Rainbow Dash frowned deeply as she waddled her into the Cloudsdale Military Base, nodding reflexively to the soldiers on duty who stiffened and saluted the decorated Wonderbolt. Spitfire and Soarin' walked close to their Primary, wings draped over her in what was both a protective gesture... and a rather possessive one. Amongst the pony races, pegasi were among the most instinctively driven, especially when it came to foals and pregnant mothers. The mates were truly more dangerous than the mothers themselves, with wings and sharp teeth and hooves ready to dismember or crush a threat. And while Rainbow Dash was more than safe on the base than anywhere in Equestria, instincts were a hard thing to calm.

But Rainbow Dash didn't mind, not one bit. She leaned over to give Spitfire's ear a loving nip the second they were out of sight of the guards, grinning at her deep blush and shiver.

"Quit it, Dash," she growled playfully, "Wait till Soarin' can knock you up again. Or I get you home. Or in a... semi-private place."

"Like your office, Captain?" Rainbow shot back with a smirk, "With that little mike with the big button..."

"That was fucking hysterical," Soarin' added, smiling widely at the mortified groan from his Captain and wife, "The look on the newbies' faces."

"My favorite part had to be the quiet after we got done, and Spitfire going 'What am I laying on- OH FUCKING SHIT!'"

Both ponies howled at the deadly glare they received in turn from their mate. Both knew they would most certainly pay dearly once they returned home. And both ponies agreed that was it so very worth it. But their levity died as a low buzzer sounded across the base. The Officers' Call. Something was going down. In a practiced motion, Spitfire spun to lift her rotund mate up in her forelegs, wings flapping fiercely to launch the two of them towards the headquarters, Soarin' right on their tails. The building was a tower of solid clouds and metal sheets, with dozens of pegasi currently racing inside; everypony seemed upset and incredibly tense, which of course tensed up the Wonderbolt team.

"Captain Spitfire, Captain Dash, Lieutenant Soarin', glad you could make it," General Light Spark, an aging male spoke up from his desk, "Gather around quickly."

Light Spark had been the Commanding General of the Equestrian military during its Republic days. Despite Spitfire's role as Duchess as Cloudsdale, she had been more than happy to retain her military rank as Captain, and defer to the general. He was wise for his years, and trained during a time of intense war. And while he had ultimately failed, Spitfire had been happy to see that his failures had not destroyed the older stallion. With a heavy sigh, Light removed his reading glasses, running a gnarled hoof over his eyes.

"Scouts have reported a Griffon invasion fleet, both in sky and on the sea, heading for Equestria. Estimated numbers are in the several of hundreds of thousands."

Rainbow Dash frowned at that, settling back into a calculating mode that Spitfire typically only saw before races or big training drills.

"Northern Griffonia has a smaller population than the Southern States, doesn't it? I remember this from Threat Assessment."

"Indeed it does," Light Spark replied quickly, "But Intelligence believes the vast majority of this army are conscripts, or converts from the Southern States. The Northern Griffons want to hammer us hard in the first blow."

"What about the Minotaurs?" Soarin' asked grimly, and Spitfire paled slightly at the darkening look in Light Spark's eyes.

"They're massing an army on their northern borders, but no crossing yet. Intelligence believes they are making deals with some of the Diamond Dog surface clans. The Hive Mothers have been informed, and are preparing their armies for war."

On Light Spark's desk was a detailed map of the Equestrian continent, and Spitfire scooted away from Rainbow Dash in order to get a better look. The territory of the Changeling Hive Mothers, the Badlands, formed a wall against the Minotaur Empire to the south. The Empire was twice the size of Equestria, encapsulating all of the land from the Badlands border to the southern most sea. They had alot of open coastline towards the Saddle Arabian continent across the Great Sea, and Spitfire new that poor country was about to take a horrific beating from both the Minotaurs and the Camelu Caliphate, which rested on its eastern borders. Its only respite was its northern border with the Ruskalan Empire, whom could shuttle troops and supplies through the relatively open plain.

But, unfortunately, Equestria couldn't begin to do anything about the Minotaurs and Camels till the Northern Griffons were pacified. Bracing her forehooves on the desk, Spitfire leaned over to get a better look at the Griffon continent. Northern Griffonia was connected to its Southern cousins by a thin land bridge, where the mega-city of Unity had been constructed several thousand years ago. While the Southern states were the bread-basket of the nation, and the sight of most of its cultural buildings and memorials, the Northern states controlled most of the factories and mines, and fishing could supplement the little food they could grow in the rocky hills and mountains. Threat Assessment had given the Northern Griffonian states an eight in their ability to make engines and weapons of war, but only a four in maintaining a large army for a given time. It made sense that they would invade quickly- they had to take food and farmland to feed their war machine.

"Send an envoy to the Sea Ponies," Spitfire suggested, glancing over at Light Spark, "They're experts at naval warfare and hit-and-run tactics. They could make that crossing a living hell."

Light Spark studied the Captain and Duchess for a long moment before smiling, just a little curve of one lip, "The Empress had the same thought, and the envoy has been sent. Got a good head on your shoulders, ma'am."

