MDCC-easonal Ritual · 7:24pm Dec 24th, 2019
Firstly, my customary thanks to all 1,700-plus of you who think I'm worth paying attention to you. It never gets any less gratifying to get a new watch. 
Secondly, in case you missed it in Sunday's grand assault on the submission queue, my latest story has gone up, set in the Crystal War timeline we briefly glimpsed in "The Cutie Re-Mark." Read on for afterthoughts and a cut scene.
This was an interesting challenge. Silver Shadows requested a story featuring Twilight and Sombra. I suppose I could've taken the comic route and had Radiant Hope drag him to a Crystal Empire Hearth's Warming—which, in hindsight, could've been amazing—but me being me, my first thought was to go for the more alternate timeline. Using a bit of the Sombra characterization from "The Beginning of the End" was actually quite fun. It's still ambiguous whether that was the real deal or a simulacrum created to bring the rest of the Legion of Doom into line, but I couldn't resist adding a bit of that shameless Black Forest ham.
Given the timing, I couldn't use the primary Twilight, which meant I had to determine the local's nature. Even after losing Shining, I couldn't see Twilight as a front-line fighter. Without hatching Spike, she probably wouldn't end up Celestia's personal student either. (Though she'd definitely still get in the school. The egg test was a Kobayashi Maru, likely instituted after Sunset so the proctors could see how young unicorns reacted when they didn't get what they wanted.) But a wartime researcher, trying to fix every perceived mistake she made since failing to hatch that egg? It doesn't get much more Twilit than that. She was actually going to die in the original draft, but I changed that when I realized that I'd plotted a Jinglemas story with almost no holiday elements to it, and an echo of Clover's feat would definitely help alleviate that.
As with last year, I needed some connective tissue to get the two together properly. Twilight won't be able to just march to Sombra's door from Canterlot, which was where Dash and Mena came in. (I swapped Maud out for Lightning Dust on the simple basis that it was a two-pegasus chariot. Plus, I like the idea of the war making even Lightning buckle down a bit and put continued survival over personal glory.) And that brings us to the cut scene. This would've begun the story, but I had to drop it due to a combination of word count restrictions and not wanting to overshadow the characters Silver actually asked for. Thus, I leave it here for posterity's sake, an abandoned scrap of an abandoned timeline:
War changes everything. Ponies especially. Rainbow Dash definitely hadn't seen herself where she was now back in flight camp. Back then, joining the Wonderbolts had been the happy little fantasy of a happy little pony who hadn't known a single day's disappointment beyond that one inexplicable bit of magical assault.
Well, she was a 'bolt now, and fighting for her life on a way-too-frequent basis. Sometimes against her own former wingmates thanks to those moon— Those Tartarus-banished helmets.
But that didn't mean sealing herself off from ponies. The princess had made that clear. Equestria was still in this war because everypony was working together, giving everything they had. If they sacrificed what made them equine, they were doing Sombra's work for him. It wasn't always easy. But friends did help.
Dash couldn't help but smile, tray balanced on her back as she walked through the slapped-together mess hall. That was something else that pinfeathered little filly never would've imagined. Sure, Lightning Dust was her wingpony, but her best friend was a mare she'd never have even imagined back up in Cloudsdale. "'Sup, Mena?"
The pink mare looked up through her lank mane as Dash sat. "We do not sup, Rainbow Dash. 'Tis lunch." But she said with a hint of a smile, which was more than Dash could say back when Mena was fresh off the rock farm.
"Just means the slop's a different color." Dash glanced down at the sad little length of peppermint candy on her tray. "And it's December. Where's Maud?"
"She has already eaten. What of Lightning Dust?"
"Here and gone. Mare moves at only one speed." Dash scanned the long tables for an unruly brown mane or thick-rimmed glasses. "You still seeing that guy in the cheap seats?"
"Artillery is a serious job."
"Sure, sure. And if you're being that defensive about it, I'm guessing that's a yes."
Mena looked down at her tray and blushed. "The Pairing Stone would approve."
Dash filed that under "rock farm weirdness" and moved on. "You are cute together."
"He has shown me many things we did not have at home."
"No kidding. I still remember your face that first time you tasted cake."
"We have cake at home. It merely contains crystals other than sugar."
"Mena, we've been over this. That isn't cake. That's just gross."
"Not with the right rocks." There was that smile again, barely bigger than her sister's.
"Heh. Cheese is good for you. Who'd have thought you'd have a sense of humor?"
"Mirth and good cheer are needed all the more in these trying times, hard though they may be to come by."
"No kidding." Dash caught motion in the corner of eye, her gaze darting to the source. "Huh. Who's the new egghead?"
With anypony else, it would've been a rhetorical question. Mena turned around, took one look at the mare, and said, "Twilight Sparkle. Salutatorian of Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, Class of 1081. Still resents coming in second. Joined the Defense Advanced Research Projects Operational Network to prove herself to the Princess by making a discovery that will win the war."
As ever, Dash couldn't help but ask, "How can you tell all that?"
And as ever, Mena gave her a confused look and said, "Is it not obvious?"
"Tellin' you, Mena, you shoulda been a spook."
"Rockbreaking is far more valuable against King Sombra than skullduggery."
"I can think of one skull I'd like to dug." Dash turned to watch the Sparkle mare sit as far away as possible from everypony and begin puzzling out how exactly her meal was ready to eat. "You think she actually did find some magic bullet?"
"She would not be at the front if she did not believe she had."
"Yeah, but what do you think?"
Mena shrugged. "I am naught but an earth pony, Rainbow."
Dash shook her head and grinned. "Sure you are, Mena. Sure you are."
Super cool
I'm lactose intolerant, sorry.
But otherwise, very sweet.
Personally (Dieselverse) I think Twilight could go two ways. If she failed to enter the magic school she would probably wonder why for the rest of her life and become a Moondancer. Learning for the sake of learning. Or she'd follow in her brother's hoofsteps.
I also liked the DAR-PON pun once it clicked.
All in all a much sweeter and more introspective variant of the Crystal War timeline than I've ever seen.
And an enjoyable extra scene; thanks for sharing it!
I saw that DARPON.
Yow. Seeing that happen - or, well, fail to happen, I guess - to Pinkie is just disconcerting. Though I do like the casual mention that her guy is in artillery. I imagine Mena herself could have done a surprisingly good job there too.
I definitely accept the headcanon of Celestia's egg test being designed to be impossible just to check unicorns' character after Sunset made it clear such a test was required.
It's been a long time since I last actively studied military stuff so I would be interested if someone would tell me what is funny/clever about DARPON? My confusion aside, I really enjoyed this short story and your little snippet you have here. I actually wouldn't mind seeing more of this take on the Sombra-verse.
5180080 I'm guessing the pun on DARPA?