From The Ashes

by Horizon Sunrise

Chapter 3: Meeting old friends

Walking in this timeline’s version of Canterlot was so much more different than in my timeline. Instead of the high-class ponies walking on the neat and posh pavements with nice houses, there were beggars everywhere on the streets, most of them mares and foals, most of them looked malnourished. Some houses were in ruins while others looked like a gust of wind would make it topple. There were no rich ponies here anymore, just a lot of ponies begging for food. I wanted to give them some food but I had nothing.

The streets that were usually for the really rare carriages were now populated with things with wheels they call ‘cars’ carrying ponies and those artillery cannons Fluttershy told me about. They also contained a lot of boxes which I guess are filled with supplies.

“Why are there so many beggars on the streets?” I asked Fluttershy.

“After the war broke out, The Equalists took over a lot of cities. These are the ponies that didn’t get brainwashed by Starlight Glimmer when her army marched in. They ran when the army marched into their cities and now has to resort to begging for food.” Fluttershy sighed. “Trade with Saddle Arabia and the Eastern Ponies have been totally cut off by Starlight’s E-boats. We are running out of supplies and we don’t have enough food to sustain the war and feed the people at the same time.”

“Oh…” I couldn’t say anything else until we reached the army camp.

“Ok Twilight, the girls are all in this army camp, but each one of them are in different sections of it.” Fluttershy pointed to the four pathways. “So who do you want to meet first?”

“I’m thinking Rainbow Dash.” I said.

“Then follow me to the Equestrian Air Force Training Grounds.” Fluttershy lead the way while I tagged along.

-

Once we arrived at the training grounds, I gasped in awe. All around me were pegasi training.Some were carrying a small metal stick (which I can only assume is a small ‘rifle’), diving down and shooting at the bulls-eye targets on the ground. Others were carrying a heavy metal cylinder, dropping it on a marked-out target. The cylinder instantly exploded on impact.

“This way Twilight.” I snapped out of my state of awe and walked with Fluttershy.

We stopped our tracks at a small and worn down building. We could hear Rainbow Dash shouting inside the building.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE DON’T HAVE ANYMORE RESERVES ON THE PONYVILLE FRONT!” Her voice echoed.

“Commander, we are losing pegasi fast in the Ponyville front. We need more reinforcements from base ca-”

“Denied Lieutenant! These ponies training now are supposed to help fight with the Northern front with the Crystal Empire. They need the wing power immediately!”

“Is Rainbow always like this?” Fluttershy nodded.

“Well… ever since you died, Rainbow became a bit more… violent and harsh. She said she wanted to join the Equestrian Air Force to avenge you and rose up the ranks. She is scary when she shouts at you. And on the battlefield.”

“You are all dismissed.” The doors opened and ponies with clothes and lots of medals walked out of the building. Rainbow was not in the group.

“Now is our chance, let’s move in.” Fluttershy said as she dragged me into the building.

The interior was everything that I expected for a meeting room. There was a big table in the centre with twenty or more chairs surrounding it. At the farthest chair sat a blue pegasus looking at some documents.

“Hello Flutters, hello Twi.” She said without looking up. I was stunned by her calmness as she said my name. I was about to say something (about how I thought she didn’t really care about my counterpart’s death. How rude!) when a sudden of realization struck Rainbow.

“Wait… Twilight?” She looked up from her papers. Those pupils shrunken as she studied me for a while. As she stood up, I saw the battle scars Rainbow has suffered. Her left wing was no more, replaced with a metal one. Her left eye was covered with an eye patch and there were countless of cuts and bruises on her body. She has suffered through so much.

She pulled out a glove and put it on her hoof. I was going to ask what is the glove for when a forceful slap flew towards me.

“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy screamed.

“Sorry, was checking for changlings… those rogue ones are a real pain. Only changling venom can reveal them.” Rainbow looked at Twilight. “Is it really you egghead? I thought you were dead. The head is still in our memorial… ” A load of questions piled up.

“Look Rainbow, I’m from another timeline. I’ve been sent here for a reason, maybe to fight this war with you. But I need all of my friends to help me stop this.”

“I’m sorry to say Egghead, but that is not how it works right now. This war isn’t decided by who has the most magic, but who can last the longest in a war of attrition.” She sighed. “We thought the first belief was true at the beginning, so Celestia sent herself and the elements into the battlefield. She is now forever beside your memorial, with the elements destroyed.” It took me a little while to get what she was implying.

I wished I never did.

“Celestia…” The tears in my eyes leaked out. The cold reality hit me like a sledgehammer. This was not like the previous wars Equestria has fought, no Elements of Harmony to fix the world, no one pony that can change the war. This was brutal… nasty, brutish and long.

“But hey… We’ll win this war.” Rainbow cheered. “So… do you want to meet the rest of the girls?”

“Yeah… I think-”

“Wait! Hold on…” Rainbow took out a piece of paper and read it. “AJ and Rarity are leading the charge on the Crystal Front right now. So… good luck with that.”

“LEADING the charge?” I exclaimed.

“Oh yeah… so basically I’m the chief commander of the Equestrian Air Force. Applejack is the chief commander of the Equestrian Army and Rarity got a slot in the Artillery division as Commander. Pinkie…” Rainbow paused. “You wouldn’t believe it unless you see her. That is… if you want to…”

I gave Rainbow a questioning look.

“After you died, Pinkie changed. She has gotten… a bit out there. Sometimes she scares me…”

“Oh please! How bad can it be?” Both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy facehoofed.