Blushing faintly, Spitfire scowled at her snickering mates, only consoled by their gentle nuzzles and whispers of apologies. She had to keep a good head, in order to deal with these numbskulls, after all.

********************************

Silver Rush grinned cheerfully as he ducked and weaved through the inner workings of the Cloudsdale Flight School. Smaller than his peers, the silver-pelted, white-maned colt had always been able to work his way where other colts and fillies would get stuck. This was his third year at the School, and Silver had been using the hollow cloud-and-pipe walls to get to class unseen, and quickly, since the last half of his first. Flight School was just awesome! Sure, in the beginning there had been boring classes like Math and Equuish, but they had eventually panned out into specialized flying techniques. Silver Rush was the fastest flier in his class, and was second-to-the-top in the Elemental Wing club!

Ducking under a set of pipes, Silver tensed his hind legs to leap- and yelped in surprise. Where there usually was a smallish opening that he could easily leap through, a collection of large pale bottles and a blinking timer blocked his path.

Great, now I'll be late! Silver Rush grumbled, glaring curiously up at the device, The heck is this thing, anyway?

Peering closer, little alarm bells began to ring in Silver's head as he spotted the mass of wires leading from each bottle, each the size of his head, to the blinking timer. The already pale colt paled even further when he double-checked the figures.

10.

9

8...

**************************

Rainbow Dash was just walking out of the Headquarters building when the flash of light and heat erupted overhead, knocking all three ponies onto their backs. Cursing loudly and flapping her wings, Rainbow struggled to right herself, peering up to the source of the explosion... and screamed in denial. The Flight School was the pride of Cloudsdale; all Cloudsdale pegasi could call the school home at one point in their lives. It had been built just high enough on the northern face of the city to be seen by all, at any time of the day. To look up and be reminded about the proud future of the pegasus race. The very future that as now engulfed in flames.

Without a second thought, Rainbow Dash, her mates, and every pegasi in Cloudsdale took flight, powering with all speed towards the flaming school. Screaming little bundles of feathers and fur were falling as the clouds that made up the school were burned away; many of the foals themselves were on fire. With a grunt, Rainbow flapped hard, snagging two foals out of the air in quick succession. One was far, far too still, her green mane and purple body warped and twisted from the flames, eyes unseeing. The other, a tiny First Year colt with a blonde mane, was sobbing hysterically, his hind legs and withers horrifically burned. And all around her, other pegasi were doing their damnest to catch the falling foals, screaming and wailing in grief.

Unable to help herself, Rainbow Dash lended her voice to the keening cry. Pegasi handled grief, as in all things, as a unit, wailing their fury and pain to the skies. Ignoring a few pains in her gravid stomach, Rainbow Dash turned and flew with all speed towards the great airships quickly pulling up beneath the disintegrating school. She had more lives to save.

******************************

Five hours after the bomb had detonated, Rainbow Dash sobbed hoarsely into Soarin's neck, trembling in his tightly hugging forelegs. They were resting on one of the hospital ships, the Golden Hope. And in front of them laid the sheet-covered remains of over two hundred and ninety-seven colts and fillies. According to the doctors, another one hundred and fourteen would need to emergency-rushed to the Crystal Empire and the Blood Mage Hospital centered there. Only thirty-seven, those in Flight Class when the bomb had gone off, had managed to get out relatively unscathed- they were currently belowdecks, traumatized and stunned silent.

Rainbow Dash knew that the Imperial Magic Corps would be able to bring all of the students back to life. That was certain; they would not stay dead long. But how does one handle the utter trauma that happened beforehoof? Foals that had suffered through the Great Dying were still receiving psychological care, and few expected any of them to grow up with any mote of normalcy. Many had joined with the Imperial Youth, or latched onto some branch of the military. Others continued to stay in hospices or schools, unable to face the world around them. And many others had simply chosen to be mind-wiped by Lady Trixie's mind-mages, and be raised into a new life. How could they fix the trauma to their young?

Blearily rubbing her eyes with a hoof, Rainbow Dash turned to look for Spitfire... and froze. Her mate, the love of her life, her secret strength, was furious. Staring down a set of grim communication ponies, her wings were engulfed in crackling flames, embers hissing from her mouth as her connection to the element of fire triggered with her rage.

"How many were hit?" she hissed out.

"Six Flight Schools, in all of the Pegasi cities, Duchess. A saboteur was killed in Las Pegasus. He was a Northern Griffon..."

"Rough estimates of casualities are in the thousands, my lady."

The ship was quiet. Deathly quiet... for just a moment.

"SEND OUT A CALL! Spitfire roared with a voice that could make a king of demons piss himself in utter fright, "As Duchess of Cloudsdale, of the Pegasi Race, I send out a call. All Pegasi of able body and strength shall report to Cloudsdale. There will be a Crusade."

Her flaming eyes turned to the east, towards the great sea... and she spat, the fiery flame trailing like a comet through the cloudy skies.

"I will kill them all."

Author's Notes:

Angering a pegasus pony with any bit of political power is a bad idea.