Fire
Ken Atkinson
A lot of ponies from outside Equestria hear a lot of strange things about us. You may have heard that we are a land ruled by peace and equality, a sparkling, wondrous place where all three of the pony races live and work together in harmony, led by a pair of Alicorns who stand constantly resolute in the face of corruption. You may have heard that we've never been and never will go to war; that peace is so constant, so unwavering that we have no military, no weapons even. Yeah, from the outside, Equestria must sound like a pretty nice place. Pity everything you've ever heard is a lie.
We've been building guns since long before I was born.
When things were at their absolute worst, there was this... place I'd go to, in my head. It was this little fantasy realm that I'd nurture along in my spare hours, this alternate reality where things hadn't gone so terribly wrong - just a place where I could be at peace, really. A place a lot like the delusions others have about our country. I'd dream about the six of us being together again, just living a life in Ponyville, occasionally having improbable little adventures with a sense of danger, but in the end... nopony would ever be hurt. Or killed. We'd always just dust ourselves off and keep smiling. No matter what we went through together in this heartbreaking fantasy world, we never let anything tear us apart. We just... lived life. Lived life in paradise. I was never sure what exactly this fantasy was. Was it the sum of all my hopes and dreams for a time after this seemingly endless darkness? Was it a distorted vision of the time before, the colours and happiness blown out of proportion by the sheer contrast to the hell of this war? Was it just a pile of pure bullshit, conjured up by my mind to keep me from being driven over the edge by the suffocating darkness?
But sometimes, even the fantasy wasn't enough. How many of the ponies I dreamed about were missing in the chaos? How many had died quietly by the side of the road, nopony there to comfort them in their last moments? How many were hurt? Maimed? Crippled? How many would never see, walk, fly again? Compared to the fantasy, real life was hell. Had always been. Even before the war, for my entire life, Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies could hardly look at each other for the hatred, the fear, and the misunderstanding. From the day I was born, all that we heard on the radio or saw on television was something about the tanks and walkers, the armoured weapons of fear and hate we manufactured by the thousands as all-out war with the Mild West loomed dangerously close on the horizon. But when the fight finally did hit us... Celestia damn it all, nopony saw it coming, and sure as fuck not from the direction we expected it. In hindsight, I probably should've anticipated it, but... damn it, I don't know.
As of the beginning of my little story, it had been nearly a year since Unicorn extremists destroyed Canterlot and murdered the twin princesses, bringing a shocking and blood-soaked end to an era that had been tense, but comparatively peaceful. I've since heard somepony dryly mention that there hadn't been a magical display that remarkable in Equestrian history - such a damn shame that incredible power had been used for such incredible wrong. Grievances and motives aside, we were left with a power vacuum like we hadn't seen for more than a thousand years, and with the shiny new tanks, walkers and guns hot off the assembly line, it was only a matter of weeks before the three pony races were at war with one another. Some wanted the Elements of Harmony, some wanted to restore order, some just wanted ultimate power over their fellows... not like it mattered. War is war, and while many will tell you motives are important, they really aren't. Particularly when you're losing as hard as the Pegasi were. While the Earth Ponies were safe and sound inside their tanks and walkers and the Unicorns could just pick you off from visual range with a well-aimed spell, our only tactic, our only advantage, was to fly low-altitude suicide runs. These were simple - drop as many grenades as you can manage before being blown to flaming bits. Armor? Too heavy, it slowed us down. Guns? Holding still long enough to aim would get you killed. All we could use with any degree of safety were our bandoleers of grenades - yes, the irony still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. You can work out yourself how that might not be a sustainable tactic in a war of attrition. If the papers were to be believed, we'd sustained the most losses so far: a full half of the Pegasi in Equestria, mercilessly sniped by Unicorn magic beams, or torn to pieces by shrapnel cast off by Earth Pony flak. If they weren't calling it war, they'd be calling it genocide.
“Rainbow. Rainbow Dash, you with us?”
I shook myself from my thoughts and snapped to attention.
“Yes, Spitfire – er, ma'am.”
Spitfire nodded with a half smile.
“Good to hear. Alright, listen up, ponies! General Lionhart is en-route to our camp with a critical mission in tow. I'm going to give it to you straight: it is NOT going to be a cakewalk. Nobody comes to the Wonderbolts these days unless they need somepony who can transmute a stupid idea into a sealed archive and medals.”
“Combined wingpower of over two-hundred!” somepony shouted from the back.
“Second to none!” echoed from my left, and I could feel it as hearts swelled and shoulders were straightened. The Wonderbolts had changed a lot since the beginning of the war. We were about fifty of the most elite fliers from all over Equestria, ponies who had been selected through a careful screening process and harshly trained to one end - to convert the show-flight group into a super-elite Pegasus task force, whose precious time was reserved for only the most insane, the most impossible, the most suicidal of objectives. And of course, no flying squad of cocky idiots would be complete without the fastest flier in all Equestria: me. The great Rainbow Dash. Proud wielder of sixteen-point-five wingpower, winner of the Best Young Flier competition, multiple years in a row, and the only pony known to have triggered a Sonic Rainboom event, let alone more than once. I'd always been a bit chagrined that it took a war to get the Wonderbolts to finally acknowledge my significant ability, the ability I'd devoted my life to honing and perfecting, but the honour of flying with them had quickly driven any resentment I still felt from my thoughts.
“Glad to hear your egoes are all still intact,” Spitfire shouted, laughing, “Alright, I'll call you all to assemble when Lionhart's flight is sighted. In the meantime, do whatever you need to do to prep up. I expect you all to be at the very top of your game when the general gets here – can't have command losing faith in us, we're all they've got to cling to anymore. Dismissed!”
