Within the cold walls of the castle,
The usurpers are bringing their hopes to live.
A rebellious soul struggles for its worth.
Will she choose wisely or poorly?
Chapter 12
My Own Way
August 29th, 2021
1100 hrs
Canterlot Castle, dungeonsWhen Phalanx and his fellow Royal Guards were captured by Aurora’s troops following the Canterlot takeover, they were taken into the dungeons located deep below the castle. They had been mostly unused, since rarely anypony committed a crime severe enough to be thrown into this dark, damp place. But now, Aurora put them to good use, keeping the armored ponies locked for many weeks since the rest of Equestrian Allied Forces and the princesses were forced to evacuate to the Crystal Empire.
At first, 45 Royal Guards were kept together in seven separate cells. However, as days and eventually weeks passed, Phalanx noticed something unnerving. Some of his troops were occasionally visited by Aurora herself, and on the next day, they were gone. He suspected that they must have been taken to be interrogated for info about the EAF or the princesses. But since Phalanx specifically instructed his fellow guards to never tell Aurora anything, they were most likely executed after failed attempts to get information.
Right now, there were only ten Royal Guards left. Phalanx shared a cell with one of them, named Silver Shield. He was lying on the cold ground, devoid of sleep and looking to be in poor condition, unlike Phalanx. He, too, was taken by Aurora’s Exiles for interrogation, but for some reason, they were ordered by the alicorn to not kill him. The white unicorn didn’t know why, and he didn’t really consider himself to be lucky in this situation.
Phalanx turned his head to face the corner of the cell where his companion was lying.
“Silver Shield…” he said quietly, “can you hear me?”
“Y-Yes, sir…” Silver Shield replied weakly. “I’m… fine.”
“You look terrible. Try to get some sleep.”
Silver Shield slowly stood up.
“Tried. But… I keep thinking about our comrades. They were all here with us… Now there’s only a few of us left. Sir… How is it that you still look so strong after we’ve been here for so long? I can’t even remember when we were thrown into these dungeons…”
Phalanx looked to the wall to the right, where tally marks were drawn on the wall using his own hoof to keep track of time. The unicorn examined it briefly before saying:
“We’ve been here for over 40 days. And it troubles me that our numbers grow weaker at almost a daily basis. Every day, that witch comes down here and tries to convince our soldiers to join her. And the next day… they are taken away to never return.”
“I know, sir…” said Silver Shield. “Maybe… Maybe my sight is playing tricks on me, but… I thought I saw Iron Hoof wandering the corridors of the prison a few days ago… Maybe I was just imagining it.”
“Most likely. But do not lose hope, friend. I am certain that Princesses Celestia and Luna haven’t forgotten about us. I spoke with them during the siege of Canterlot before they retreated to the Crystal Empire with our remaining forces. She promised to come back and save us.”
Silver Shield smiled dimly.
“They will return, that’s a given. I just wonder… if there will be anypony left here to save when they do…”
Before Phalanx could reply, he heard the echoing sounds of hoofsteps getting louder.
“Somepony is coming,” he said. “It’s probably that witch again. Remember, my soldiers; don’t tell her anything.”
The guards replied with a brief: “Yes sir!” just before the metallic door to the dungeons opened. Phalanx was right. Aurora Starlight came to see them, assisted by two Exiles guards.
“Greetings, my brave guards,” she said mockingly. “How have you fared today?”
About a dozen of Royal Guards remained silent. Their only response was an angry glare.
“Seems you’re not in a mood to talk… Oh well, that’s all right. Your foolish attempts to defy me will soon end…”
One of the Royal Guards stood up and shouted:
“Spare us this mockery, usurper! You’re the one who will end soon!”
Phalanx looked at a unicorn in a cell directly in front of him.
“Steelback…”, he thought, afraid of what may happen to him for that outburst.
Aurora turned her sight to Phalanx.
“You should keep your companions in check, Captain.”
She came a bit closer, looking into his eyes.
“I can see the worry on your face… You must be wondering what happens to your fellow guards when they leave the dungeons, no?”
Phalanx only growled in frustration. Aurora chuckled.
“Don’t worry, I won’t be keeping you in the dark anymore. Watch…”
The female alicorn turned around and approached the cell where Steelback was kept. He was in a combative mood.
“Don’t try your tricks on me! I’ll never tell you where the Royal Sisters are!”
“So much anger…” said Aurora, her voice suddenly turning ethereal. “Let me calm you down…”
Aurora’s eyes briefly shined with a cold, dim light. Phalanx felt a shiver going down his spine. The alicorn stared into Steelback’s face, keeping eye contact with him all the time.
“Open the locks…” she said.
One of the Exiles used the keys and unlocked Steelback’s cell door. Aurora came inside. Steelback took a few steps back, not sure what was happening to him. He couldn’t look away from Aurora’s face.
“Do you not recognize your princess…?” the alicorn spoke again.
“P-Princess…?”
In Steelback’s mind, Aurora slowly grew, changed her coat color to white and started to resemble Princess Celestia more and more. The unicorn felt utterly confused.
“Princess… Celestia…”
Phalanx blinked his eyes in surprise. He only saw Aurora. Silver Shield didn’t know why Steelback called her that.
“Sir, I have a bad feeling about this…”
Aurora opened her eyes wide. They shined with the cold light again.
