’s alright Lieutenant, that pretty much matches the reports.” I shuffled the paperwork around on my desk until I found my notepad. “Could you tell me about Updraft? I’m responsible for writing a letter of condolence to her family since I had assumed command by the time she passed away. You were her wingpony for the last few months, what can you tell me about her?”

By Celestia she looked like I had asked her to go back and face those monsters by herself. She froze up, her eyes darted left and right as if trying to figure out what to say. Major Showers noticed her hesitation and spoke up.

“Sir, Lieutenant Updraft was an outstanding member of this unit and an excellent leadpony. Right Starchaser?” he asked.

She nodded once without looking up, a quick, stiff gesture that put me on edge.

“Alright then..." I said. "Major, the two of you are dismissed. I’ll see you at eleven-hundred hours with the rest of the group’s flight officers.”

“Sir?”

“Just a formality. I want to meet all my officers as soon as possible is all,” I told him.

He nodded and saluted, leaving with Starchaser.

I picked up the report off my desk and flipped through it once more. There was something wrong here. Something beyond grieving for a dead wingpony. I admit my experience in dealing with grieving soldiers was thankfully little, but I could feel something wasn’t right.

* * *

Several hours later found me in the mess tent for lunch. Most of the morning had been spent filling out the necessary paperwork to take over an Air Group and I somehow managed to sneak in about half an hour to ask around about Updraft. I was surprised with what I got. She was, if the ponies I asked were truthful, simply an amazing individual. All I heard was praise which, even though that was expected after a death, was surprising because it was detailed praise. How she had personally taken every new member of the squadron she could under her wing. How she always volunteered to rotate shifts so that others could go to a card game, a party, or whatever. How she would look the cooks right in the eye and say, “Thanks for the soup!” with a genuine smile every single day.

"Colonel Thunder Storm?” a voice said over the low roar of the mess tent.

I looked up to find a brown pony wearing a wide brimmed tan hat smiling down at me, his eyes dancing between my name tag and my shoulder where a silver oak leaf was pinned to the epaulet.

“That’s me,” I said. "How can I help you?"

"Good day, Colonel. I am Doctor Sandsworth, the chief archaeologist for this expedition. May I join you for a moment?"

"Please." I motioned to the empty chair on his side of the table.

He sat down and took his hat off, laying it on the table in front of him. When he looked back at me I saw his smile had dropped a bit.

“Well, I just wanted to tell you how thankful I am that Lieutenant Updraft and Colonel Firewing were with me during the unfortunate incident. I believe I owe them my life. The same goes for Starchaser too. I thought I was done for when I saw her frozen up, but I guess she snapped out of it, as she pulled me out of that horrible confrontation before I was turned into... well, I think it's best we not go there.”

“I’m sorry Doctor, did you say Starchaser froze up?” I asked. That hadn't been on the report.

“Yes, she did indeed if memory serves,” he said. “I had just discovered a runic artifact, and an absolutely incredible piece I must say, when something roared at us.”

“Roared at you?”

“Indeed. Gave me quite a start too. Anyways, I turned to see a creature coming right at Starchaser. A truly big bugger too, and I wouldn’t have held it against her if she’d turned and fled. But... well, you wouldn’t believe what she did next!” He said with an incredulous look on his face. “The girl goes up on her hind legs, throws her wings out, and roars right back at the beast! I believe it was the most ferocious thing I’ve ever heard come out of a pony’s mouth!”

“Wait, I thought you said she froze up?" I asked.

“Just wait Colonel,” he said, holding up a hoof. “Anyhow, I saw something in the corner of my eye, and when I turned another of the monsters was coming at me. I’d have been skewered on it’s claws had Colonel Firewing not pushed me out of the way and given the beast one hell of a buck. He may have been a Pegasus, but I’d wager any Earth Pony would’ve been proud of that kick!”

“I’m sure I would have been proud to see it Doctor.”

“Indeed Colonel, indeed,” he said. “Oh, by that time he was shouting for us to get out. I turned to run and saw Starchaser frozen, staring at Updraft, who appeared to have just been struck to the ground. I cried out and the beast that had done the deed saw me and charged. I thought I was done for, but Starchaser suddenly came out of nowhere, dodged a strike from it’s claws and grabbed me. By Celestia she had myself under a foreleg, Updraft under a wing, and the girl still managed to give that monster a kick to the teeth that nearly shattered him!”

“Shattered him?” I asked.