Everypony saluted and began to disperse. I headed for my tent to catch some last-minute reading, but paused when Spitfire came up next to me.
“Dash, can we talk in private?”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Got something to admit to me, Spitfire?”
She just laughed.
“Yeah, you wish.”
We were in my tent a few moments later. I jumped onto my bed, the springs squeaking as I bounced a couple of times.
“Alright,” I said, settling, “What's up?”
“You've mentioned a few times that you're trying to find your friends from Ponyville, back before the war began.”
Ah. That. Whatever traces of happiness lingering in my system vanished.
“Yeah. I was. You seriously think they're still alive? Ponyville's gone, Spitfire. It was leveled days after the first attacks. If any of them were still alive, they'd have tried to contact me! Somehow! I mean, Fluttershy's even a Pegasus. Not among the strongest flyers, no, but she'd have still been moved into Pegasus territory.”
I sighed.
“A year of silence. That's pretty damning right there.”
Spitfire frowned at me.
“Come on, Dash. You know things are insane, and it's only gotten worse with time. There's no way anypony who wasn't a Pegasus would've been able to find you. Hell, it's even difficult to believe Fluttershy would've been able to find you given how screwed our communication lines are right now.”
I just sighed and rolled onto my back, staring at the smoke-addled sunlight shining through the holes in the canvas.
“What do you want, Spitfire?”
“A Unicorn was caught sneaking into Pegasus territory... well, it'd be more accurate to say tripped over. She was in bad shape. Last I heard, she hasn't come round yet, but she matches the description you gave for one of your friends.”
I as on my feet in moments.
“Talk to me.”
“Purple fur, purple eyes, dark purple mane with a pink streak, starry cutie-mark.”
“Twilight...” I whispered to myself. Was it possible? Was she still alive, or was this just some misunderstanding? Suddenly, I had hope... and desperation. I had to know. Had to see her. I met Spitfire's gaze.
“Where is she?”
Spitfire shook her head.
“Dash, I know you. If I tell you, you'll go running off...”
I got right in her face.
“DAMN STRAIGHT I WILL! You're going to tell me where they're holding Twilight, and I'm going to fly straight there! Then I'm going to come back, and BRIEF MY FUCKING SELF!!”
“DASH!! Calm down, damnit!”
The force of her shout stunned me silent. I tried again a moment later.
“I just... Look, I've made friends here, but nothing like the friends I made in Ponyville. If there's any chance any of them are still alive, any at all, then I need to know. Please, Spitfire. You know me, I'll be back before you know it.”
I cracked a hopeful smile.
“Sixteen point five, remember?”
She continued to frown for a moment, but her face eventually gave way to a smile.
“Sixteen point five, you cocky psychopath. Alright. She's being held at Camp Mare's Point several kilometers south of here. Remember, they're on the Pegasus-Unicorn border: keep low, or you might get yourself killed by Unicorn anti-air, and we can't have that now can we.”
“Aw, so you do care.”
Spitfire winked.
“You might get something out of me yet, Dash.”
I laughed.
“Called it! You do swing that way.”
“Only if the mare in question deserves it.”
I started for my tent flap, but paused just before heading outside.
“And Spitfire... thanks. Really.”
“Yeah, yeah. Just don't abuse it: I need you back here as fast as you can manage. I'm going to have to explain to Lionhart why you're not here in the first place; try not to make it much worse.”
I saluted.
“Can do.”
And a moment later, I was in the air. Man, how I loved flying... there is nothing in the world, mark my words, like blazing through the sky as fast as you can manage. The speed... the adrenaline... the wind in your mane... I liked it. Hours had a way of slipping into seconds when I was riding the winds, and I nearly forgot to lose altitude as I approached camp Mare's Point – fortunately, it wasn't a close shave. Unicorn anti-air didn't even take a shot at me. I hit the ground running, and pulled aside the first soldier I found.
“Hey, you! I was told you're keeping an injured Unicorn here. I need to see her.”
The stallion raised an eyebrow incredulously.
“Who are you, and who sent you?”
I raised an eyebrow in response.
“Rainbow Dash? Fastest pony in Equestria? Oh, and Spitfire sent me. She's the captain of the Wonder...”
“Yeah, yeah. I got it. Wonderbolts and all that shit. She's in the medical tent – only woke up just now. Keep it snappy; we've got whisperings of an attack about to hit.”
“Thank you,” I said as I made my way to the white tent. I stopped dead in my tracks of absolute shock when I stepped through the entrance flap. As Pegasi, our combat tactics relied exclusively on our one advantage, much like the other two races. Earth Ponies had strength, Unicorns had magic, and we had flight... though it looked like this wasn't much of an advantage here. The ward was crammed with Pegasi who had been blasted by Unicorn attack magic; the stenches of blood, scorched fur and fallen feathers thick in the air. I couldn't see Twilight anywhere, or any unicorn for that matter: only rows of beds filled with battered and bleeding Pegasi. I came up next to a nurse who was re-bandaging the leg of an unconscious patient.
“I'm here looking for a Unicorn; I was told you were keeping one in here somewhere.”
The nurse didn't even look up, just gestured to an area blocked off by a hanging curtain.
“We keep the worst ones in there.”
The worst ones? I shuddered, but didn't hesitate: nodding, and making my way to the back of the tent. Nopony spoke, but as I walked, I felt dozens of eyes on me: the empty, pained gazes of those who would never fly again. Never walk again. Those who wouldn't survive the night. Envy was crushing me from all sides; hatred. A sickly cough drifted from a corner somewhere, and it seemed to echo around the inside of my head until it was a deafening cacophony. That was when I finally snapped, sprinting through the curtain to escape the pressure of a thousand eyes. The only solace I found on the other side was in the fact that few of the ponies still conscious had eyes to see with.