“You fought bravely. You deserve a reward. Honor your princess…”
“Yes… milady…”
Steelback slowly bent his left front leg, trying to kneel before Aurora. Phalanx then realized what was happening: she tried to take control over his mind by using illusions to manipulate him. Trying to interfere, he shouted:
“Steelback, don’t! That is not Princess Celestia! Steelback, listen to me!”
The unicorn soldier stopped just before his knee touched the ground. He shook his head several times and came back to his senses.
“My head… What…?”
Then he glared angrily at Aurora.
“Get out of here! We will never submit to you!”
Aurora squinted her eyes and turned her head toward Phalanx. Her horn glowed with a blue light, and her voice returned to normal.
“That was foolish of you…!”
A beam of energy was fired from her horn, hitting Phalanx’s armor and knocking him on the floor of the cell. Silver Shield ran to him to help him get up.
“You’ve just sealed his fate…”
Aurora switched her sight to Steelback again, walking up slowly to him. His body started trembling. He felt overwhelming magical power dwelling within Aurora. Her look alone invoked fear in his heart.
“Get away from me…!” he uttered.
“It’s too late…” Aurora whispered.
She was only inches away from him. The alicorn lowered her head…
With a quick thrust, her sharp horn pierced Steelback’s throat. His scream was drowned in desperate attempts to gasp for air, as blood started slowly seeping from the wound and from his mouth. Silver Shield, Phalanx and the other Royal Guards all saw the horrifying execution. As Aurora slowly pulled her horn out of Steelback’s throat, the unicorn slumped to the ground, coughing up blood. Then his body became still.
Phalanx let out a painful gasp:
“Steelback… No…!”
Aurora turned to one of her Exile minions. He quickly cleaned Aurora’s horn from the blood. The alicorn then spoke loudly:
“May these images be carved into your minds! Those who are not with us are against us! Those who are against us must die!”
She then approached Phalanx’s cell.
“Captain, I suggest you and your remaining guards make the right choice. Some were smarter then that one…”
“What do you mean?!” Phalanx exclaimed.
“Oh, you will know soon enough.”
“You’ll never get away with this…!” the unicorn growled.
“You wish to be next?” Aurora asked. “I have little patience for disobedience…”
Just then, a short, beeping signal sounded next to Aurora’s ear. She pressed a device on her chest.
“It’s me… Really? Ah, excellent… All right, Shockwave. I’ll be right there.”
Aurora cut the link and looked at Phalanx again.
“It seems I have pressing matters to attend to. But don’t worry, I’ll see you again, Captain… hm, hm, hm…!”
The alicorn and her minions left the dungeons, but not before one of the Exiles grabbed Steelback’s dead body by the tail and dragged it outside. The ranks of the Royal Guards got diminished again, and this time, they witnessed Aurora’s power for the first time. That display left most of them, even Phalanx, deeply worried about their future. Just how long could they attempt to defy Aurora and get away with it…?
-----------------
1120 hrs
Canterlot Castle, Research Chamber
Just as Aurora entered the chamber, she saw all four of her Reapers already waiting for them. They briefly bowed their heads as she approached them.
“So, you have done it, Shockwave…” Aurora said slowly.
“Yes, my Lady,” the purple pegasus replied. “The Zeal is ready.”
“Show me.”
Shockwave directed Aurora’s attention to a big table in the corner of the room. On it were four, crimson-red objects shaped like armor. Upon closer inspection, Aurora saw that they looked like regular vests used by the pegasi. The only difference seemed to be the reinforced material from which they were made.
Trickster showed his disappointment:
“So, THAT’S what you’ve been working on, man? These are supposed to make us invincible?! What a rip-off!”
Shockwave didn’t even glance back at him when he replied:
“Predictably, you do not understand the reason behind my genius. Do not focus on the outside, but on the inside.”
“Huh?”
“What do you mean, man?” Havoc asked.
“On the outside, they seem like ordinary vests, yes,” Shockwave explained. “But I’ve managed to install a program that contains data of the greatest fliers in the world’s history into memory bank. These are, in fact, highly integrated armored suits that send data from this program directly into the user’s brain, granting it increased dexterity, stamina, strength and so on.”
Havoc and Trickster looked at each other.
“And… what does that mean, Einstein?” Havoc asked again.
“It means,” Deathwing interjected, “that these suits contain a computer program that will allow us to emulate the actions of the best fliers this world has ever known. They will give us the power to defeat any opponent.”
“Affirmative,” said Shockwave. “It’s good to know at least one of us knows what I’m saying. I was beginning to worry I’m surrounded by morons who will never comprehend my way of thinking.”
“WHAT WAS THAT?!” Trickster yelled.
Aurora stepped in to quell the argument.
“That’s enough, boys. As much as I enjoy watching your bickering… since it only proves to me how much you value each other…”
“Huh?” Trickster felt totally confused now.
“... We must focus on other things now,” Aurora finished. “So, Shockwave, this program is the Zeal we’ve been talking about?”
“Indeed, my Lady. It took me many years to obtain the original source code, analyze it properly and build these suits in order to perfectly accommodate our fighting styles. But I believe it was worth it.”
“Wait, so… You’ve been building this in secret?” Havoc asked. “Dude, why didn’t you tell us?”
“Even if I told you, you wouldn’t begin to comprehend,” Shockwave replied. “Forgive me, Havoc, but I fear only Deathwing could understand the secret behind the Zeal. You and Trickster would only keep assaulting me with various questions about it, and that would only stall the recreation process. Also… you’re not very bright.”
Havoc sighed.
“So, in other words, you think we’re dumb.”
