One Wing, One Heart

by Manaphy

Log III: Another Possibility

Even with the day off to rest, part of me wished I had more time for napping once tomorrow arrived. I could've sworn that waking up to my new wing occurred mere minutes ago. My left side still twanged a little, but the sun was already peeking from behind the mountains. It was rather disorienting opening my eyes once dawn arrived, the light shining into my tent. My eyes were still crusty and my limbs were as solid as concrete. Another hour or two of sleeping wouldn't hurt.

However, my ringing ears denied more time for napping. A drill must've found its way into my ear canal for all I knew.

The answer made itself known soon enough, much to my displeasure.

A horn shrieked from outside the tent and polluted the air. It wasn't the same tone that indicated an invasion or intruder, those always had an ominous screeching noise that made my heart race and a flurry of hoofsteps polluting the air. Only twice had the barracks been trespassed on. One instance was by a changeling and the other by one of Sombra's spies, though both were taken care of in a flash.

The horn bellowed again, only louder.

Groaning, I leaped off of the bed and landed on all fours. I noticed Fleetfoot in an adjacent bed pushing herself upright and rubbing her eyes. A yawn escaped her mouth as she stretched her limbs and ruffled her wings.

"Good morning, Rainbow Dash," Fleetfoot drawled.

"Morning," I replied, yawning a second later.

Slowly rolling off of her bed, Fleetfoot then pulled the sheets back up until everything was orderly and tidy. I arched an eyebrow at the sight. It was my first time sharing a room with her, the two of us temporarily assigned to a tent closer to Limestone's training grounds out of convenience more than anything. Fleetfoot was always known as organized, but this was overkill.

If I asked her why she spent so much time cleaning up, it'd only worsen the twinges on my forehead.

"Hurry up, rookies!" a voice shouted into a megaphone. "Sombra's forces don't wait to see your sorry flanks crawl out of bed!" I wished I could've retorted by requesting more napping time, though that was a recipe for a hoof to the face. That wasn't awesome. "All the other fillies are waiting for slowpokes like you to actually show up! War knows no time! You make a turtle look like a sprinting champion in comparison, so get moving!"

The voice belonged to Limestone Pie. Fleetfoot finished making her bed, rushing over to where I stood a second later.

"Let's hurry up," said Fleetfoot. Tapping my shoulder, she then nodded with pursed lips before departing the tent. "There's no time to waste!" My cheeks flushed as I clenched my teeth. Any more delays and Limestone probably would've jammed the megaphone down our throats.

"What are you waiting for?" Limestone yelled.

Shuddering, I darted out of the tent and stepped onto the slushy snow once more. Before me were rows of other tents just like the ones everypony else slept and lived in, all in a wide variety of colors and shapes. Tan still dominated the landscape and a few reds and blues were present as well, though the lime green and pink canvases signaled uncharted territory. A few were the size of the average cottage, but most were rather modest in terms of space.

As usual, everypony who saw me trotting across the snow gawked at my metallic wing. Some were awe-struck and gasped while others rolled their eyes or chuckled.

To my left was a group of ponies, all lined up with one mare pacing back and forth in front of them. Fleetfoot was almost there while I made a beeline toward the ponies in a heartbeat. Most of their faces were shrouded in shadow, the clouds hanging overhead once more and wrapping the world in gloominess.

"You're late, rookie!" shouted Limestone, her visage twisted into a fierce scowl. "Get in line and pay attention!"

I nodded, taking the open spot sandwiched between Fleetfoot and an unfamiliar mare sporting a black suit. The latter's pink coat and blue eyes seemed familiar, though her name was on the tip of my tongue. Even with her grim expression and faded colors, something about her prodded my coat. It was as though she'd break out into song or crack a joke at any minute. However, with her static expression, her mane echoing Limestone's, and the gray mare next to her sporting the same style, expecting anything from her to incite chuckles was impossible.

The thought clung to my mind like a parasite nonetheless. I shuffled my hooves an inch closer to the mare, eyes glued to hers.

"Hey," I whispered. The pink pony shot a quick glance at me, then whipped her tail. "What's your name?"

Her lips were pursed, not a peep coming out of them.