“Dash... Dash, is that you...?”
I glanced to my left, where the weak voice had come from, and saw her for the first time in a year... evoking both joy and despair. Joy because it was her. My beautiful, beautiful Twilight was alive, the pony who'd haunted my thoughts and dreams every moment since our separation... and despair because it looked like she was hanging on by a thread. Tears welled in my eyes as I came close to her bed. She was a mess; cuts and gashes roughly bandaged, scorch marks and burnt fur still reeking of fire. Her beautiful eyes sprung open when she caught sight of me; at least she was alert and awake. She struggled to sit up, but I gently pushed her back down.
“Don't,” I choked out, “try to stay still.”
“I'm so glad you found me,” she whispered as I sat down, brushing her hair out of her face, “I looked for so long... I couldn't bear to think, even for a second... that you might be...”
She didn't finish, just trailing into silence as a tear landed on her pillow. I managed to force a smile.
“Who, me? You should've known better, Twi. I'm faster than bullets.”
I paused.
“The others... are any of them still alive?”
Her eyes shifted, what smile she had fading.
“Rarity, she...”
Her voice caught, but I got the message. I squinted against the stinging in my eyes.
“Ah.”
“After Ponyville,” Twilight managed to continue, “Rarity and I tried to rally some kind of... I don't know, resistance among the Unicorns. We were doing pretty well, until General Whytemane caught on and... his royal guard tore us to pieces. Rarity... she was dead almost before I knew we were under attack. If you were wondering, that's why I'm in lying injured in Pegasus territory.”
“What about the rest?” I pushed, “Pinkie Pie? Fluttershy? Applejack?”
She shook her head.
“I'm not sure. I know Pinkie and AJ made it out of Ponyville alive, at least... they were at Sweet Apple Acres when the attack hit. Must've taken some convincing to keep Pinkie from running straight at the fight. About Fluttershy, I really have no idea. Knowing her, the poor creature may still be hiding somewhere near Ponyville. She never did take big change very well...”
I shook my head.
“Man, I hate to think. I hope they're all okay, even if Pinkie and AJ are working with the Earth ponies.”
Twilight sighed.
“Not like any of us had a choice. I'm sure if it were up to them, we'd wait out the war in Boardor or something, just so we could be friends again, living the life. Like old times.”
I snorted.
“Yeah, you guys can do that. In the meantime, somepony's got to make sure there's an Equestria left to come back to when this is done.”
She just sighed, staring off into the distance.
“I can't stop thinking about Ponyville. It was chaos... death, screaming everywhere... and unleashed by the Unicorns. My people, Dash... I feel like it's somehow my fault... like there was something I could've done to stop them...”
“We tried, Twilight, but there was nothing we could do. There were hundreds of them, and even with all your power, there were too many.”
“This isn't something words can fix, Dash,” she said quietly.
“I know,” I said, resting my head next to hers on the hard bed. We spent some time like that, just trying to enjoy the feeling of being together again, if only for a short while. I hated that I had to leave, hated it more than anything in the world.
“Dash,” she said quietly, “It hurts...”
“I'm sorry,” I whispered in reply, “I wish there was something I can do... but I'm a flyer, not a doctor.”
I winced when I realized how long I'd been.
“Speaking of which, Twi, I really need to...”
“No!” she cried, suddenly panicking, “Dash, you can't leave me here! This is where they keep the ones that are beyond helping, but look at me! I'm not that bad, am I? They're not helping me because I'm a Unicorn! Dash, I'm scared, but I can't leave, not on my own... What if they... do things to me? Experiments? Torture!?”
A stallion doctor brushed through the curtain a moment later.
“What the hell is going on back here?”
I sprinted at him so hard he backed straight into the tent's wall.
“Is this true!?” I shouted in his face.
“What!?” he shouted back, incredulous.
“Are you refusing her care because she's a Unicorn? Speak the fuck up!”
He glanced around nervously, and when he spoke again, it was in a hushed whisper.
“Look, I'm trying, but there's pressure from the soldiers. They want her dead or gone, and soon.”
I backed off a bit.
“But look at her, doc. Those are burns and shrapnel cuts, not bullet wounds. She was being attacked with magic and telekinesis; Unicorn weapons. She was running from her own people. How is it that they don't understand she's not the enemy?”
He shook his head.
“They don't care about what kind of injuries she's sustained. All they see is a Unicorn.”
I put a hoof on the doctor's chest, pushing him against the wall again.
“Then do what they want. Get her out of here; ship her up to Flight Command. I operate out of there; I can protect her, and we've got a great medical division.”
He sighed heavily.
“Look, we're understaffed out here, and the Unicorns are just begging to make a push. I can't spare enough men for a convoy...”
I gestured towards the exit.
“I'm a member of the Wonderbolts; I can have Flight Command send you some reinforcements. How'd you like a few palettes of extra medical supplies, as well as an extra dozen flyers?”
I backed away a little bit, letting him think. It was a while before he replied.
“If you sell me short, Lionhart will hear about this little exchange.”
“I'm sure he would. But trust me; you'll get your reinforcements, and I'll owe you a personal favor. That'll come in handy some day, I'm sure.”
He nodded, with a slight smile.
“Done. I'll have her transferred as soon as I can manage.”
“NOW.” I growled.
“Fine, fine,” he said as he brushed through the curtain and headed outside. I breathed a sigh of relief, and sat back next to Twilight's bed.
“Hear that? We're getting you out of here.”
When I looked up, she was crying into her sheets.
“What? What's wrong?” I asked, leaning close.