“Well… Not exactly. You’re just not as smart as I am,” said Shockwave.
Deathwing held Trickster in place. The small pegasus was just about to jump at Shockwave and tackle him to the ground.
“Before this discussion takes a drastic turn…” the black-coated pegasus said, “... I suggest we put these suits to use. We should see if this Zeal works properly.”
“An excellent suggestion,” said Shockwave. "However… There is one thing that I believe should be made clear to you all.”
“What now?” Havoc whined.
“As I said, the Zeal uploads a large amount of data into user’s brain. It also increases its strength and heightens their senses… but it comes at a cost.”
“What cost?” the blue pegasus wondered.
“It slowly exhausts the user’s body. You may not feel it at first, but if you use the Zeal for too long, it will start to have negative effects on you. That is why I’ve added a time limit into the program. We can use the Zeal for up to 10 minutes upon activating it first. We can activate and deactivate it on will during that time with a voice command. After the time limit expires, the system will enter the ‘cooldown phase’ and we will have to wait for 6 hours before we can safely activate it again.”
Trickster wasn’t pleased with that explanation.
“So, let me get this straight. We can use this technological marvel of yours for only 10 MINUTES and then we have to wait for 6 HOURS before using it again?!”
Shockwave nodded.
“So you’ve been paying attention after all, Trickster. I’m positively surprised.”
“That’s bullcrap!” Trickster exclaimed. “If it’s so great, why should we hold back? Why not go all out and crush those annoying ‘Angels’ and their fellas while we’re at it!”
“Do I have to repeat myself? Prolonged usage of the Zeal will have negative side effects,” Shockwave reiterated.
“Yeah? Like what?!” Trickster inquired.
Shockwave looked at him with his serious expression.
“First, your muscles will begin to hurt. Then, a headache. This should be the first sign to turn the Zeal off. If you continue to use it, your skin will start to deteriorate, parts of your flesh may fall off… Eventually, your wings will be paralyzed. The pain will be unfathomable. Should you somehow survive the fall... if you’re in the air, which is very likely… your heart will be affected next. Then your entire nervous system. Finally, your brain. This will result in paralysis, coma… even death.”
A grim silence fell for several seconds after Shockwave’s explanation.
“I… don’t think I wanted to know that,” Havoc said quietly.
“Don’t worry. The safety lock will automatically activate when the time limit expires. Perhaps I will be able to overcome this disadvantage one day… but I need more time. I’m still unable to perfectly recreate the original Zeal. I know I can do much better!”
Shockwave lowered his head in regret. Deathwing walked up to him and embraced him with his left wing.
“Do not feel bad, Shockwave. You’ve still done a marvelous job. Never forget that it was your desire to become a great scientist that led you to us. Thanks to your knowledge, we will be one step closer to victory. As I said, I believe we should test this Zeal in combat.”
“Indeed,” Aurora added. “As you know, the EAF’s main headquarters is currently in Manehattan. That’s where they relocated most of their forces. Go there and do as much damage as possible. We must show our enemies that we are not through. And, with any luck… You might encounter the Mirage squadron again.”
“It will be done, my Lady,” said Deathwing. “I’m looking forward to that confrontation…”
==========
MEANWHILE
Manehattan, Equestrian Allied Forces HQ
Over the past month, the Exiles and Equestrian Allied Forces clashed in small battles almost every day. Most of these confrontation were diversions, however, serving as distractions to allow other divisions to advance without the enemy realizing it. Both armies were at a stalemate, and neither seemed to have a solution to this. While this situation allowed the EAF to take care of the wounded soldiers and re-organize its ranks, it also prevented them from waging full-scale battles. For the moment, the Exiles were in a dangerous situation of being surrounded, seeing as their main base of operations was now Canterlot. The EAF regained control over the regions around four major cities: Manehattan, Cloudsdale, Stalliongrad and Fillydelphia.
At the same time, quite a few ponies from EAF were concerned that one of enemy leaders, Commander Clad Hoof, had gone missing. Some said he was lastly seen in the vicinity of the Ponyville region, but these rumors were yet to be confirmed. The whole area around Ponyville was still partially under the Exiles’ control, but the townsfolk put up a strong resistance. The assistance of local Allied troops certainly helped them. It was clear that in order to even think about recapturing Canterlot, Ponyville had to be secured from the Exiles first.
The Royal Sisters decided to establish new headquarters in Manehattan, as it was located away from main battle zones. Many troops, who were initially separated from their original army groups at the start of Operation Eternal Liberation, were now reunited there. Many celebrated a brief respite, but none rejoiced as much as the pegasi from Mirage squadron. When Firefly, Rainbow Dash, Lightning Bolt, Cloud Kicker, Medley, Fluttershy and Derpy finally saw each other again, they made a big group hug and spent the next few hours celebrating and talking about their feats.
Lightning Bolt and Cloud Kicker helped in stopping the destruction of Cloudsdale by fending off Gleipnir. Cloud Kicker was jumping around her friends as she was re-telling her story:
“And then I saw that dragon opening its mouth and thought: ‘Oh man, he’s gonna blast Cloudsdale if we don’t do something!’ I knew Lightning would reach him eventually, but I needed to distract him when the others failed. So I flew to his face and provoked him.”
Cloud Kicker stood on her rear legs and wiggled her tail, causing Medley to laugh. Rainbow Dash widened her eyes.
“And some ponies say I’m careless.”