"Rainbow Dash!" Limestone interrupted. I straightened my posture and then saluted her. "I don't know how the Wonderbolts go about training, but let me tell you that when it comes to toughening you up, one of the golden rules is that you don't speak unless permitted! So when I tell you to speak, you speak! Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am!" I orated.

"Straighten yourself out and don't get distracted!" Limestone paused for a second before facing Fleetfoot, the former still adorning a glare that tightened my muscles on sight. "That means you as well, rookie! Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Fleetfoot responded.

"Good!" Limestone resumed pacing in front of everypony, her unblinking gaze locked onto us. "As you may have already guessed, I'm Limestone Pie, and I'll be instructing you from here." She turned around in a flash, faster than anypony I've ever seen to where I flinched, and resumed her slow march. "Some of you've probably heard this a thousand times already, but you know the rules!" She froze in place. "Pinkamena Pie!"

"Yes, ma'am?" the pink pony from before replied.

"Tell these rookies what we're fighting for!"

"Survival, ma'am!"

Limestone nodded. "And how do we fight for survival?"

"We defeat King Sombra, ma'am!"

"That's right! Remember that, everypony!"

I struggled to avoid rolling my eyes. However, the faintest of sighs left my lips. Everypony who spent at least an hour in the barracks knew survival was one of the main goals, if not the only objective, and that defeating King Sombra and the Crystal Empire was the only way to ensure survival. Captain Spitfire told me this, Princess Celestia told me this, Shining Armor told me this, and now I'm hearing the same old stuff for the fourth time. I'd have rather done something awesome instead of playing through the same kind of conversation. Protocol or not, I wished it could've been skimmed over, especially since Fleetfoot and I were anything but rookies.

The prosthetic wing and the scars decorating my body were enough evidence.

Limestone exhaled. Clearing her throat, she then trotted up to the gray mare next to Pinkamena. "Maud!"

"Yes, ma'am?" Maud responded in a monotone voice. I shot her a cursory glance upon her voice reaching my ears. Such a mellow tone was unlike anything I've heard in the barracks before.

"What's the key to ensure survival and victory?"

Maud blinked; her expression was as devoid of emotion as ever. "Mastering combat, ma'am."

"That's right!" Limestone stepped back. She surveyed everypony before her, spending most of the time on me, Fleetfoot, and the other novice fighters whose names I had yet to learn. Chances were that they wore tautened visages or were shaking as if they were trapped in an igloo. The cacophony of clacking teeth rang into the air. "Time to teach you all the basics of close quarters combat! And for those showoffs who already know or think they know the art of this fighting method, time to relearn!"

A bright yellow stallion raised his hoof in the air, biting his lip.

In a flash, Limestone twisted her head to face him, her muzzle scrunched like an accordion. "What is it, maggot?"

"What if—"

"Do I need to repeat myself?"

The stallion quickly shook his head. "No, ma'am!"

"Everypony relearns whether they like it or not! Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am!" we all shouted in unison.

Limestone trudged up to the stallion, lips puckered a little. Sweat poured down the latter's forehead like a rainstorm. His legs trembled; mine were somewhat wobbly as well, but as I took a quick breath, I regained my composure and kept glancing at Limestone and the stallion. Not a word left anypony's mouth during this time, our collective breathing and my heartbeats all I heard. As Limestone gently poked the stallion's muzzle, she ruffled her brow.

"What's your name?" Limestone hissed. "Say it loud and clear so that we can all hear."

"Braeburn, ma'am!" he answered.

"Braeburn, huh?" With a single step back, Limestone then motioned toward him and donned a slight smirk. "So you think you don't need to relearn, huh? If you're so talented in close quarters combat, how about you come up and demonstrate for the class. The rookies and everypony else here must be dying to know how it's done. So come up, face everypony, and do my job for me."

Bobbing his head, Braeburn trotted forward and stood before us. Limestone followed his every step for some reason. And if the smirk that once decorated her face had been replaced by a wide, mischievous grin, the scenario that would inevitably play out took form in my head. A faint smile ran across my face. Even if my dorky wing was still a bit sore, at least I wasn't Braeburn here.

With a deep breath, Braeburn stretched his forelegs.

It didn't even take a second for Limestone's forelegs to slice through the air, turning into blurs for a moment until she wrapped them around Braeburn's in the blink of an eye. He glanced at Limestone, cheeks pale. Limestone hoisted him up into the air, twirled him around like a baton for a moment, and slammed him into the ground.