“I just...” she sobbed, “I knew we were always good friends, but I never imagined... Dash, I was so scared. Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“Hey,” I said quietly, gently brushing my lips against hers, “Anything.”
I jolted upright as a faint cry reached my ears. I didn't hear anything else for a moment... then a quiet whooshing, like the sound of something moving through the air... no, falling... getting louder... FUCK. I glanced around quickly, examining the setup. An IV stand sat upright next to the rickety metal bed, a single drip feed running into Twilight's leg.
“You don't need that.”
I gripped the cable in my teeth and tugged it out before she could protest. Then I took a firm grip on the bed and ran like hell. The tiny wheels were wiggling and squeaking incessantly as I brushed through the curtain, the weak frame of the bed rattling dangerously as it skittered over the bumpy ground. Mere seconds later, somepony shouted 'Unicorn attack!' Whatever the Unicorn telekinetics had thrown hit with a deafening crunch of flattening metal, bone, and tent supports as the entire area behind the curtain was crushed to the ground in an instant. How many ponies had just died? Twenty? Thirty? I shook my head clear and focused on running; nothing I could do would bring them back now, nothing I could've done would have saved them all. At least most were on the brink of death anyway, I thought grimly as I pushed Twilight outside. The soldiers were still scattered; many were still gathering their gear, a few were in the air, circling their patrol, waiting for the main attack force. I paused for a minute, and got my bearings. That had been their first strike, intended to panic and disperse. The full artillery pounding would follow a minute or so later. We didn't have much time.
“Twi, listen. We've got less than a minute, and I can't keep rolling this thing around, it's nowhere near fast enough. Can you walk?”
“Dash, I'm in this bed for a reason.”
“It's get out of this bed, or die when we're flattened by flying rocks!!” I shouted, “If you can't walk, then get on my back, and fast!”
“Fine. Can you kneel?”
I hunkered down next to Twilight's bed, and hardly felt her when she flopped onto my back. I wasn't a particularly strong pony, but she was way too light.
“Twilight, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm glad you're half starved. Hold on tight,” I commented as I spread my wings, and flung myself into the air. I winced as I felt the air break around me; the awkward aerodynamics of two flying ponies ruining my airspeed and maneuvering ability. We were going to have to stay low, and slow... well, relatively speaking. I winced as a deep thump from the camp echoed after me, but forced myself not to look back. Even if I'd stayed to help, to fight, I'd have been killed, I consoled myself. Twilight would have been killed. But still... it stung.
“Can you fly a little closer to the ground?” Twilight squeaked. I laughed to myself, and lost a bit of altitude.
“Sorry, Twi. Not used to passengers.”
Flying at one third my regular speed and a tenth of my regular altitude, the trip started to drag. Even with Twilight's undernourished frame, my skin was being rubbed raw where she held on, and my wings were starting to ache from the strain of the extra weight. It was a good thing I made Flight Command when I did; I wouldn't have managed much more distance.
“Dash! Damnit, where have you been? What happened to sixteen-point-five? Ten seconds flat?”
Then she saw I had company.
“That your friend?”
I nodded. Spitfire just frowned.
“She doesn't look like she's in any shape to be flying around on anypony's back, much less yours. Why didn't you just get her transferred here?”
I tried to work out how to tell her. It took a while.
“That was the original plan, but, well... Mane's Point was just attacked by a significant Unicorn force. I had to get a bit unorthodox to get us out in one piece. If the camp's still holding, they need reinforcements, fast. You should probably send a fighting force with a small scout wing; check out the base first, make sure it isn't just a lost cause.”
“Just what I was thinking. Cloudrunner! Assemble your team and round up some scouts to go investigate Mare's Point. Watch yourselves; we don't know the size of the attack force.”
The stallion saluted, and ran off into the compound as Spitfire turned back to me.
“Take your friend to the medical tent; I'll make sure she's kept under guard. Come back when you're done, we need to talk about the mission.”
I could feel Twilight relax. I just nodded.
“Thanks, Spitfire.”
The medical tent was easy to find. Much like many of the camps I'd visited, it was the largest structure in the entire place, stretching easily double the length of the command tent. If only heavy armor didn't interfere with our ability to fly; then maybe we wouldn't be racking up such an impressive number of casualties. I was relieved when I stepped inside; most of the beds were still empty, and the ponies that I could see had only sustained light to moderate injuries. The atmosphere from the Mare's Point medical tent wasn't present here; the suffocating weight of death and the stench of blood clean from the air. A doctor rushed up to me moments after I came inside.
“Put her down over here, quickly!”
I followed him to an empty bed, and gently lowered Twilight into its soft embrace. She sucked in pained breath as I touched her side.
“I'm sorry,” I blurted, “Are you okay?”
She nodded with a forced smile.
“It's not so bad, I'm just... worn out right now.”
I gave her a kiss and a smile.
“Don't worry, you're safe here. You're under the direct protection of the Wonderbolts, and this camp is too central to be attacked directly.”
Next, I turned to the doctor.
“You'd better take good care of her.”
“Fine, fine. Now get out, I need to re-bandage everything, and put in a splint for that leg... whoever treated her last was a complete amateur.”
I started for the exit, but paused when Twilight called my name.
“Hey... be safe out there, alright? I'd hate for anything to happen after everything we just went through.”
I glanced over my shoulder with a cocky smile.
“Who, me? Come on, Twi, you know me. Safety is my middle name.”
“Just... just promise you'll come back, okay?”
I winked.
“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. Now if I die, Pinkie will come and find me with a set of defibrillators.”
“OUT!!”
I rolled my eyes at the doctor.
“Fine, fine. I'm going.”
Spitfire was waiting outside.
“Alright, Dash. Lionhart is still here – he wanted to speak to you, me, and Soarin' as a group.”