“Of course, he didn’t like it,” Cloud Kicker continued. “He whacked me with his tail, and I blacked out. When I woke up, Lightning was beside me. The dragon was gone.”
“You’re so brave, Cloud Kicker,” Fluttershy praised her, making the purple flier scratch her head with her left hoof and bare her teeth.
“I’m sure you gals had a rough one, too, huh?” Firefly asked, turning her attention to Rainbow.
“We sure did. Though we didn’t have to deal with the dragons, we still had to protect Stalliongrad from the Exile siege. Bastards were pretty persistent, but we kicked their flanks! Yeah! Even the Cutie Mark Crusaders helped us a bit— Oof!”
Rainbow was suddenly poked in the ribs by Medley, as she pointed her chin to Derpy, who immediately frowned, remembering the argument she had with her daughter yesterday.
When Twilight Sparkle told Princess Celestia about the operation in Stalliongrad, she was called out for letting little ponies participate in such a dangerous task. Although the Cutie Mark Crusaders tried to keep their involvement in the sabotage operation a secret, Dinky decided to tell her mother, and eventually the others as well, anyway. Naturally, Derpy was angry that her kids put themselves in harm’s way, but Dinky tried to explain everything to her:
“We had to do it… We had to understand why are you fighting, Mommy. Why you risk your life for us… And why this war is horrible. I know we did wrong… but we did this to protect our friends. Please, Mommy… don’t be angry at us…”
After that, Dinky just cuddled in Derpy’s arms and started crying. The grey mare knew that her daughter was traumatized by something she had witnessed, but seemed too scared to tell anypony about it. She just embraced her and said:
“It’s all right… You’ve done nothing wrong, Dinky… Don’t cry, dear...”
The other Crusaders were feeling sorry for her, too. Later, as additional facts about the battle situation at the time were revealed, along with explanations from Big Bear and Firecracker Burst, who still remained in Stalliongrad Hospital and wrote everything down in the form of a letter, Princess Celestia took these circumstances into consideration. Ultimately, Twilight wasn’t punished for her decision, while the Crusaders promised to return to their old activities, mainly gathering intelligence and scouting.
Rainbow Dash tried to slip out of this uncomfortable situation.
“Cheer up, Derpy. Your kids are safe, and at least they’ve learned something.”
Derpy looked at her.
“Yes, but… I wonder if it’s really all right. No child should ever participate in any armed conflict. It’s just… not right.”
“You heard what the Princess said. The circumstances led to this. Besides, the Crusaders will be kept in line by Twilight and Cheerilee from now on.”
“I hope so…”
Rainbow breathed out in relief, then told the rest of the Mirage fliers about the battle for Fillydelphia, where the EAF’s 1st Fleet clashed with the Exile’s armada and their submarine, Scinfaxi, which caused some trouble in the first days of the war. Medley was glad to interject here and there to mention a certain Exile flier that managed to tick her off the most and how she personally dealt with him.
“That coward thought he could blind us, but I closed my eyes and rushed forward, tackling him and moving away from the blast zone. Then kick, punch, smack, SMACK, WHAM! And he’s going down,” the green pegasus flailed her legs as she was saying it.
“Yeah, you sure did a good job, Kid,” Rainbow Dash stroked her mane. “When you found him later, the poor dude was totally wrecked.”
“But, I told you… It wasn’t me,” said Medley. “I only smacked him a few times. I couldn’t break his bones or anything like that…”
Firefly was intrigued about this, since that situation reminded her of what happened to the four Exiles that managed to survive the destruction of their army group by the Royal Sisters’ magic in the Crystal Mountains. They were later discovered by pegasus interceptors who were sent to deal with them. Unfortunately, somepony got to them first and killed all four in a brutal fashion.
“I don’t think this is a coincidence…” Firefly said quietly.
But Rainbow Dash was more curious about her antics with Lightning Dust.
“So, about Lightning Dust… I heard she was assigned to ‘Viper’ squadron, right? Talk about a fitting name…”
“Yeah, well, I watched her in action during Operation Gambit, and you were totally correct about her. She’s just as you said: arrogant and annoying.”
“I saw her a couple of days back,” Medley interjected. “She seemed to be in a really bad mood and didn’t want to talk with anypony. Did something happen?”
Firefly and Derpy were just about to say details about their operation, but Cloud Kicker suddenly stopped in place and asked:
“Say, you girls remember those Exiles that are being kept prisoner? Did they say anything that might help us?”
“I heard most of them were initially constantly refusing to talk,” said Firefly. “They would just lie or sit in their cells and didn’t want to answer any questions. Threats weren’t helping, either. The interrogators didn’t resort to violence only because Princess Celestia forbade them.”
“So they didn’t talk at all?” Cloud Kicker asked. “That’s strange. I was passing by the prison quarters yesterday, and I heard some of them screaming that they will tell us everything they know…”
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy looked at each other, snickering.
“It looks like they took our suggestion, Fluttershy,” said Rainbow.
“Uh-hm, seems so,” Fluttershy agreed.
Medley looked at them, rising an eyebrow.
“What are you girls talking about?”
Rainbow and Fluttershy told the others how they asked Pinkie Pie and Rarity to help the interrogators using their own methods… which involved tormenting the Exiles with endless rambling or singing happy songs, in Pinkie’s case, as well as Rarity’s so-called “whining” — because the cell was damp and dirty, or because the uniform was too tight or too ugly and so on. Thanks to their efforts, most of the prisoners became a lot more willing to support the EAF with information.