Dust flew from the earth on impact. A sickening thud echoed in the air.

With nowhere to run, Braeburn's pupils shrunk to a minuscule size as Limestone thrust her hoof toward him.

Only Limestone's jab had paused inches before connecting with Braeburn's cheek.

My mouth hung agape. Something that awesome deserved to be showered in praise, but I couldn't even muster a peep.

The rest of the unit sans Maud and Pinkamena adopted similar expressions.

Tears cascaded down Braeburn's cheeks. Limestone released her grip not long after, the stallion clenching his teeth and scuttling back in line without hesitating.

"That's close quarters combat," said Limestone, straightening herself out. "You want to learn it?"

All of us nodded together. If Limestone's devilish grin was anything to go by, the answer was clearer than crystal for her.

"Listen up! We're going to practice jabs and hoof-to-hoof combat to start out! But first, we'll make our way to the training site on hoof! Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am!" we all shouted.

Limestone turned away from us and trotted ahead, not bothering to glance back. "Then get your lazy butts into gear and get moving!"

I took a deep breath and marched forward. All of us were bundled up together for the first couple of minutes, passing by tents and fellow soldiers as they waved at us, though Limestone glared at each one of them until they averted their gaze from us. Our hoofsteps sounding like an oncoming thunderstorm coupled with Limestone's constant yelling was something that everypony's ears couldn't ignore, however. My ears were constantly twitching during our little hike.

"Get moving!" Limestone shrieked. "I've seen snails slither faster than you lot!"

Fleetfoot, Pinkamena, Maud, and I all kept pace with Limestone. How Spitfire whipped Wonderbolts like Fleetfoot and me into shape was leagues tougher than this, our lungs always burning at the end. Spitfire was also somewhat winded at the end of her training regimen as well, often joining the other Wonderbolts in practicing aerial maneuvers and combat skills. But while Limestone's were mild in comparison, to call them effortless was a big, fat lie. Sweat dripped down my brow as I huffed and puffed. Fleetfoot's panting was audible as well, though Pinkamena and Maud were completely silent.

The others had all lagged behind. I peeked at them from behind my shoulder, all of them struggling to keep up and a few of them wobbled, trying their best to stay upright. If Limestone's march was anything to go by, it weeded out the veterans from the rookies.

"Don't think about quitting now!" yelled Limestone, head held up high. "If you quit, then who'll stop Sombra?" A pause lingered in the air. "We're all in this together, so prove to me you've got what it takes, slowpokes!" She swished her tail like a rope; it was as though she hadn't lost any steam trotting for what had to be miles.

What tickled my chest, however, was her spouting about us being in this together. Spitfire also stressed the importance of teamwork and unity, sometimes allowing differing opinions should an alternative prove more effective or safer, but something about Limestone's demeanor was filled with confidence. Perhaps it was the consistently long strides she took with each step, almost everypony else lumbering along. Maud and Pinkamena adopted the same trotting style, the latter's a bit more jubilant than the rest.

Jubilant. More itches covered my head. I could've sworn I knew this Pinkamena. But the reasons why were still shrouded in a thick fog.

"Halt!"

The four of us ceased trotting, though the rest of the group crawled over to where we were around a minute later. Many of them were desperately trying to catch their breath with a few of them even collapsing on the ground, though still conscious. Fleetfoot nudged closer to me and wrapped a wing around my waist. Both of us cracked the slightest of grins. If this weren't a serious test, I'd have cheered and danced across the snow, boasting about how awesome I was in being one of the first to arrive.

My burning lungs and the dimly lit environment outside forbade me from doing so.

"So only four of you kept up with me, two of them being my sisters," said Limestone. She donned a downcast expression. A groan escaped from her lips as she gently kicked the air. "Oh, Celestia. Why did I have to end up with such a sorry bunch as these ponies? At least the two rookies aren't completely sucking, though they have experience in the Wonderbolts, which means—" Limestone gritted her teeth "—there's only one option with all of them." She groaned once more.

"What's up with Limestone?" Fleetfoot whispered into my ear, cheeks tautened. "Is she okay?"