I frowned. The three of us were the fastest, most agile flyers of the group.
“This isn't going to be something stupidly dangerous, is it?” I asked hesitantly. Spitfire shook her head.
“No idea. The general refused to brief us individually. Come on, this way: command tent.”
I shook out my mane, trying to get it into some semblance of order.
“Shit, if I'd known...”
“...you'd have stayed, and your friend would probably be dead. Don't worry about it, he only arrived a few minutes ago.”
“Well, that's good to know,” I said, laughing with relief, “How's my mane?”
“Beyond saving.”
“Great. Tail?”
“Worse, but don't worry about it. He knows what you're like. I think he'd be downright worried if you showed up in uniform with your mane in order.”
“I hope you're right,” I growled, giving my tail a snap in a vain attempt to straighten it out. Spitfire just laughed and gestured to the tent flap.
“Come on. Soarin' is already inside.”
I took a deep breath, and stepped inside. The canvas of the command tent's roof was kept in good shape, so the only light was radiating from a flickering oil lamp dangling from a hook on the tent's main support. A lightweight wooden table was set up on the tent's far side, with various maps covered in circles and arrows scattered across its surface. Soarin' stood off to one side, and at the very back of the tent, standing nearly as tall as the tent, was General Lionhart. His coat was a deep, stormy gray, contrasting sharply against the bright brass armor he wore. A single, electric-blue eye seemed to burn into my skull, the other hidden behind a leather patch. His left side was heavily marred with fresh scar tissue, and a heavy, metal artificial wing was strapped to his side where the original had clearly been blown off.
“Rainbow Dash,” he said, his voice a deep growl and his mouth a hard line, “I'm told you're the fastest.”
I nodded.
“Fastest anywhere, Sir. Only ponies that can come anywhere close are in this tent.”
“That is no coincidence,” the general said, motioning us to look at his maps.
“The Earth Pony general is visiting this camp, here.”
His hoof thumped against the table, on a spot deep inside Earth Pony territory. I raised an eyebrow.
“How's that help us?”
“He's the closest he's ever been to either border; the most vulnerable he's ever been. I'm putting you three in a temporary task force, valid as of the mission's commencement; Rainbow Dash will be leading, Soarin' will fly distraction and Spitfire will fly air interference.”
Spitfire nodded with a smile.
“About time you got a shot at command, Dash. General, what are our objectives?”
He didn't waste any time with his reply.
“I need you three to kill him.”
My jaw dropped. Silently, I drew my hoof in a line from the camp to the Earth/Pegasus border.
“This stretch,” I said, “This entire stretch is lined with anti-air. Always has been. Sir, with all due respect, they knew somebody would take a shot at that beachhead. I know this is a great opportunity, but there's only one way it's going to end. Three. Dead. Ponies. At most, we'd waste a few of their flak shells.”
The general's face didn't even twitch.
“I was informed you could fly at speeds approaching Mach ten. Was I misled?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” I replied, backing away from the table and sitting down, “I can only hit speeds like that immediately after executing a Sonic Rainboom. At all other times, I can barely hit Mach five, and that's a stretch.”
“I don't see a problem.”
His lack of any kind of emotion; anger, surprise, disappointment, it was pissing me off.
“The problem is that, Sir, the maneuver is so difficult many believe it can't be done. I've pulled it off twice in my life, and that was back in my prime. Since then, the war's taken a bit of a toll on me. Constant flying and fighting has worn me down some,” I clarified, exasperated. Spitfire stepped forward a moment later.
“This is academic, you two. Rainboom or no, this is...”
“A suicide mission?” the general interrupted.
“Yes.” Spitfire said with weight, “Exactly.”
The general turned around, lifting a glass-fronted medal case in his hooves. After a minute of silence, he said, “I don't see a problem.”
I was so shocked I forgot how to speak.
“You all know this is war,” the general continued, still gazing at his spitshine fresh medals, “You knew what you signed on for when you joined the Wonderbolts.”
He set the case down, but continued to stare wistfully.
“We all make sacrifices. Some greater than others.”
“Sir...” Spitfire whispered, “What about our families? Our friends?”
She glanced meaningfully to me.
“Our lovers? You'd just throw our lives away without even pausing to consider the repercussions?”
The general whirled on us, his gaze suddenly angry and his voice deafening.
“If the gods of war call for you by name, then you'll DAMN WELL answer the call!”
The tent was quiet for a long time.
“Now I know why so many of us are dead,” I whispered, turning away and slowly walking back outside. I just sat on the grass for the longest time as the heavy, gray clouds slowly drifted by, dulling the bright yellow radiance of the sun to a dim white glow. Spitfire settled next to me after a while. We just rested like that for a long time, thinking.
“So, are we going to do it?” she asked eventually.
“Of course we are,” I replied dejectedly, “He's right. This is our best shot at knocking the Earth Ponies out of the game for a few months, maybe even permanently. What're a few dead ponies against the lives of every soldier that would've been killed on the Earth/Pegasus front? Hell, we'll be war heroes. Martyrs, even. Maybe somebody will name a school after one of us.”
She gave me a lighthearted shove.
“Don't let it get you down. If anypony has a chance of pulling this off and making it out alive, it's us.”
Spitfire paused.
“It's you. I believe in you, Dash, even if you don't.”
I sighed.
“I knew something like this would happen eventually, it's just... you're never really prepared for the day when you're told you're an expendable asset, are you?”
Spitfire shook her head.
“No. No, you're not.”
We sat a few more minutes in silence, watching for patterns in the clouds.
“Hey-” Spitfire started eventually, “About you and that other pony, Twilight. Are you...?”
She didn't need to finish the sentence; the sadness in her voice told the story for her. I nodded dejectedly.
