Sent January 15th, 1009
Dear Cyril,
They keep sending us out. Again and again and again. Sometimes a night raid, sometimes a day one. I almost prefer the daytime ones like what the Wellington squadrons do, because I can at least see my target. The Crystal City’s become overgrown with King Sombra’s corruptive dark magic, or at least that’s what they tell us it is. Just looks like a bunch of black, jagged mess from up there. Doesn’t matter what’s been pasting them, there’s always columns of troops filing through towards the front. But in the daytime, the flak can target better. And the fighters can see you coming.
Since we started these bombing campaigns a month and a half ago, 16th Bomber Squadron has lost 73 bombers and 23 escorts fighters. That’s absurd losses at 7 ponies a bomber. I haven’t been on a daytime raid in two weeks. We don’t lose as many at night. But the most embarrassing part is that about twenty of those losses are from crash landings on return. Our airfields get iced over, our pilots are too green. We’re almost killing ourselves as fast as the enemy is. I’m afraid to try and make friends here. Seems as soon as I get to know somepony, they get killed in another raid. Makes me wonder when I’m going to be part of that statistic.
I swear, if they ask me to climb in that bomber again, I will bash my face in on that instrument panel.
(The ink is slightly smeared above, but is nice and neat again underneath)
Thanks for the toast. I got your letter at a bad time, just after a raid. I’ve been told by my base captain to stop publishing losses so the enemy can’t figure out how effective they’ve been. Which doesn’t make sense to me since they’re not in a position to intercept my mail, but that’s the military for you.
I hope we’re in the end. Based on how things are going on the homefront in Equestria, the public isn’t taking this well. Apparently, there’s accusations of incompetence in the ranks, which is what other ponies are insisting is the reason for the heavy losses. I say, if terrible leadership is the reason my friends are dying like flies up here, maybe it's time for a change. Then again, I don’t really like the pacifists and defeatists either. These newspaper articles make it sound like the whole offensive’s on the verge of collapse, with mountains of pony corpses. They just piss me off.
I got your medal, and your drunk holiday cheer. I’ve been thinking of you a lot as the new year changed over. It helps pass the time. On New Year's, we had a party in one of the bomber hangars. Drinks, music, hazing. I opted out after a while, took a walk around the airfield. It's cold here. We’re based outside of Whinnyapolis, far from the fighting. Before, you could hear the artillery from the fighting, see the explosions on the horizon. Now it's far too quiet. But I like to think that, when I was looking up at the sky that night, you were too.
I wear your medal under my fatigues, next to my tags. It digs into my chest when we go on night raids. I don’t mind. The rest of me is numb from the cold up there. The sensation keeps me grounded so to speak.
Military culture is very different from back home. I’m sure you’re used to the way it works, but it's still a bit strange to me. They call me ‘Scholar’ out here. I get a little brainy when I'm drunk, and so far as I can tell I’ve got the best education of most ponies here, even the lieutenant who pilots my crate. I try not to talk about it if I can help it, it's a little embarrassing. Roughhousing is considered fine, suffering is the order of the day and we joke about each other getting knocked out of the air on a regular basis. Like accepting our inevitable death is the only way to push forward. I can’t imagine what goes on in infantry units.
I know the distance is...intense. It makes talking a little hard. But try to get back to me as soon as you can. Our mail’s not as badly snarled up as further up north, and I’m glad for that.
Yours,
-Paige
PS: I don’t care if you can’t kiss me. I can still kiss you.
Sent February 9th, 1009
Dear Paige,
A bit of a new development here. Might not mean much to you, but it’s big news out here. The Imperial Regent Duchess Eagleclaw and the Grand Duke Gerlach of Feathisia are engaged. I’m not usually invested in the personal affairs of nobles, but this is huge news. The whole Reichsarmee was told about it, it's in the papers, everything. It means Feathisia is willingly binding itself to the Empire, joining at the hip. It means after all the insanity that’s happened here, the Empire’s largest province is returning peacefully. What did we always say? Hold out and maybe things would get better. We were right, Paige.
Mother wrote me back. She says she’s not a fan of you, but she approves of how you want to apply yourself. Whatever you said, you made an impression on her. Don’t let her attitude get you too much, she’s like that with everygriff. Once you show her what you’re capable of, I’ve no doubt you’ll win her over.