Cloud Kicker laughed when she heard about it.
“I guess that’s one way to get the stuff out of your enemies… though I kinda feel sorry for them. This kind of torture might be worse than beating them up… But maybe it’s because they don’t know how to have fun, like we do.”
“No, Cloud Kicker, they do,” Firefly interjected. “The problem lies in the fact that we have different concepts of ‘fun’.”
“I guess…”
“Yeah, okay, so what about Lightning Dust?” Rainbow inquired.
Firefly proceeded to explain about Orgoi’s attempt to annihilate the Allied Forces who tried to recapture the Manehattan Air Base. Quox’s Avion battalion, along with Lightning Dust’s team, managed to stop him, but they suffered devastating losses. Quox was under psychiatric observation since then, while Lightning Dust actually felt guilty for letting her teammates die.
Medley turned her head to the blue pegasus, who seemed to be in deep thought after hearing Firefly’s story.
“Rainbow, you OK?”
“Yeah… But I wonder what will happen to her now… Spitfire told me that odds are against her. I doubt she’s gonna walk away from this one...”
“Good. Somepony needs to teach her a hard lesson. She deserves to be punished,” said Firefly.
Rainbow did not reply to that.
-----------------
1600 hrs
On the afternoon, Spitfire returned from her meeting with the disciplinary committee. She asked Soarin’ to call Lightning Dust and the three remaining pegasi from Viper squadron to her office, so they could discuss the issue. When the turquoise flier heard the message from Soarin’, her heart started pounding. Seeing her worried, the mare named Sundance tried to calm her down.
“Relax, Lightning Dust. We’re coming with you. We’ll tell Captain Spitfire what happened there.”
“That’s right. You can count on us,” Eagle Song added. “We got you covered.”
Lightning Dust’s only answer was a nervous nod. She had no idea what Spitfire was going to tell her, but she was certain she will not be hearing any praises from her.
About 20 minutes later, the four pegasi entered Spitfire’s office. She was sitting behind her desk, shifting her sight from one flier to another. Despite the entire room basking in the sunlight, Lightning Dust shivered briefly when she and her teammates sat down before the Wonderbolt captain.
Spitfire lifted her sight and said in a serious tone:
“I’m sure you all know why I called you here. I’ve recently had a meeting with the ponies from disciplinary committee. I’ve also talked to Quox and those survivors from Avion battalion. Lightning Dust.”
She turned her sight to the turquoise flier. Lightning Dust felt Spitfire’s eyes piercing through her.
“M-Ma’am…?”
“Do you realize what you have done? You ignored my orders. Again. For whatever reason, you thought that—”
“Captain, please… Listen to me! Let me explain,” Lightning Dust said in a panicked tone.
“This whole situation was sudden…” Sundance started.
“We had to react quickly…” a white male pegasus, Swift Ace, added.
“The mission could be jeopardized…” Eagle Song interjected.
“Guys! Hold on!” Lightning Dust exclaimed. “Let me handle this. Please, Captain Spitfire, you have to listen to me. I’ll tell you everything that happened.”
Spitfire crossed her front hooves.
“All right. Then tell me.”
Lightning Dust took a deep breath and started her story.
“We were doing our part in the operation to recapture the Air Base, when… We saw the pegasi from Burner and Racer squadrons heading our way. Without their leaders. I thought it looked strange, so I asked them what happened. They told us that enemy reinforcements are likely preparing an offensive from the east, and they are jamming the radio waves. That’s why those fliers had to get to us instead of using their communicators.”
Spitfire nodded slightly.
“That much I know. Go on.”
“We saw that the situation was under control. Our guys could easily recapture the area without our assistance. I decided that we should go and engage the Exile reinforcements to stop them from reaching the city and making things harder for us. That was when Quox butted herself in and said she will go with her battalion instead. ”
Spitfire rose her left eyebrow.
“I see… But you decided to go and engage the enemy anyway?”
“Y-Yeah. I knew we would reach them faster than Quox. Firefly and that cross-eyed mare insisted on coming with us, so we let them. So we went to the Manehattan outskirts… and then we saw him.”
“The dragon?”
“Yes.”
“And even after seeing him, you still wanted to fight him?” Spitfire asked.
“We had to prevent him from reaching the city…” Lightning Dust started, but then the Wonderbolt captain rose her right front hoof to silence her.
“Lightning Dust, let me ask you something: What world do you live in?”
The turquoise pegasus looked at Spitfire in surprise.
“W-What…?”
“Do you honestly believe that a dozen pegasi ponies can defeat an adult dragon? And a Drake General, no less?”
“I-I wasn’t planning to actually fight him…”
Spitfire glared at her.
“I find that hard to believe.”
“Ma’am, please don’t be harsh on her,” Sundance suddenly interjected. “We were doing what we thought was right!”
“Yeah! We had to stop him and prevent any major casualties,” Swift Ace added.
Lightning Dust leered back at them.
“I told you I’ll take care of this issue myself.”
“We just want to—”
“Just shut up!” Lightning Dust exclaimed. “I never asked you to cover for me.”
Her three friends frowned, but didn’t say a word. Spitfire asked:
“So, after you got there first along with Mirage fliers, Quox came along soon after, right?”
“R-Right,” Lightning Dust confirmed, regaining her composure briefly. “And she, along with every other unicorn in her battalion, started firing their magic beams at the dragon. Before they got there, we were just distracting him.”