I shrugged, eyebrow arched. "Your guess is as good as mine," I murmured. "Maybe she's disappointed in our performance." Pursing my lips, I then took a quick breath. Disappointment usually meant extra work, even for those who performed admirably or efficiently. But with our past experience, maybe Limestone likely expected us to overtake her at points. "Let's just hope her idea isn't too intense."

"Since you lot aren't in any condition to fight, I'll give you five minutes!" Limestone announced, head raised once more. "However, whether you're ready for the onslaught or not after those five minutes, you're joining in with us no matter what!" She puffed her chest out and exhaled. "Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" we all shouted.

"I expect perfection by the time you're ready!"

Only the wind's howls reached my ears as Limestone turned away from us. Fleetfoot and I surveyed the area; a series of boulders were perched atop the soil in front of us, all having a smooth texture and a pale, gray color. Just staring at them for a few seconds froze my blood, my body shivering. Some of the boulders only reached up to our chests while others loomed above the barracks, casting a shadow on all of the ponies who gawked at them.

Stashes of exercising equipment were placed in woven baskets next to said boulders. I couldn't tell what they were exactly used for, though if the red padding sticking out of one basket was anything to go by, they must've been training gear for close combat. Perhaps Limestone was going to have us train with each other to start out; exactly what her training consisted of was something I knew I'd find out eventually.

However, discovering why Pinkamena seemed so familiar was the first item to take care of. I rubbed my muzzle, humming a faint tune while tapping the ground. Aside from Cloudsdale, the only other town I've visited for an extended period of time was Ponyville, and I never recalled bumping into anypony like her. Most of the town's residents were on edge, always expecting some cataclysmic event to occur. And when the war started, they boarded up their homes and kept quiet, some choosing to join the fight. Eccentric was probably the best word to describe that town.

For some reason, eccentric also defined the aura Pinkamena exuded.

There was something off about that glowing grin of hers as well. It seemed a little too wide to be genuine.

I turned to face Fleetfoot. "Mind if I go and ask Pinkamena a few questions?" I asked.

"Sure thing," said Fleetfoot, nodding with a slight smile. She rolled her shoulders and then took a deep breath. "Let me know if you need anything else, okay?"

I bobbed my head in return. Swiveling my head back to Pinkamena, I noticed her mingling with Maud. What poked my nerves was the bright grin across her visage while Maud retained the blank, stoic expression she always wore. A chill coursed down my spine upon making eye contact with Maud; I swore she had the ability to read minds with that stare.

"Hi!" Pinkamena cheered, waving her hoof at me. "C'mere! And bring your pal with ya, okay?"

Arching an eyebrow, I peeked behind my shoulder over to where Fleetfoot stood. She ruffled her wings as she trotted to where I stood. Pinkamena hopped toward us like a rabbit; Maud casually trotted alongside her. They were as different as night and day; the only similarity they shared was the family name and their faded coat colors. I clenched my teeth. Jackhammers pounded my forehead the more I thought about their relationship.

Pinkamena stretched her hoof toward me. The beaming grin she wore clashed with—well—everything around us. The red tint enveloping the land, my prosthetic wing, my wounded ear, and the mere fact we were all embroiled in a war that determined Equestria's fate made such vibrant expressions stick out like a sore hoof. When she was shouting back at Limestone earlier, serious expression and all, I expected a gloomier personality and something about finding joy in a bleak world. But there she was, joy already bundled in her chest, and keeping her chin up through it all.

My cheeks turned pale. Something wasn't right about her demeanor.

Nevertheless, I grabbed her hoof, Pinkamena shaking it violently.

"My name is Pinkamena Diane Pie!" she chimed. I politely nodded even though I already knew her name. "Or you can call me Pinkie Pie or Pinkie for short! Either will do!" She let go of my hoof, twangs coursing through my arm. I immediately massaged the muscles, though Pinkie's legs bounced around to where she couldn't sit still. "And hi to you, too!" She repeated the same ritual for Fleetfoot; her experience a repetition of mine.

"Hi, Pinkie Pie," I said. "My name is Rainbow Dash." I placed a hoof to my chest and then pointed to where Fleetfoot stood. With a soft smile, she slowly waved at Pinkie and Maud. "And this is my friend, Fleetfoot. It's nice to meet ya."