Your mother wrote me again too. She asked if I told you to go and enlist, and I insisted I of course hadn’t. Good news is, she believed me. I’m not used to that, really. She told me a little about her work with clocks, and asked about my life in the Reichsarmee. I told her a little bit, but obviously not as much as you. I’m waiting on her response now, but I keep getting the sneaking suspicion she knows about us. My mother will insist, but that doesn’t mean she thinks she’s correct. Yours on the other claw seems to keep her suspicions to herself but drops hints.
That all sounds horrifying. I know that of the two of us, we expected I would be the one to face war first. But you were thrown into it with little in the way of preparation. Did you have any thoughts about the future? What will you do when your service is up? Go back to school? Enlist in the River Republic Air Force? Hopefully come out to Rottendedam? Let’s hope the -next- year gives plenty of chance to (there is a space, a few letters and something scratched out).
Nevermind. Everytime we make plans, they keep getting trashed. Let’s just focus on what we have to do now, and let it fall into place. But I do know you have something called Hearts and Hooves Day in Equestria. Again, not your own custom, but they’ll be celebrating regardless. So I sent a package of Strawberry chocolates. Hope you like them, this cost more than a few idols out of my check. On top of that I also sent a pack of my Bronzland cigarettes. I don’t know if you smoke, but even if you don’t, you can trade them.
Just filling time over here. Feels like we’re waiting for something. Not quite sure what, but given the choices, it can’t be good.
Also, I like the implications of that PS. I will store that information away for later.
Yours,
-Cyril
Sent March 1st, 1009
Dear Cyril,
Thank you for the chocolates. They came at just the right time, which was after everypony gouged everypony else for what they had. Your package arrived late enough I managed to avoid all that and eat in peace. I do smoke, now at least. Turns out I'm not so above it all. This will help me save a few bits. Cigarettes are so expensive in Equestria.
The last month wasn’t so bad. I think they finally knocked down enough of Sombra’s defenses, we had an easier time of it. We’re doing bombing missions around the clock again, though we lose the occasional bomber and crew so it's not all roses. It's easier now, to fly into the storm of flak and magic. Our target is still the Crystal City. Seems like everytime we bomb a factory or defensive emplacement to Tartarus, they figure out a way to get it built back up again. Those groundpounders need to find Sombra’s spellcasters and kill them already.
I’m having bad dreams. At least during “Blitz Season” as they called it, I was too damn tired to dream. Now, I’m having trouble sleeping at all. I can’t even remember what they’re about, for the most part. Just come in the night and gone, and I’m left a shivering wreck until dawn.
The base was attacked by umbrals again. At least our MPs were more prepared than the Guard troops back at the school. Gods, that seems like forever ago, doesn’t it? Shadow creatures are a bit difficult to defend against, but we’ve got a Unicorn detachment here. The airbases is protected by a barrier shield, so we’re the closest to safe we can get. Still don’t mind sentries with bigger guns than me.
I don’t know what I’ll do after the war. There’s some ponies who have been here since the start and they all seem like they have it figured out. I’ve only been in a few months and I keep telling myself I'll pick up where I left off, but I’m not sure. School is important, and I don’t want to give up a career in theoretical Arcana, but that seems an eternity away now. Everypony else can’t shut up about what they’ll do when they get home, but I don’t even want to think about it. Too stuck in the now, I suppose.
It's good to hear about the engagement. I understand the implications of a noble marriage like this. I also know you’re a fervent patriot, so this is good news for you. Good to finally see some stability in the Herzland after so much chaos. If nothing else, I’m happy your mother won’t have to risk you going to war. Or me having to worry either. I’m already stressed enough about you in peacetime.
Pulled out your first letter to me, for old times’ sake. I miss us being that enthusiastic. Do me a favor, go buy some beer and pretzels and just enjoy it for me? As a stand in for me actually being there.
Hopefully by the time your next response gets back, they’ll have grounded me for a while. Bombers have to break down eventually. Wouldn't mind a break.
Yours,
-Paige
Sent March 23rd, 1009
Dear Paige,
I am glad to hear you are in better spirits, though not completely out of danger. I can’t help but imagine you trapped in some freezing aluminum can, off to meet your death at a moment’s notice. I suppose that’s the same with me, but at least Zola’s made of steel.
