Twilight.
Yeah, I got your letter. I got the other five, too. You can stop sending them now.
I'd say I'm sorry for not having responded sooner, but the truth is I'm not. I've been completely swamped with work here, and I don't have time to respond to every letter you shoot my way. Most ponies would have taken the hint sometime around letter three, but you, you just HAD to get an answer, didn't you?
Yes, I lost my temper with Rarity. I'm sorry that I did, but I'm not in the mood to apologize, especially not after that... that whining, moralizing tone of voice she used on me. Like I was in the wrong for being upset. Like I should just shrug my shoulders, brush it off and - and deal with it.
Well, I can't. I keep going through it in my head, over and over again. I should have refused. Should have kicked their Unicorn butts back to the Crystal Empire, but I figured that wouldn't be very neighbourly of us. They gave us a bunch of blueprints and maps, and in we went. I took the rear - probably wouldn't be writing this letter now if I had taken point.
It all went fine until we reached the main cavern, the one filled with the gemstones. The way we came through caved in, barely seconds after we'd cleared it. Then we start scouting other routes out, and we find out the maps they've given us are guesswork at best. Worst of all, the whole place was coated in coal dust. Couldn't budge an inch without filling the air around you with the stuff.
Do you know what it's been like, having to write next of kin letters to families, to parents, husbands, wives, foals, to tell them what their loved ones died for? Sky Soar, choked on coal dust. Feather Bug, cave in. Shiver Wing. He was pinned under one of the support beams - the ones they just assured us were unmoveable. He was only seventeen, Twilight, and he died in there while they were safely above ground counting their haul. Want me to go on? All of my officers, they blame me for being too trusting. Maybe they just think it wasn't right, me making it out when all the others didn't. Sometimes, I wish I hadn't.
I always knew Unicorns thought they were better than us. Not all of them, fine, but enough. And these Unicorns, they just don't even hide it. They knew that mineshaft was dangerous, they knew the walls were weakened, they knew the support beams were rotting. I can't prove it. but it's written on each and every one of their faces. Just send those stupid Pegasai in, they're expendable. Always more where those ones came from, right?
I noticed you waited until after Rarity left to start packing my mailbox. Why? Were you worried I was going to have her arrested or something? Did you really think that? After all this time, after EVERYTHING we've been through, am I just a big dumb Pegasai brute to you?
Well, don't worry about it. The only ponies I'm going to be arresting are still here. All the Unicorns who lied to us so they could get their hooves on those gemstones, they're going to face justice with or without Equestria. And those gems? They're not ending up in Unicorn hooves, I don't care what it takes. And anyone who wants to try and take them is going to find out we Pegasai aren't going to be pushed around, ever again.
Signed,
Lt. Gen. Rainbow Dash