“Why yes, the girl hit him so hard I heard him crack!”

I raised an eyebrow. “Doctor, I feel as if I’m missing a very important piece here.”

Realization suddenly washed over him. “Oh my! Was that not in the report, Colonel? Those beasts, those monsters, they... they were gargoyles!”

“Come again?”

“Gargoyles Colonel! That’s why they were able to ambush us! The digsite was full of these strange statues. But they weren’t statues Colonel. Oh no, not at all! They were actual, real gargoyles! Must be made of some kind of living stone if I had to guess. Starchaser gave that one monster a kick so hard I heard his head crack! After that we fled to the surface and managed to fly away. Starchaser had to carry me, of course, given my obvious lack of wings and the severity of Updraft’s wounds,” he said before adding, “Oh uh, you may want to close your mouth. It’s unbecoming of a commanding officer, Colonel.”

I closed my mouth and let the news roll around in my head for a moment.

“Why wasn’t this in the report?” I asked. “All it had was some vague descriptions of “large, winged creatures, nothing about gargoyles.”

“Well, if I had to guess I’d say the chaps doing the report simply didn’t believe me. After all, we are investigating the ruins of the Gargoyle empire, gone now for over two-thousand years,” he said. “Or so we thought.”

I nodded and pondered this new development for a few moments before thanking him. He rose from the table and made to leave when I stopped him.

“Oh just a moment, Doctor,” I said. “I’ve got to write a letter of condolence to Updraft’s family. Did you know her well?”

“I wish I had. I remember her being around the digsites on patrol or guard duty, but other than that I think the only time we ever interacted was when she brought one of my students back to the tent in the middle of the night. The young colt had too much to drink and she was making sure he made it back alright. Even gave him a kiss right on the nose before she tucked him in. He quite enjoyed that!” he said with a laugh. “Please, give her family my regards. I know I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for her.”

I promised him I would and he retrieved his hat and left me to my thoughts. This was troubling. At a minimum the report should have included direct quotes from the Doctor. Their omission along with the poor description of the actual combat spoke of shoddy work and laziness.

I finished my soup, now cold, and left for my upcoming briefing. It was short and simple, mostly just a meet and greet and something every officer does when they take over a new unit. After everypony had filed out of the briefing room I had Tailwind send for the writer of the abysmal report, a Unicorn Sergeant by the name of Seven Stars. By the time he arrived to my office I was fuming.

“Sergeant, how long have you been part of this unit?” I asked.

“Almost two years sir,” he said.

“And how many incident reports have you written during this time?”

He thought for a few moments. “I... I don’t know sir. Dozens at least.”

“Forty-nine Sergeant. Forty-nine reports. I browsed through a few before you arrived and based on their contents I would like to believe this is an isolated case.”

He looked lost. “Sir? I don’t understand.”

I slapped the newest report down on my desk in front of him. “This one Sergeant. It’s sloppy, incomplete, and just plain bad. Please tell me this is a one-time fluke, as I don’t approve of laziness such as this.”

His horn glowed and he levitated the folder up to read it. After a moment he tossed it back on my desk and turned to glare at me.

“Sir, I didn’t write this report,” he stated.

That surprised me. Big time. “Come again, Sergeant?”

He gestured at the folder. “I didn't write that report, sir. I don’t know who did but it wasn’t me. That’s not my signature.”

“You’re sure?”

Falsifying official documents, especially ones of this nature was a very serious crime. A crime... up until now it was simply laziness, incompetence, or the usual minor things that a slap on the wrist and some latrine duty could cure. But this... this was serious.

“Absolutely,” he said, turning the report around so I could see it. “Look at the date and time. There was a short-notice change in the guard schedule that day that put me at site six. You can ask anyone in my unit.”

“Major Tailwind,” I said, turning to my aid. “Who’s in charge of the guards?”

“Captain Trail Blaze, sir,” she said without hesitation.

“Send for him. I want an official investigation started on this.”

“What about Starchaser, sir?” she asked.

“Let her be until tomorrow. I don’t see anything concrete on her yet. And if she has done something, then I’m hoping she’ll come forward on her own.”

“Yes sir,” Tailwind said. She jotted something down on her clipboard and then trotted out.

I dismissed Seven Stars and sat there in my office alone. My first day on the job and I’d been lied to, given false documents, and I still had to write a letter to the family of one of my dead soldiers that I’d never even met. I leaned on my desk and buried my face in my hooves. Frickin great.