Turns out it's not all good news over here. The council of Griefenmarsch made a public statement about the Regent’s engagement. Erebus Whiteplume called it ‘a plot to take over the Empire’. It's all over the newspaper. We’re facing -another- split. With what little is left of the Reichspakt, I wonder if the Empire’s just going to dissolve after all. They’re ringing the mobilization again, except now we’re getting sent west. If you don’t hear from me for a bit, its likely because I’m going to be switching bases and all that. We’re loading Zola up on a train while the rest of us get in the back of a truck. We’re leaving tomorrow.
I mentioned the umbrals to my Uncle. He seemed like he already knew about them. Mentioned how those are the result of ‘powerful dark magic’. Apparently they’re not just apparitions, or spirits, they’re actually summoned beings. Terrifying to think that there’s a creature out there that just exists like that. He was cryptic in his letter, but mentions something about ‘up north’. Not sure what he entirely means by that, but he said he couldn’t really be specific. You’ve got an emergency crew weapon, right? I’d recommend carrying it around if you can, especially if you’re at risk like this.
If your bad dreams are affecting you like this, don’t you have someone to talk to over there? A base doctor, a preacher (they’re good to talk to, even if you don’t believe), something? Can’t let your senses dull, that’s how soldiers get killed.
I pulled out your first letter too. Went and got that beer and pretzels. I honestly couldn’t finish them.
Take care of yourself, Paige. You sound like you’re in rough shape over there. Keep fighting, and let’s hope that little bit more you can do will end this fight that much faster.
Yours,
-Cyril
Sent April 19th, 1009
Starting to think I should have gone Royal Navy. At least then it would be warm, and out to sea where you’re protected by layers of armor plating. Travel the world, visit exotic ports. Like Zebrica. I’d have made a damn good carrier pilot.
The umbral attacks have stopped for the most part. News from the front says they’re appearing mostly in the Crystal City. Sombra must be desperate.
We’re grounded for now. Apparently the fighting is -inside- the factories now, and the Army captured the last enemy airfield. Nothing left for us to do but wait. I don’t mind. Rotating off active is a blessing. Weeks without a single flight mission. Just down to maintenance, exercises, lectures and free time.
I meant to tell you, I finished your book some time ago. The old one about the dragons. I liked it. It’s very simple and direct. You don’t need to worry about who the good guys and bad guys are, it's a bunch of knights fighting off a bunch of marauding dragons. Not too far outside of something that might happen today.
I dug out some of my old textbooks from my locker (yes, I brought them). Now I’ve had a break, I'm reminded of why I got into arcana in the first place. All the formulae, the experiments. I stayed up all night on accident reviewing my notes and making adjustments. It was wonderful. Like picking up an old hobby after not practising for so long with it. This is what I’m meant to do. I managed to get a few older published scientific journals through my base captain. When she asked what I wanted them for, I mentioned my previous schooling. She laughed and told me I’d made a huge mistake enlisting. But she got them for me.
The Equestrian military has a school for veterans bill. After the war’s over, and it's looking to finally be over soon, I’ll use that. Luna Nova’s reopening soon. My scholarship may be forfeit, but on the RAF’s bits, I can go without worrying about losing funding. After months of not knowing, I have a direction to go. I know where I’m going to end up.
Now it's looking like my crew won’t die as likely, I should tell you about them, like you did with your comrades. We’re a bit of a mixed bag, being that most of us enlisted after the war broke out. Our bomber is named “Northern Headache”. She’s got a picture of a bomb cracking the Crystal City wide open.
So, I told you I’m the bombardier, but I’m just one of seven on our Halifax. There’s Lieutenant Silver Rush, our pilot. He was formerly in the Wonderbolt reserves before the war broke out, but when they called for pilots, he requested a transfer over to Bomber Command. He’s pretty easy-going and laid-back, but incredibly calm under pressure.
Grease Goose is our co-pilot and flight engineer. She says she used to be an automobile mechanic in Baltimare before the war, and according to her she enlisted the second she heard King Sombra had returned. She always seems overworked, but then she always manages to keep the bomber going despite appearing to always have too much on her hooves. May be its her Unicorn magic.
Firefly is our navigator. He’s a bit of a nervous wreck. Apparently he was a teacher in Tall Tale, and enlisted due to somepony insulting his lack of backbone. He keeps talking about wanting to get out as soon as he can, and is the loudest complainer when things go wrong.