"Nice to meet you!" Pinkie paused for a moment. "So what brings ya here? I heard you were both training under General Grumpy for a bit because something happened." She caught her breath. My eyebrows shot up, ears twitching. Never had I heard somepony gossip as quickly as her; even Lightning Dust would've been impressed. "But you look super-fine from what I can—" Pinkie's glowing, blue eyes caught my prosthetic wing. The metal sparkled for a bit as if it begged for attention. And a loud gasp had left Pinkie's maw.

"Yeah, it's a long—"

"You lost your wing?" Pinkie blinked thrice. "What happened? You're not too hurt, right? Was it a simple accident, or did something super-scary—"

Maud extended a foreleg in front of Pinkie. She ruffled her brow ever so slightly. "Pinkie, remember what I said about conversing?" she muttered.

Pinkie froze in place for a moment. She then nodded a few seconds later.

"Don't get too excited when you're meeting new ponies." Maud patted Pinkie's shoulder. "I know we don't talk to other ponies often, but you might scare them away."

Chuckles left Pinkie's lips. "Okay. I'll try to calm down."

"That's better." Maud then brought her attention to Fleetfoot and I, expression somewhat softer than before. "How did you lose your wing?"

I glanced over to my metal wing, the limb twitching a little. "Well, I lost it after a mission went wrong. Three Wonderbolts, three ponies from the Royal Guard, and six from other divisions tried infiltrating one of King Sombra's fortresses. Problem is—" I held my breath. Recalling the vivid images of melting steel and bright, pungent flames churned my stomach. I cleared my throat. "There were chemicals in the basement we sneaked into. There was a big fight, and while we were kicking lots of flank, one of Sombra's soldiers accidentally ignited one of the chemicals and—yeah."

"Oh, my gosh!" Pinkie blurted out. Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

"I lost a wing and a bit of my ear. Fleetfoot was knocked out." I took a quick breath. "Captain Spitfire recommended we practice with you before flying again, just to be on the safe side."

Pinkie nodded. "I'm glad you're okay." She cracked a smile, pausing for a second. "And welcome! I hope General Grumpy doesn't bother you too much!"

I tilted my head and adopted a bemused expression. "General Grumpy? You mean Limestone Pie, right?"

"Yep!" Pinkie bobbed her head. "She's usually like this, even back when we all lived on the rock farm together. I was quiet before I got my cutie mark, but then I became so much more hyper!" Her grin widened. Less than a second later, Pinkie leaned toward me and Fleetfoot, both of us stepping back a little. "Maud has always been super-stoic, and Marble Pie is the sweetest little angel. She doesn't like to talk much, though."

"Where's Marble Pie?"

"She's working as a nurse in the barracks," said Maud. "Fighting scares her, but she wanted to help out with the cause."

"I can understand," said Fleetfoot. She crossed her forelegs. "Honestly, fighting does get rather scary at times. But I'm glad she's helping out in an environment where she's comfortable. Anypony's contribution is important."

"Don't tell anypony I said this," Pinkie whispered under her breath. She crept closer to me, placing her lips right next to my right ear. "See, Marble might actually be the strongest in the family. Maud, Limestone, and I can really chuck rocks like champs—all at about the same distance, but Marble Pie? She's something else."

"Your secret is safe with me," I muttered back, flashing a smirk.

Pinkie's secret made less sense the more I pondered it; Maud told us Marble wasn't one for fighting, after all. But if I've learned anything about Equestria, it was that almost anything was possible. The party after Shining Armor's wedding proved this for everypony who attended, most describing it as a melting pot of silly ideas, the stench of alcohol filling my nostrils as I recalled it.

I winced ever so slightly. Most who were there tended to avoid reliving the awkwardness of that day for a reason.

"Break time is over, rookies!" Limestone bellowed. "Now get over here and line up in formation!"

"Looks like it's time to get working again," said Maud. As Pinkie trotted over to where Limestone stood, Maud instead approached me, her eyes peering into my soul. We made eye contact. Maud froze in place and pursed her lips. "It was nice meeting both of you. Anyway, there's something I should tell you. It's about Pinkamena."

"Is she okay?" asked Fleetfoot. "Anything we can do to help?"

Maud shook her head. "This is also something we should keep between each other, but since you're among the first ponies that have approached us in a long time, I think I can trust you." She paused and then cleared her throat. "Now promise me you'll only tell if it's necessary."