“I see…” Spitfire said quietly. “And then he attacked…”
“... He froze the majority of Quox’s unit and then crushed them. Quox went mad, she kept on shooting at him, but her magic wasn’t working. I had to interfere and shove her away so that she wouldn’t end up like the others.”
Spitfire notified this with a simple “Mm-hm”. Lightning Dust suddenly rose her voice.
“You see, Captain? It was her fault, not ours. We were just doing our job until she ruined everything! If it wasn’t for Quox, maybe her battalion would not be decimated by that dragon!”
The Wonderbolt captain got up from her seat and approached Lightning Dust with a serious expression on her face.
“Even if everything you say is true, you are not without fault, Lightning Dust. In spite of all the danger in that situation, you still wanted to fight that dragon. Because of this, you have endangered not only yourself, but also your teammates. Have you considered, just for a moment, what would happen if you had failed? The dragon could easily reach our remaining units and destroy them all. The entire operation would end in failure.”
“I was confident in my abilities. I always am! I knew that I could stop that dragon with a little help from the others! And I did! I made him retreat!” Lightning Dust said with passion.
“But you also lost four fliers from your squadron during the fight. I told you: you are responsible for everypony on your team.”
“So it’s my fault they died?!” Lightning Dust exclaimed.
“Yes,” Spitfire said bluntly.
Lightning Dust stood up as well, glaring back at the her. She was slowly losing her temper.
“I did what was RIGHT! Everything would’ve ended better if that bitch Quox didn’t get in the way! Why did you even allow her back in the military?! Did nopony check her background? No one knew that she’s mentally ill?!”
“Lightning Dust…” Sundance started.
The turquoise pegasus leered at her again, silencing the yellow pegasus.
“I suggest you calm down,” said Spitfire. “But, to answer your questions… We were aware of Quox’s condition. We knew that she was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after she returned to Equestria. That’s why we performed all necessary tests again and checked her condition several times to see if she was still combat-worthy. The results were satisfactory, so we saw no reason to not let her join.”
Lightning Dust snorted loudly.
“That’s some great performance; she fooled you all! She totally missed her call! She should consider an acting career instead. At least she wouldn’t endanger THAT many lives…”
“Lightning Dust, these accusations are not helping your case…” Spitfire said to her.
“So WHAT?! I have the right to express my opinion, don’t I?”
“Yes… But now you’re just making it worse for yourself.”
Sundance came a bit closer.
“Lightning Dust, calm down…” she pleaded.
“Grrr… Dammit!” the turquoise pegasus stomped her left hoof on the floor.
Spitfire returned back to her desk and sat down.
“Let’s make something clear, guys. Despite your good intentions, things still went badly. It could have been worse if you didn’t do anything, but… I’m afraid you can’t get away without any punishment.”
The four pegasi were anxiously waiting for what Spitfire was going to say. Lightning Dust could barely contain her emotions.
“As of today… the Viper squadron is suspended.”
“S-Suspended?” Swift Ace gasped. “Does that mean we won’t be able to participate in any mission?”
Spitfire shook her head.
“Not for the time being, at least. I need to look deeper into this case and see if there is any credit to Lightning Dust’s claims. Because, if I am to be completely honest with you, I don’t find her to be very… trustworthy.”
“What…?!” Lightning Dust growled.
“Isn’t there anything we can do, Captain?” Eagle Song asked.
“No. The decision is effective immediately. As for you, Lightning Dust…”
Spitfire turned her attention back to the green pegasus.
“I’m afraid that, taking all conditions into account… and considering your numerous cases of disobeying my orders, as well as endangering fellow fliers… You will have to serve an additional punishment. Namely, you will spend thirty days in detention ward.”
Lightning Dust’s eyes widened.
“W-WHAT?!”
Her teammates immediately opposed that decision.
“But that’s not fair!” Sundance exclaimed. “Why only she has to be additionally punished?”
“Yeah! We all disobeyed the order!” Swift Ace added. “If Lightning Dust must go to prison, we’ll go along with her. At least she…”
“I never asked you to cover me!” Lightning Dust reiterated angrily. “Just be quiet!”
Spitfire seemed surprised that somepony was willing to stand up for Lightning Dust. In eyes of most ponies, she was viewed as a delinquent and a troublemaker. Yet these three pegasi clearly thought of her as their friend. The Wonderbolt captain wanted to know more.
“Why are you defending her? You know what she did in the Academy, right?”
“Sure we do!” Eagle Song replied. “But her mishaps don’t automatically make her bad!”
“You should give her a chance, Ma’am,” Sundance added.
Spitfire shook her head.
“No. I’ve given her too many chances, and she wasted them all. I’m sorry, Lightning Dust, but your credibility is of no meaning to me anymore. It’s about time you should suffer the ramifications of your actions.”
“But Ma’am—”
“SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU!” Lightning Dust suddenly yelled.
Her outburst was so unexpected that Sundance cuddled to her two friends with a loud squeak. Lightning Dust kept staring at the floor when she said with a trembling, yet angered voice that was getting louder with every sentence:
“So that’s it, huh…? Nothing I say will make a difference? Are my words worth anything at all?! Why do I even bother! It’s always the same! Every time I try to do something right, things go the other way! Every time something bad happens, I’m automatically the one to blame! And every time I try to explain the situation, nopony believes me! Nopony wants to help me! You’re all just jealous of my abilities! You’re afraid that one day I’m gonna outclass everyone! Ain’t that right?! AIN’T THAT RIGHT?! I’VE HAD ENOUGH!”