“Yeah, we are. That's why I was so desperate...”
Spitfire got to her feet before I was finished.
“Spitfire, where are you going?”
She just shook her head.
“I'm sorry, Dash,” she choked, her voice quavering, “I just... need some time.”
That moment was probably the lowest of my life. I'd been given a suicidal order I couldn't afford to refuse, and I'd alienated the one friend that had kept me alive and sane through the damnable war. I felt so completely alone. It was then I heard a quiet squeaking, like that of an unoiled wheel.
“What's wrong, Dash?”
It was Twilight. Her injuries were properly bandaged now, and her broken back legs were bound to splints and kept away from the ground by a wheeled contraption strapped about her waist. I smiled weakly, and got to my feet.
“Good to see you up and about, Twilight. How're you feeling?”
She frowned, scrutinizing my expression.
“Better than you, I bet. You look like somebody just told you to go kill yourself.”
I glanced away for a moment as I thought about what to tell her. If I didn't tell her, then she wouldn't panic. I supposed that she'd be happier in the short term, but if I didn't return... she'd be confused, panicked. She'd feel betrayed because I hadn't told her, and I wouldn't be there to explain myself away.
“Funny how some things can completely change how you'd handle a situation,” I finally began, “One day you'd do one thing, then something happens and boom, just like that, you'd never think to do that thing ever again.”
I met her gaze.
“Ordinarily, I wouldn't tell you this. I wouldn't want you to be scared, or worried, but... things are different this time.”
Her expression slowly fell.
“Dash... what are you talking about?”
“I've been ordered on an extremely dangerous mission, and when I say dangerous, I mean I probably won't come back.”
“No,” she said, her voice quavering as she backed away, “No, you can't do this! You can't follow the order!”
“I've got not choice, Twi!” I replied, “This mission could mean the difference between life and death for every Pegasus left; could mean an end to the slaughter of our people. My people need me, and my life is worth that.”
“But what about me!? You can't just leave me like that! I love you, Rainbow Dash! Believing you were alive was the only thing that has kept me going so far. I don't know what I'd do without you...”
I sighed, looking off into the distance.
“We... all make sacrifices. Some greater than others.”
She turned away and put a hoof to her mouth, trying to stifle the tears. I just thumped back to the grass.
“I don't think I've ever made this many people cry in a single day,” I whispered to myself, battling back tears of my own.
“Please, Dash...” Twilight gasped, “There's got to be somepony else!
“Yeah,” a voice said from behind me, “There is.”
I glanced over my shoulder, and there stood Spitfire, her face determined. I shook my head.
“No, I need you on interference. The anti-air guns will be on the frontrunner, and I'm the only one fast enough to even have a chance at making it through. It's dangerous for me, but it's death for you, and I won't let you do that for me.”
“I wasn't asking your permission, Dash,” she said, her mouth a hard line, “And from what I remember, you're under my command until the mission is a-go.”
“But Spitfire...”
“No 'buts'. I may have less of a chance, but I still have a chance, and if I fail, I don't leave anypony behind.”
The emotion behind her last words felt like a spike through my heart, and I sniffed as the tears welled in my eyes again. She cracked a slight smile, and put a hoof on my shoulder.
“Sometimes, you need to take a leap of faith for somepony you love.”
She was cantering away before I could object, calling for Soarin' and another one of her best flyers. Seconds later, they were in the air... and I knew I'd never see Spitfire's face again. I didn't even bother this time; just letting the tears run down my face and patter against the grass. Twilight squeaked up next to me a moment later.
“...are you alright?” she asked quietly.
“No! No, I'm not alright! My best friend, the pony that took me in, trained me, cared for me after Ponyville just flew straight into a deathtrap!”
“I'm sorry...”
“And you'd fucking better be, because this is YOUR fault!”
Her eyes widened in shock, but I plowed on, my anger and despair fueling me like a rampaging steam engine.
“If YOU weren't sitting there being a weight, being a dependent, hanging on my return, then I could've gone! Spitfire wouldn't have soared off into a killzone she can't navigate to spare YOU the sadness of losing me! And you know what, it pisses me off! I'm so... I... I...”
The red mist of fury finally cleared from my mind, leaving me a weak, teary wreck. Twilight still stood frozen, her eyes horrified and her mouth hanging slack.
“I'm sorry,” I finally whispered, “I just...”
I couldn't do it anymore. I didn't have the energy or the will to bear the weight of the day's events, so I didn't bother. I just collapsed to the rough ground and screamed in tears. Twilight stood back for a few moments, working through the last of the shock, but after a while, she came close and settled on the ground next to me.
“I'm sorry,” I sobbed.
“I know.”
“I love you,” I continued a moment later. She just sighed, brushing my hair out of my face.
“I know.”
I tried to avoid meeting her gaze, but she gently put her hoof beneath my chin and tilted up my head until my eyes met hers.
“Dash,” she whispered, “I know you. I love you. It's okay.”
I tried to smile, but I couldn't.
“Thank you.”
“By the way,” she whispered, “Socks are sexy. You should wear them.”
Not a moment later, General Lionhart stormed out of his tent, frantically searching the skies.
“Where did they go!? Where are they!?” he shouted to the air.
“They left,” I said dryly, “Spitfire, Soarin', and one of the fastest recruits. They tore off before I could stop them.”
“Why would they do that!?” he shouted, furious, “YOU are the only one fast enough to evade the flak; sending somebody slower would just be a waste of time and lives!”
Lionhart sighed heavily, his eyes trained on the horizon.
“You're going to have to go alone,” he said eventually, “It's our only chance.”