Fleetfoot and I nodded in unison.

"It's about Pinkie's past. This may seem hard to believe, but she sometimes pretends to be happy. Deep down, she's hurting. If you've wondered why she always nudges close to you and wears big smiles all the time, that's why. It's her own method of coping with the world around her and sometimes, I worry about her." Maud pursed her lips. "So if you could hang out with her from time to time, I think it'd make her glad. Limestone, Marble, and I would appreciate it as well."

Fleetfoot bit her lip, eyes shimmering. "That's so sad," she muttered. A deep frown adorned her face. "I wish I knew how to make her feel just a little bit better."

"It all started a while ago, back when we were fillies. One day, she was certain she'd get her cutie mark. It was a seemingly normal day, too. The rest of the family was cleaning up the house and finishing up work, but Pinkie kept meandering around the rock farm. It was—as if she was expecting something to happen."

"Something to happen?" I blurted out, eyebrow raised. All three of us then trotted alongside each other, my eyes glued to Maud. "What do you mean?"

"She was looking at the sky, waiting for something. She waited—and waited—but nothing came. I asked her about what she was waiting for, and do you know what she told me?"

"What?"

"She was waiting for a rainbow. Nopony had any idea of what she was talking about, but she swore there would be this large rainbow in the sky and a loud noise that came with it. She also said it would come from Cloudsdale. It was all so specific to where we wondered if the rest of the family missed something we should've known." She paused, glancing at my rainbow-colored tail. "Was she referring to you?"

A sigh left my lips, head hung low. "Nope." Without warning, my cheeks tautened. A spark went off in my head. "Hold on a second. Did you say a rainbow and a loud noise would come from Cloudsdale?"

Maud nodded.

"I lived in Cloudsdale as a filly. My father worked in the Weather Factory during that time, and if there was supposed to be some sort of exploding rainbow, I and almost all of Cloudsdale would've known about it." A jolt coursed through my veins. "Wait—" My heart skipped a beat. What Pinkie had described back then suspiciously sounded like the mythical Sonic Rainboom. Everypony who adored flying knew about it, though nopony had ever seen it, let alone tried it. And how Pinkie knew about and expected one made no sense to me. "Maud, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Have you heard about the Sonic Rainboom?"

Maud shook her head. "No. Why do you ask?"

"Because what you described and what Pinkie said sounded exactly like the Sonic Rainboom, which is the coolest feat ever recorded in all of ponykind. When was this, exactly?"

"Nine years ago."

"Then—wait a second."

I clenched my teeth. Peeking over to where my rainbow-colored tail was, then recalling my cutie mark's design, the pieces slowly fell in place. Was I destined to do the impossible, only destiny changing its mind at the last minute and yanking that opportunity away? What was at first lame was now something that poked my nerves.

That time frame Maud gave was around when I lost that race. It wasn't a typical loss, either. I just stopped moving for no reason; it was as though something held me back. There was a vapor cone forming around me during that race. I never forgot the chills spreading throughout my body when that happened, but I froze in place instead of accelerating.

Hoops, Score, and Dumbbell had little reason to celebrate, saying that they wanted an actual race and not the mess that some ponies called a race. They didn't think they had earned the right to brag without a fair victory. They felt as though something unusual or lame had happened.

Maybe something weird had happened that day.

And had I actually done a Sonic Rainboom back then, would my life have been different?

I shook my head. Sombra's return, Nightmare Moon's sudden appearance and surrender, and everything unusual that happened would've happened no matter what. Life would still be far from awesome. Things didn't work that way, I was certain of it. After all, a Sonic Rainboom would've sent me down the same path, just at a younger age, and Equestria would've been at war no matter what happened. At least that's how I saw it.

That was the past. And while it got me thinking, something so inconsequential couldn't have been so vital, right?

My heart raced nonetheless.

"Are you okay?" asked Fleetfoot. She wrapped a wing around me like a blanket. A grim expression was painted on her visage. "You look like you've seen a ghost. Should I take you to the medical center?"

I violently shook my head, teeth clacking. "I'm fine. I just—" I swallowed a lump in my throat "—I'm just confused."

"Did something happen nine years ago that I should know about?" Fleetfoot placed a hoof to her chest. "If it's something that's troubling you, I'm always willing to listen. Was it something traumatic that happened then? Was it that race you told me about a while ago? Or was it something else?"