Sweet Static is our radiomare. Real chatty type, absorbs just about everything without even trying. I don’t know how she does it, but that pony is able to hear the most garbled message through the worst static you can imagine. She gets a bit of relief from her post with her own machine gun station, and she absolutely loves her job. She’s the one I hang out with back at base, and we go drinking together all the time.
Then there’s the meat heads, as we refer to them, but they man our guns and keep us safe, for the most part. Billy Bell, but we just call him ‘Dumb-Bell’. Really not so smart, and all he does is brag all the time. Apparently the RAF was the best thing for him, but I hear a rumor he flunked out of flight school.
Score came with Dumb-Bell. He doesn’t talk much, but those two pegasi are thick as thieves, always together in schemes and bars. I’m not sure he’s as dumb as we think, but then he’s friends with Dumb-Bell, so there’s that.
We’re a pretty mixed bag, like you’d expect. Pegasi, Unicorns and Earth Ponies from all over. But we’ve been flying together since the beginning. We drink together, bicker, play games during off-hours and make fun of the other air crews. We’ve been lucky that nopony on the Headache has been killed, because we know of other crews who’ve lost members to flak or bullets. I love these characters. Don’t know what I’d do without them.
I needed this break. To write you, to get my head straight. They’ll be sending us back in, and soon. But the past two weeks I’ve been given are a blessing. I miss you all over again, now I’ve had the opportunity to dump all my other tension and worry. I’ve told Static about you, and ‘somehow’ it leaked to the rest of the crew, so they make fun of me when I go off alone for a while to write you. They say crude things like I’m writing you some filthy clop. Dirty stuff like that.
I’m sorry to hear about the tensions back home. It seems the Empire really can’t catch a break. But the newspapers are doing the same thing as usual. What little they say about it is so heavily opinionated I’m not sure what the facts are anymore. That’s why I rely on you so much, cause I know you’re not BSing me, and I hate muddled facts.
I want to say things will go back to normal after all this. But we both know they won’t. We’re both different people in the time we started writing. The world’s been hard on us. But I’m starting to feel more like I was before I enlisted. And that gives me hope for tomorrow. Especially when it comes to you and me.
Missing you greatly,
-Paige
Sent May 11, 1009
Dear Paige,
I’m glad to hear you got a break. We all need one, and I was getting worried with how your letters started to sound. I’m all for you going back to school. You have marvelous potential, and not using it would be a massive waste. Now you’ll have a term of service under your belt as well, as it were. Out here, that would get you into any school a commoner could apply to, without a doubt.
Some news about your home, by the way. Apparently, there’s been a bit of a shakeup. Some sort of dispute over railroads in Deponya led to Lake City marching troops in and more or less occupying the territory. The River Republic is furious, and they dispatched troops to the border but Diamond Mountain backed up Lake City with Ironpaw battalions. For now, it looks like both sides are standing down, but lines are being drawn. The east isn’t looking much calmer than the west right now.
Less politics. It’s good to hear about your crew. From what it sounds like, after all you’ve been through, you all must be really close. I look at my own crew sort of the same. We haven’t been through the gauntlet yet like you have, but we’ve been working and training together for years now. We’re essentially a disfunctional family. Hellseig is the overworked father, Bluetalon the quirky and outgoing kid, Grimquill the bitchy and troublesome kid, and I'm the calm, unremarkable middle child. We do everything together too.
We finished the move west. We’re posted near the Marsch’s border. I look south and I can see the peasant troops down there, digging trenchlines and setting up fortifications. Erebus hasn’t declared his secession, and the Empire hasn’t labeled him a traitor, so I don’t know what we’re all doing here. The 41st got paired up with a division from Bronzehill, the 19th Sturmdivisone. These dogs make our clerics and preachers look like pretenders. Every morning its worship to the gods, thanks given to the Emperor Grover VI and Emperors past. They have their own vanguard units that wear these gasmasks and heavy armor. I’m told they expect sixty percent casualties from these forward elements. Fantical madness. I’d always heard Imperial Diamond Dogs were loyal to a fault, but these hounds are practically frothing at the mouth for a fight. Compared to them our panzergrenadiers look like stoic professionals, and those griffs would cause a riot for kicks.