“What!? You can't do that! If she has to go, then at LEAST send somepony else with her!” Twilight shrieked. The general whirled on her, his already booming voice raised to a shout.
“Nopony else is fast enough! If I send somepony who isn't in the Wonderbolts' top tier, then there is no point in having them fly interference, they'd just get killed! Though I'm sure you know that already given all the Pegasi you've slaughtered, Unicorn bitch!”
“That little death problem wasn't going to stop you from sending me,” I said quietly. He froze.
“Your death would mean something,” he replied after some time, “Whereas sending anypony else is like throwing muffins at a brick wall. You're the only one who has a chance of making it all the way, much less making it back in one piece.”
I said nothing, just continuing to glare. He gritted his teeth.
“I don't think you understand what this means, Rainbow Dash! If you succeed in killing that general, then the Earth Ponies are in chaos. They aren't particularly organized by default; only Unicorns are naturally good at that, so their hierarchy will be completely scrambled for a very long time. This action will either severely weaken or entirely obliterate the Earth Ponies, just leaving the Unicorns to deal with.”
“And then the Unicorns are no longer fighting the Earth Ponies, meaning they get a chance to flatten US! Come on, I shouldn't have to explain why I'm hesitant! You'd understand if you weren't so damn fixated on claiming this victory; your patriotism is clouding your judgment!”
“IT STILL GIVES US A CHANCE!!” the General roared, stunning the entire compound to silence. For a few seconds, all eyes rested on him. I just nodded.
“Yes, it does, but I need you to at least pretend it's a tough call, for fuck's sake. All I've seen from you so far are excuses and reasons; not once have you said anything remotely resembling 'we have no other options', or 'I'm sorry'. At least try to make the people you're sending to die believe you care about them.”
Before the general could reply, a heavy 'thump' was heard from some distance off, the ground shuddering with the force of the impact. A few seconds later, we started to hear the shouts. Not pausing to think, I just started to run; my hooves thundering against the rough dirt as I sprinted towards the impact zone, hoping I wouldn't see what I was expecting to see. That hope was dashed. A long scuff mark led to the place where Spitfire lay in the dirt, a battered Soarin' trying to sort out her clearly broken wing as she bit her lip, struggling to hold still against the pain.
“Spitfire! Soarin'!” I shouted as I approached, “What the hell happened!?”
“Earth Pony flak,” Spitfire grunted, “Shell exploded near enough to break my wing and cut me up a bit. I'll be fine, but...”
“...I need to pick up where you left off,” I finished quietly. Spitfire looked pained.
“I'm sorry, Dash. I tried...”
“And you fucking shouldn't have,” I growled, “You could've gotten yourself killed. Matter of fact, it's a miracle you didn't.”
“What do I have to lose, huh!?” she asked as she stumbled to her feet, ignoring Soarin's attempts to restrain her, “Nothing. You have a lover. Surviving friends. Things are different.”
She glanced to her right wing, which hang half-open and crooked. The feathers were blackened at the tips; she'd had a short-lived fire problem.
“Besides, this can heal. I'll be fine.”
A sigh escaped her a moment later.
“The only thing I regret about this is that I won't be there with you when you make the run.”
I nodded in Soarin's direction. He stood off to one side, looking frustrated.
“How are your wingmen? Where's the other one?”
Spitfire glanced to Soarin' as well.
“Soarin' got a bit scorched, but he's fine, and eager to try again. My other wingman, Stella, is taking the long way around; avoiding the densest flak zones. She'll be back in an hour or so. I don't think you should wait, though – the last thing the Earth Ponies would expect is a second run immediately after the first team got fended off so easily, and they'll certainly not be expecting somepony as fast as you. I've got another pony in mind; she'll be your second wingman. Stella will be disappointed, but... it's probably for the best. She didn't take the situation too well; she's awfully vulnerable to stress, and nothing's more stressful than hundreds of shells exploding all around you.”
I nodded.
“I'll agree with you on that. Any intel you can give me?”
“Yes, actually. As we were flying, we noticed commotion on the ground and lost some altitude. Turns out the Unicorns are in the middle of a massive attack; they've pushed deep into Earth Pony territory, and the scale of the fighting is massive. That should make your job significantly easier, I think; Earth Pony defenses will be focused on the Unicorn attack force, not Pegasus air incursions, and none of the flak cannons in the battlefield appear to be operational.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. This wasn't much, but it could mean the difference between life and death for me.
“Thanks for the heads up. Now go get that wing set, and stop worrying about me. I'll be fine.”
Spitfire nodded curtly and turned towards the medical tent, but hesitated, one hoof half-raised.
“Dash, I...” she started, her voice quavering, but before she could say anything else, she flung herself at me and gave me a long, passionate kiss, tears winding down her cheeks.
“Fly fast, fly true, and stay safe, damn it,” she whispered in my ear, before starting towards the waiting doctors. I just stood frozen for a long time. I'd known she cared for a long while, but had I known how much... would things have changed? Would I have gone after Twilight? Would we have stayed in the Wonderbolts? Would we be in the position we found ourselves in now? I tried to blink back the stinging in my eyes. Why were things always so damn complicated? An explosion echoed from the Earth Pony front, and I turned to see a fresh column of smoke begin to rise. So much violence, so much death... we weren't born to fight, we were born to love and tolerate one another; to live as brothers and sisters, not enemies.
“I'm sorry I never told you,” Soarin' said as he came up next to me, “But she made me swear I wouldn't. I don't know why she wanted to keep it from you, but... well, I guess it's all water under the bridge now.”
Soarin' shook his head, laughing.
“She loves you in a way I don't even have words for.”
“I wish she'd told me,” I said quietly. Soarin' just nodded slowly.
“Yeah, and given what we're facing here, I think she does too.”