"The second one." I took a deep breath. My muscles loosened "Have you ever wondered what life would be like if things played out a little bit differently. Ya think things would've been awesome instead of awful?"

"I think we all do." Fleetfoot paused for a moment, rubbing her muzzle. "Maybe you doing a Sonic Rainboom during that race could've happened. Everypony who has met you knows you're one of the fastest fliers in all of Equestria, so it's definitely a possibility. Plus, you've got the name and the cutie mark."

"I know, but this is kinda different. If Pinkie looked familiar to me and she thought I'd do a Sonic Rainboom, maybe I was—destined to do one, maybe?" Rubbing the top of my head, I scrunched my muzzle and exhaled once more. "But all we can do is guess as to what would've happened if things were different."

Fleetfoot tightened her hug. "Say, do you think that in another time, we could've been at peace? You and I could do stunts as Wonderbolts with our teammates and friends, we'd all have fun playing games and meeting new ponies, and maybe—just maybe—we could've lived a tranquil life? Has that ever crossed your mind?"

I slowly nodded. "Yeah. I'd do almost anything to rewrite history and make things better."

"I feel the same way," Maud added, slowly trotting away from the group. "Also, I'll meet you back where General Limestone is, okay?"

"Sounds fair." As Maud trotted away, I then brought my attention back to Fleetfoot. "Anyway, if I could, I'd stop this whole stupid mess from happening in the first place."

"Maybe we can't do that, but if we keep on fighting for what's right, perhaps we can get as close to it as possible. Who knows, maybe we'll ensure that the future is a world just like that." With her head raised, Fleetfoot puffed her chest out a little and released me from her warm embrace. Much to my displeasure, however, my blood froze almost immediately after that. But she couldn't just hug me forever. "Shall we show General Limestone why we're Wonderbolts?"

I nodded. "We shall. And thanks for cheering me up a little, Fleetfoot. I—" Cutting myself off, I then cleared my throat. "I'm glad to have you as a friend."

"You're welcome."

Friendship.

While it sounded somewhat lame and cheesy, maybe it was the necessary ingredient to make it through this war. Hope was also essential; it'd help us in the healing process should Equestria make it out of this conflict in one piece.

But the thought of what could've been a happier world still lingered. All I could do now was fight for such a world.

Comments

[ShadowStrike11]

I really like how you wrote Limestone Pie. Definitely fits her personality. And I also like how you added the thought of "what would happen if Rainbow did her Sonic Rainboom". This is shaping up to be a good story!

[Manaphy]

6732936 Yeah, writing Limestone Pie was a lot of fun. If I must be honest, I've always liked her character. And thank you for checking out the new chapter as well. I highly appreciate it!

[Crimson Dawn]

Hmm Dash needs to hang out with Pinkie more if she is feeling something. It could be important.

[Manaphy]

6733723 Dash will definitely be spending more time with Pinkie as the story progresses. As to how their relationship will develop, I can't quite reveal that yet.

Anyway, thank you for taking a look at the new chapter. I highly appreciate it.

[Crimson Dawn]

6733728

Any story that features Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie will always keep my interest. I look forward to more chapters.

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

Alright! New chapter! What interests me is the phenomenon that Dash described, that corraborates with what happened in The Cutie Re-Mark. Plus she meets up with the 'Bunkerbusters' themselves : Pinkie and Maud

[Manaphy]

6735124 Yep! The Pie sisters sure are awesome!

And thank you for checking out the new chapter as well. I appreciate it!

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

6735355 No problem! I find the backstory for the Crystal Wars era Rainbow dash really cool! And i look forward to the next chapter!

[Dlaf rferg]

I like the idea of really strict general. It really brings out the tension in the scene. Also, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie remembering/or-maybe-remembering-in-an-alternate-universe is a really cool one. You have all the right ideas and you should keep it up!

[Manaphy]

6738300 Yeah, Rainbow and Pinkie's relationship was something I wanted to touch on, and writing Limestone Pie was also enjoyable. We'll definitely be seeing more of their interactions as the story progresses, though I can't quite reveal the details of said interactions yet. And thank you for the compliments and for checking out the new chapter. I appreciate it!