Outside a low rumble rolled across the camp, a signal that the storm was fast approaching. I sighed and closed my eyes, feeling the air around me. Angry. Definitely an angry beast.

* * *

The storm arrived right before nightfall. I dismissed Trail Blaze and a trio of his guards for the evening as soon as the wind picked up and the rain started. We had sifted through dozens of records and although there were several unsettling discrepancies we hadn’t found a single solid connection. I finally retired to my own tent half an hour after I dismissed Trail Blaze.

I arrived nearly soaked and couldn’t seem to get to sleep, tossing and turning for several hours while the storm howled outside. It was a nasty storm and I felt it’s unhappiness at the world through it’s violent thoughts. Well, perhaps thoughts is the wrong word. I just felt... rage.

A knock on my door woke me right after midnight and I groggily pulled myself out of bed. The clock on the tent post showed barely an hour and a half had passed since I’d last looked at it. Yawning, I pulled the door open to reveal a guard with Sergeant stripes on her helmet and wearing a rain parka to protect her from the howling wind and rain. I motioned for her to come inside and shut the door behind her.

“Sorry for waking you, Colonel,” she said.

“Not a problem, Sergeant. What’s the issue?” I asked, blinking and shaking my head in an attempt to wake up fully.

“Well sir, I...” She paused for a moment, trying to find the words. Finally she said, “I think you should come see this.”

I pulled on my own parka and followed her out into the storm. After a minute or two of cantering through what seemed like a solid wall of water, we came to a large tent on the edge of camp with a couple of guards stationed around it. She nodded towards the entrance door, which was currently ajar, and pointed at the remains of a busted lock on the flooded ground.

Stepping close, she spoke in a low voice that I could barely hear over the wind. “One of the guards found it open on their patrol.”

“Have you gone inside yet?” I asked.

“Yes sir, but like I said I think you need to see this.” She eased the door open and slipped inside.

I entered and followed her through the tent, the click of our hoofsteps easily covered by the wind and rain. A faint glow lit the darkness from somewhere ahead just enough for us to make our way around the rows of equipment stored about. We came to the end of one row and the sergeant stopped. I was about to ask why when I heard it. A low voice drifted through the air in a slow song that I couldn’t make out over the storm. It sounded... sad, and I was reminded of a song I had once heard a mare sing at a funeral as they lowered her lover's body into the ground.

I moved up and came around the end of the row and was stopped in my tracks at the sight. Two caskets were lit up by the dim glow of a lantern. A mare was draped over the nearest casket, singing softly to it in the near darkness. It was Starchaser. She was singing to Updraft.

“Stay here,” I whispered to the sergeant, getting a nod in reply.

I stepped out from the row of equipment and made my way towards the stricken mare.

“Sweet li-ttle pe-ga-sus...” Starchaser was slowly singing. “Dry your tears and cry no more.”

I stopped and listened to her song. I felt love. And grief. So much so that I knew there was far more between them than lead and wingpony.

“Sweet li-ttle pe-ga-sus,” she continued, “spread your wings pre-pare to soar.”

It was... beautiful. I’m not ashamed to admit tears fell from my eyes. To this day I still remember every single loving word.

“Sweet li-ttle pe-ga-sus. Fly up high, in-to the sky.”

She sniffled.

“And in my dreams you’ll ne-ver die...”

Her voice trailed off and I found myself unable to move for a few moments until she began again. I hated myself for interrupting.

“Starchaser,” I said.

She gasped and slid off the casket onto the floor. Her puffy, tear-drained eyes were wide with surprise.

“Colonel! I-I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t be here, but-”

I shushed her and made my way over to lie beside her. “It’s okay. Tell me what happened. The real story. I know the report was forged.”

“We... we were in the digsite when the ambush happened. I saw one of those creatures go from a lifeless statue to a walking, winged nightmare. It came at me, roaring like some monster, but I didn’t back down, sir! I didn’t back down!” She said to me, tears starting to fall from her eyes. “When it roared at me I just thought to myself ‘what would Updraft do?’ So I got up on my hind legs and roared right back! I don’t know why. I just remember her doing that one day last year when we were at the lake...”

“Last year? I thought you’ve only been here a few months?” I asked.

“I have, sir. But I knew Updraft from my previous assignment. We were stationed together for over a year before she was transferred here. They moved me about six months later.”

I nodded. “Go on.”