The Feathisians are glad to see us, though. We rolled into the town of (the name is clipped out by a censor), and they even rolled the ducal flag down to hang the Imperial flag above it for us. Drinks, food and other stuff have come our way. I think these griffons are hoping for unification same as we are. We went out drinking with the rest of the kompanie last night, and they were practically shoving beer, hamburgers and sausages at us, sandwiches and chocolates. Plenty of soldiers went home with a girl on each claw, and I think I even saw Grimquill strolling off with a companion, though she denies it today through her hangover. I must tell you, I got an offer but I of course turned the woman down. I believe I’m already spoken for.
Your war is almost over. And that’s great. But at least yours is uncomplicated. You’re literally fighting a dark sorcerer who enslaved his people. Nothing to question about that. But I’m being asked to fight griffins who, up until recently, had been Imperials themselves. I don’t know how I feel about that, but I look back to Griffenheim. If they were considered the outlier, and the rest of the territories were coming to ‘bring her back’ to the fold, would I fight for the Imperial City? I think yes, and I think I understand these traitors a little more. But they -are- still traitors, loyalty to home notwithstanding.
I can’t wait for things to go back to normal. When the Empire is whole again, you’re back in school and I’m bored as Tartarus, sitting around doing maintenance and gunnery exercises. I don’t know when that might be, but it’ll be a damn sight better than what’s going on right now with the insanity in the world.
One last thing; they say the Ducal Fleet is preparing to resurrect the Kaiserliche Marine. There’s been rumors of new shipyards coming online in Rottendedam. A couple of Imperial soldiers have been joking about taking back Nova Griffonia or even looking into colonies in Zebrica. Remember you asked about exotic postings? The way things have been going, maybe we’ll look into getting some overseas territories in the next few years. Get to travelling after all.
Missing you too,
-Cyril
Sent May 28, 1009
It’s over.
They announced yesterday that the Crystal City was finally taken. Princess Cadence’s flag is flying again. Nopony knows where King Sombra’s gone, but his mind control’s broken. Most of the Crystal Legionnaires have surrendered, gladly. There’s only his loyalists left, and there’s not nearly enough of them left to keep up the fight. The army’s flushing them out of the Heights to the northeast.
We’ve been stood down. With the Crystal City retaken, there’s no more structures to bomb, and you can’t use Halifaxes on troop formations. The Wellingtons are flying hunter-killer missions now to snuff out the last of Sombra’s supporters, but we’ve been given weekend leave by the base commander. And it feels so good to go further than Whinnyapolis.
I’m going to Manehattan again for the weekend. It’s where I first came to this country, and the closest link I can get to you. Equestria fought long and hard for this, and I’m going to take advantage of however long they give me. If that means all I can do is stand on the pier all night and think about you, I’ll take it. I’ll wait to write you again until after I come back, which shouldn’t be too long. That way I at least know I got my letter out to you first. I’m also planning to stop by bookstores, see what I can get that we’d both like reading as well as what educational materials they’ve got. If I’m going back to school, I have to get ready. I think I’ll get some novels from Dr. Hoofing. His statements on theoretical magic origins are inspiring. Shame about his disability.
Static’s giving me grief over my softness, but I can tell its not serious. She’s got a coltfriend and family in Vanhoover she’s going to go visit. But she knows I’m all alone out here. She offered to come east with me, but I told her no. This is the first long-range leave we’ve been given since we rotated into combat. I’m not robbing her family of that for my own sense of loneliness.
So, just how much female attention do you have to fight off, then?
Don’t take that line seriously, I’m teasing. I’m glad you told me. Means I have to worry less.
Letters from my parents finally got through. My mother likes you, a lot. Thinks you’re “responsible and loyal”. I’m not sure whether to laugh at that or correct her. My father blames you for me enlisting, so that may be why he’s not writing you back. My brother wants to meet you, strangest of all. Given his line of work, he may be able to see you sooner than I can. That just makes me a bit sad.
Luna Nova’s not taking any applications yet, I learned. So I sent a letter of inquiry to Hoofington U. I was fairly impressed with their campus when I was there. Hopefully they’ll take me once I get out.
I’m not a fan of imperialism of any sort. Nova Griffonia is one thing. But I’m not sure I like your support of just ‘taking’ overseas territories. Those are living, breathing creatures too. You’ll literally just be kicking in the door to take what you want. You’re on the edge of going to war, too. How can you be okay with that, Cyril? You’re worrying me a little.
Yours,
-Paige