Lightning Dust suddenly got up, quickly walked to the door and kicked it open. Spitfire was flabbergasted by her behavior.
“What do you think you’re doing, Lightning Dust?!” she asked.
“I’m outta here! I’m leaving! You hear me?! I’M LEAVING!” Lightning Dust shouted.
She ran outside to the corridors. Her teammates only glanced at each other and immediately followed her.
“Lightning Dust, wait!”
“Come back!”
Spitfire just stared at the broken doors, not entirely certain what to do…
==========
1700 hrs
Sundance, Swift Ace and Eagle Song managed to catch up with Lightning Dust. She was standing at the entrance to the headquarters. The two ponies that usually guarded the door were knocked out cold, presumably by Lightning Dust herself. The turquoise flier looked like she was about to take flight. However, the sight of her teammates held her in place.
“Lightning Dust, stop!” Sundance cried.
“Don’t be a fool! What are you trying to do?” Swift Ace asked.
Lightning Dust turned to them. Her expression was a strange mixture of anger and sadness.
“Sorry, guys… I can’t do this anymore. I feel confined by this place. They will never let me reach for the top. There’s only one thing I can do now…”
“No! It doesn’t have to be like this!” Sundance said to her. “We’ll sort things out! We can help you!”
“Nopony’s gonna help me… I have to do this my own way.”
Lightning Dust grabbed the part of her vest where the Equestrian Allied Forces emblem was with her teeth and pulled it sharply several times. She ripped the emblem from her vest and spat it out to the ground, looking at it in disgust. Then she spread her wings and turned around.
“You can’t go with me, guys. This is where we part ways. I go alone from here.”
Eagle Song looked at her in disbelief.
“You can’t be serious…”
“Just watch. I’ll become the best pegasus fighter in the world! Then they will all see that they were wrong about me!”
Lightning Dust took off into the sky. Sundance, in a desperate move, went after her, clinging to her rear legs.
“Lightning Dust, don’t go! You want to destroy everything you fought for?!”
“Yeah! What about your dream of becoming a Wonderbolt?” Swift Ace asked.
“I’ll make it happen… just not here. Not now. Sundance, let go of me!”
Lightning Dust tried to shake her off, but she held tightly.
“Don’t do this! You’re making a big mistake!”
“I said… let GO!”
Lightning Dust kicked her in the chest with her rear left leg and followed up with a punch to the face. Sundance fell down with a high-pitched scream and hit the ground. Eagle Song and Swift Ace went over to her, allowing Lightning Dust to fly away.
“I’m sorry, guys…” she thought. “I don’t expect you to forgive me…”
Sundance, are you OK?” Swift Ace asked the yellow mare.
She was bleeding slightly from her lips and looked very shaken.
“W-Why…” she sobbed. “Why did she do that…? We’re her friends…aahhh…”
“This is bad... “ said Eagle Song. “I better go tell Spitfire. We gotta bring her back!”
-----------------
1720 hrs
Equestrian Allied Forces HQ, Training Area
In another section of the base, the pegasi from Mirage squadron decided to conduct a practice session. Rainbow Dash wanted to test out a brand new maneuver. She called it: the “Head-Bonk Counter” and involved intercepting an opponent’s attack, grabbing it in a tight grip and hitting it on the head. Rainbow outright stated that this maneuver can be risky and decided to initially try it with only herself, Firefly and Medley.
Meanwhile, Lightning Bolt was still working over their communicators, saying that she wanted to include a “night-vision mode” into the heads-up display. She hoped that it will help them in performing possible operations at night time. The white pegasus also told her friends that this feature would still be in a testing phase and would probably take a few weeks to get it fully implemented.
After a few fake tries of Rainbow’s new maneuver, Firefly and Medley were about to practice for real.
“OK, girls, just remember, try not to cause each any brain damage,” Rainbow snickered.
Bu as the two mares were about to fly at each other, a loud, beeping sound caused them to come to a halt. Fluttershy jumped in surprise.
“W-What was that?”
“Rainbow, your communicator!” said Lightning Bolt. “Catch!”
She threw it to the blue pegasus who quickly put it on her ear and answered the call.
“Rainbow here. … What? Wait… She did WHAT?! Urgh, that idiot…! I’ll be right there!”
Her friends looked at her, uncertain of what to make of this brief conversation.
“Come on, girls! We’ll finish this training later!”
“What happened, Rainbow?" Fluttershy asked.
“I’ll tell you later! Come on, there’s no time!”
1730 hrs
The Mirage fliers quickly made it to Spitfire, who was in the middle of questioning the remaining pegasi from Viper squadron. On the way, Rainbow told them what she heard from the Wonderbolt captain.
“Lightning Dust escaped?!” Firefly exclaimed. “You gotta be kidding me!”
Upon noticing them, Spitfire approached Rainbow Dash.
“Good response time. We got a situation.”
“I know. How did she get away? Nopony tried to stop her?” Rainbow asked.
“We did…” Swift Ace replied. “But she wouldn’t listen. Lightning Dust seemed determined, and we couldn’t convince her to stay.”
Spitfire looked up.
“She can’t be too far… Rainbow Dash!”
Rainbow saluted quickly.
“Ma’am!”
“I want you to go after Lightning Dust. You have to bring her back.”
“I’m on it!”
Medley came closer, turning to Spitfire.
“Ma’am! Permission to accompany Rainbow on this mission!”
“Denied!” Spitfire answered. “Sorry, Kid, if anypony can take on Lightning Dust, it’s Rainbow.”