“Well... I-I guess Updraft thought I was hurt or something. Oh Celestia... she just... she just threw herself in that monsters way! I couldn’t believe it! I was so surprised I just froze up!”

“And then you got her and the Doctor out?” I asked.

“Yes sir,” She sniffled and wiped her nose with a foreleg. “But I gave that monster one heck of a buck before we left! No one messes with my pony, sir!”

“Your pony?”

She lowered her head and hesitantly said,“We, umm, we were engaged last month, sir.”

“Why didn’t you tell your flight commander?” I asked. “The two of you never should have been in the same flight!”

“But... but I did, sir! Captain Sky Dancer approved it but when Major Showers heard he shot the transfer down. He told me not to say anything after the fight, to just let him talk.”

“What? Why?” I asked, shocked to hear such a breach of protocol. Two ponies with such a close relationship should never have flown together. It leads to things like... well, like one pony throwing herself in front of another for no good reason. And lying? Forcing a subordinate to lie? Inexcusable.

“I don’t know sir! Maybe because Updraft and I had the best flight record in the squadron? I know he was always concerned with things like that,” she said. “I’m sorry, sir! It’s my fault! I shouldn’t have froze up. I should have just charged that beast the minute I saw it. Then... then she’d... she’d still be here and-” Her voice broke and she couldn’t go on.

I looked down at her in shock. She started to sob and I pulled her close, wrapping a wing around her.

“No,” I said, squeezing my wing around her. “No this isn’t your fault. Do you understand me? You two never should have flown together. You did nothing wrong, alright? You did nothing wrong.”

She nodded but said nothing, and I held her as grief wracked her body, feeling each sob like a tremor from an earthquake.

“She was so sweet...” she said between sobs. “...so sweet.”

She put her forelegs around me and I held her as she cried. It was a while before her tears stopped flowing.

“Sergeant,” I called out.

“Sir?” the sergeant said, approaching us. Even with her face still damp from the rain I could see the dark trail that ran from her eyes and down each cheek.

“Go grab a cot, a pillow, and a couple of blankets. Oh and wake Major Tailwind and have her meet me in my office in fifteen.”

“Yes, sir,” she said before heading out.

I turned back to the devastated mare at my side.

“Starchaser. The sergeant is bringing a cot. You can sleep right here next to her tonight. I’m placing you on emergency leave, effective immediately. You’ll go back home with her tomorrow. Alright?”

She hugged me, sniffing from the tears. “Thank you sir.”

“I’ll have orders for you within the week. You won’t be coming back here.”

She nodded and squeezed my neck. I held her until the sergeant returned with her sleeping arrangements. I helped the sergeant make her cot and made to leave. The last thing I saw before leaving was Starchaser lying on the cot, one foreleg stretched out across the casket.

“Sweet li-ttle pe-ga-sus...”

Leaving Starchaser in the sergeants care I made my way to my office and found Tailwind waiting for me. I explained the situation to her.

“By Celestia, that’s terrible!” she said, nearly dropping her clipboard. “What was he thinking?”

“I don’t know Major,” I said. “I don’t know.”

* * *

An hour later I intended to find out. A quick search of Major Shower’s office had revealed several more incriminating documents, and after adding them to what we had already found gave us a clear trail leading back months. And a couple of quick, middle of the night visits to his secretary and Captain Sky Dancer gave us a pair of witnesses and their statements, both of which would be very helpful. Two guards escorted Major Showers in and I saw the worried look on his face. Good.

“Major Showers,” I said, dropping one of the numerous altered reports down on my desk in front of him. “Explain yourself.”

He glanced around the room, his eyes bouncing between myself, Major Tailwind, and Captain Trail Blaze. “Colonel? Explain what?”

“Explain your complete disregard of established protocol, Major. Explain your lying and why you blocked the transfer of Starchaser to another flight after being notified of her and Updraft’s relationship.”

“What are you talking about Colonel? I never blocked the transfer.”

I slammed a hoof down on my desk.

“Don't lie to me, Major. I have multiple witnesses including your own secretary and Captain Sky Dancer that say otherwise,” I tapped a stack of folders in front of me. “Not to mention a hefty stack of falsified documents that have your handwriting all over them.”

His face dropped to a scowl. He eyed the folders and then looked up at me.

“Damn their relationship! We have a mission here and I can’t just transfer personnel every time they get their jollies on for somepony! The two of them had the best flight record in the entire Air Group and I wasn’t about to break them up.”

I stared at him, shocked with his attitude. I found myself shaking my head.

“Oh you stupid, stupid bastard. Do you realize what you’ve done?”

“Nothing,” he said. “Updraft threw herself in the way of an enemy like a moron and Starchaser froze up because she was shagging her leadpony. That’s what happened! Starchaser claims they were engaged, but I know better. It wasn't real. It was just an act, a ploy to get out of the extra duties they were assigned. They were my best! But they wanted to get lazy and I won’t accept that.”

I shot up so fast my chair went flying. In an instant I was hanging over my desk with a hoof stuck in his face.

“No Major! You don’t get to decide when somepony’s relationship is real or fake. You weren’t there with them. You weren’t in that tent just a little while ago listening to Starchaser sing her heart out to a damn CASKET!” I lashed my other hoof across the desk and sent half the folders flying. “You don’t fake that!”

Silence reigned in the moments after my outburst. I leaned back and took a breath, trying to calm down. Getting swept up in anger isn't something anypony in a command position is supposed to let happen. I looked around at the ponies in my office. The two guards glared at Showers while the Captain himself fiddled with a set of manacles strapped to his armor. Tailwind was looking down at her clipboard, her lips pursed together as she scribbled. Other than her scribbling quill, there was only the boom of the storm outside and the sound of my ragged breaths. I met Showers' eyes and continued.

“She was pouring her heart out to a casket in the dark by herself, Major, and you know why? Because her commanding officer didn’t believe her. Because her commanding officer decided that he didn’t like playing by the rules like everypony else. Because her commanding officer is an idiot whose actions probably resulted in the death of not only one of his subordinates, but his own commanding officer as well.”

"That's crap, Colonel! I'm a damn good officer!"

“You’re a disgrace," I said, shaking my head. "Blocking Starchaser's transfer put her at that digsite and caused Updraft to panic. Had somepony else been there then both Colonel Firewing and Lieutenant Updraft would very likely still be alive. And on top of that, you've lied, forced a subordinate to lie, and falsified at least a dozen official documents during your time as Squadron Commander. I have enough evidence on you to make sure you don’t ever command again. You won’t even be able to lead a Junior Flight Club once I'm done with you."

He opened his mouth to retort, but couldn't find anything to say.

"You have brought discredit upon yourself and the Royal Air Force and I am ashamed to be in the same service with you," I looked to Trail Blaze. “Captain, place Major Showers under arrest, please.”

“Yes sir!” he said before turning to Showers.

“Major Showers, I hereby place you under arrest under the regulations of the Code of Military Justice.” He motioned to his two guards. “Escort him to a holding cell.”

The realization started to sink in for Showers. “No! No, I did nothing wrong! Colonel I didn’t do anything!”

I watched them escort him out the door. “Yes you did, Major. Yes you did.”

I watched them drag the Major through the door and then sagged on my desk. It'd been one hell of a first day. I'd stopped an idiot of a major, sent a grieving mare home with her loved one, and even though I was facing the possible rise of some ancient Gargoyle empire, I'd still call it a good day.

Outside the storm raged on, still strong, but I felt it's fury begin to subside. It can't rain forever after all.

* * *

To the family of 1st Lieutenant Updraft,

It is with the utmost sadness that I write to inform you that your daughter was killed in the line of duty two days ago. While I cannot give you the details of her final moments, I assure you that she upheld the finest traditions and values of the Royal Air Force. She was a beacon of hope and happiness, and everypony around her was touched by her presence. Her very name speaks of the effect she had on her friends and comrades. Like the warm air rising to fill our wings, she lifted us up in our darkest moments and allowed us to soar.

Knowing that she died while serving her country is supposed to bring you a little bit of comfort, and I hope it does. You know that Updraft loved being in the Royal Air Force and that she was proud of what she was doing. While no armed services member wants to die in the line of duty, they all know it's a possibility, and it's a risk they're willing to take to make this world a better place.

That said, it's never easy on the ones they leave behind. All I can say is that you're perfectly entitled to whatever you're feeling, and you will help yourself if you feel all those emotions instead of trying to bury them. That's the only way you can truly begin to heal.

I am around if you need anything at all. Please get in touch.

With love,
Lieutenant Colonel Thunder Storm,
Commander of the 2nd Air Group, 2nd Air Wing, Royal Air Force of Equestria

P.S. 1st Lieutenant Starchaser is escorting your daughter on her final journey home. Please treat her as family, as she loved your daughter very much.

Author's Note

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