“But I…”
Rainbow turned to Medley and said with a reassuring tone:
“Hey, no worries. I’ll be back before you’ll notice I left. Just one thing, Ma’am…” she turned back to Spitfire. “What if she resists?”
“Then you have permission to use force,” Spitfire replied.
“So I can whoop her flank?” Rainbow asked.
Spitfire rose her right eyebrow, but retained her serious tone:
“If you wanna put it like that…”
Rainbow Dash opened her wings and said to Firefly before she flew after Lightning Dust:
“I’ll contact you once I'll get to her. Things might get a little rough…”
When the cyan pegasus took off, her friends watched her slowly disappear in the distance. In an uneasy silence that occurred, Cloud Kicker snorted:
“Huh. She had some nerve, rebelling like that all of a sudden. But hey, I’m sure Rainbow’s gonna bring her back. There’s nothing to worry about. I mean, what could possibly— Oww!”
Firefly suddenly smacked her in the head with her right wing, causing Cloud Kicker to wince.
“Hey! What was that for?!”
Firefly glared at her.
“Don’t jinx it! I have a bad feeling about this myself… Let’s just hope for the best. Rainbow will bring back that idiot, and then I will give that Lightning Dust a piece of my mind!”
Fluttershy noticed the sun slowly setting over the ocean.
“It will be dark soon… Come back quickly, Rainbow…”
-----------------
1740 hrs
Ceres Ocean, Equestria airspace
While following Lightning Dust’s reported trail, Rainbow Dash kept rotating her head, watching the beautiful scenery of a setting sun present above the ocean. She didn’t have time to enjoy the view, though. Spitfire called her:
“Rainbow, this is Spitfire, do you read me, over?”
“I read you, Ma’am. Over,” Rainbow replied.
“All right. You should see Lightning Dust’s signal any moment now. You know what you have to do. Use whatever means necessary to bring her back. Contact me once you apprehend her,” Spitfire ordered.
“Copy that. Rainbow out.”
When the blue flier checked her radar, she did notice a signal on its edge. It was blue, since the IFF still recognized Lightning Dust as a member of the EAF. She wondered if Lightning Dust noticed her approach.
She did. The turquoise pegasus checked her own radar and learned that somepony was following her. She turned her communicator on, adjusted the frequency and, thinking it was one of her teammates, said angrily:
“I thought I told you to leave me alone! Get outta here if you know what’s good for you!”
“I can’t do that, Lightning Dust. You’re coming back with me!” the answer sounded.
Lightning Dust widened her eyes.
“That voice… is it…?” she wondered.
“Slow down! We gotta talk!” the voice said.
A creepy smile formed on Lightning Dust’s face. She did just that. When Rainbow caught up to her, she turned around.
“Well, well… Rainbow Dash. It’s been a while since the Academy, huh?” the turquoise flier asked.
“Do you know what you’re doing, Lightning Dust?” Rainbow asked her.
“Oh, sure I do. Something I should’ve done a long time ago. I don’t remember the last time I felt so free… not having to stick to all those rules.”
“Why are you doing this? You keep digging yourself deeper. Don’t you have enough trouble as it is? You want to add desertion now?” Rainbow kept asking her.
Lightning Dust glared intensely at Rainbow.
“Why…? I’ll tell you why! I feel confined! All these rules and regulations are limiting my progress, my abilities! I’ve been trying to stick to them, hoping that the Wonderbolts will finally see that I’m worthy of being one of them! But nooo… They kept telling me that I’m not ready, that I’m inexperienced, even… arrogant. Can you believe this?!” Lightning Dust exclaimed.
“... Yeah, I can,” Rainbow replied. “Because that’s exactly what you are. Spitfire is right about you. She tried to give you a chance, many chances in fact… But instead of working on your flaws, you keep making them bigger. It’s no wonder you keep getting into trouble.”
Lightning Dust snorted.
“That easy for you to say! You got the position of wingpony from me back at the Academy, despite the fact I was better than you… And then you got accepted as a Wonderbolt, too! Where’s the justice in that?!”
Rainbow tried to use a cool head in this confrontation.
“Listen, LD… You got demoted from a wingpony because you endangered my friends, not to mention the other cadets as well… Or have you forgotten? Also, I’ve earned my right to join the Wonderbolts by following their rules and by fighting to protect Equestria from the griffin invasion during the last war. Where were YOU, back then?! If you would come out and help us fight against the threat, maybe Spitfire would recognize you, too!”
“SHUT UP!” Lightning Dust yelled out. “Where I was and what I was doing is none of your business! Or anypony’s business, for that matter! I tried to stick to the rules, but I just can’t… It goes against my nature. I hate being limited by something. It makes me feel that I’m unable to reach my full potential. But no more! None of that matters now! Now I’m going to do things my way! And I know exactly what to do!”
Rainbow folded her arms.
“Oh yeah? What are you gonna do, then?” she asked.
Lightning Dust’s voice rose as she passionately proclaimed:
“I’m going to become the best pegasus fighter in the world! I’m going to show everyone what I’ve got! Spitfire, the Wonderbolts, the Allies, the Exiles, even those frickin’ dragons! I will show them all! Nobody’s gonna stop me from reaching the top! I’m going to defeat anyone who stands in my way!”
Just as Rainbow Dash fully comprehended Lightning Dust’s speech and motivation, she rose her right arm, pointing her hoof at the blue flier.
“And I’ll start… with you!”