I just sighed.
“Alright, we're wasting time here. Soarin', did Spitfire tell you who she had lined up for the team?”
“Yeah, she did. We're looking for Airheart; if I'm not mistaken, she was living in Ponyville too when the attack hit. Didn't really come into her own until the war started; you should see the mare fly. Makes turns sharper than knives, she does; she's not all that fast, but she's the best dogfighter I've ever seen.”
I smirked slightly when I saw Soarin's face. He was clearly smitten. It wasn't a big deal, but it was a welcome distraction.
“Alright, loverboy. Let's find her.”
“What!? I never said I...”
“Your eyes did,” I said, winking as I started towards the barracks. I pushed the flap aside, stepping into the long tent and calling out,
“I'm looking for Airheart!”
A pink-coated pony with electric blue eyes wandered out from somewhere near the back with a quiet smile.
“Yes?”
I smiled.
“I'm Rainbow Dash, and we've got an assignment that could use your... edge in flight.”
Her smile widened into a grin, and she literally jumped with excitement.
“Finally, I get sent on a REAL job! I've been practicing particularly hard, but I thought nobody was noticing! Who recommended me?”
Soarin' sidled up next to me with a cocky half-smile.
“Spitfire did; your turns caught her attention.”
Airheart laughed.
“I knew it! I've always cornered twice as fast as the rest of the recruits. So, what's the assignment entail? What am I in for?”
Her smile was long gone when I finished filling her in.
“Oh,” she said in a small voice. For a moment, I thought she was going to refuse, but she stood tall and looked me in the eye.
“Alright. Let's get this done.”
She moved over to her footlocker, and popped it open.
“What part am I playing?”
“Air Interference,” I said, “Spitfire was going to pull that shift, but she...”
“She's otherwise occupied,” Soarin' interrupted, shooting me a look. I just shook my head.
“No, Soarin',” I said grimly, “Airheart needs to know what she's getting into. Spitfire flew ahead with another team; tried to do the job herself. She took some flak, and she's grounded with multiple injuries. She's lucky to be alive.”
Airheart pulled on an armored coat, and shook out her mane.
“Then I'll just have to better.”
I patted her on the shoulder.
“That's the spirit. Come on; we've got to get assembled. We're losing the opportunity to catch the Earthers unexpected.”
The three of us stepped out of the tent, Soarin' running off to fetch some armor and a grenade belt as Airheart tried to keep from crying. I started for the staging area, but paused as I heard running hooves behind me, followed by a voice I recognized from somewhere.
“Dash! Hey, Dash! Wait!”
I glanced over my shoulder, and my jaw dropped.
“Scootaloo...?”
She'd been fully grown when the war started, mysteriously still without her cutie mark, but since then... oh, how she'd changed. Her mane was scorched in patches and a complete mess, heavy shadows hung under her shock-wide eyes.
“Yeah, Dash. It's me. What the hell are you doing running off on a suicide mission without taking me along?”
I frowned.
“Why would I even consider!? Scotaloo, you're barely a fullgrown Mare. What the hell are you doing this close to the front lines?”
She gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut, fighting back tears.
“I was in ponyville when we were attacked. I got hit by something; dazed. I just sat there like an idiot as Applebloom had her face blown off by shrapnel; as Sweetiebell had a leg crushed under a fallen beam and cried herself to death as she bled out. Things like that fuck you up, Dash. I wandered through the depths of the forest for two days, starving and bleeding, before I wound up in a Pegasus back supply depot. Hell yeah I joined up. A week later, a Unicorn scouting party stumbled across us. Most of the guards were sleeping and were burned alive in their bunks. One of them managed to get to a mounted gun and kill all the Unicorns... except one. That last one snuck up behind him and planted a knife in the back of his neck. Now it was just me, and the Unicorn assassin. I'll spare you the details, but ten minutes later, I drowned him in a pool of his own blood. That's when I got this.”
She turned sideways, showing off the image of a blood-soaked shell casing on her flank.
“I was a blank-flank until I was eighteen. EIGHTEEN. Killing is my special talent, Dash. So I'm going with you. If I'm old enough to kill, I'm old enough to die, and the way Lionhart tells it, this mission could end with a lot of dead Earth Ponies. I owe Applebloom and Sweetiebell that much.”
She finally met my gaze. Now that I saw Scotaloo in profile, I could see how broken she was; the way she stood, the way she held her head. Her exhaustion hovered over her like a black cloud, and the way she completely neglected self-care proved to me that she didn't care about life anymore. I realized that I'd hurt the poor filly more if I left her behind... so I nodded.
“I could use another wingman. Two front-fliers is more to shoot at than one. But Scootaloo, I'm going to be honest with you: if we attract more attention than we can handle, I am flying ahead, whether you can keep up or not. Are you prepared to get shot down; to die in the muck, deep behind enemy lines?”
She raised an eyebrow.
“I'd be disappointed if I didn't,” she said dejectedly. Soarin' returned a moment later, flying goggles strapped to his face and two grenade belts slung across his chest.
“I'm ready to blow up as many flak guns as I can, Dash. Hope it means you can punch through.”
He nodded towards Scootaloo.
“Who's that?”
“Old friend,” I replied, “She's coming along as a second frontrunner to split the fire.”
Soarin' nodded.
“The more the merrier.”
***
Ten minutes later, we were ready. Everypony had their flying goggles and radio headsets, and Soarin' and Airheart were loaded down with armored jackets and grenade belts. Scootaloo and myself were armorless; we couldn't afford to slow down. Lionhart was pacing in front of the group, examining all the flyers and nodding to himself.
“I'd say you're ready,” he said.
“As we'll ever be,” I heard Airheart whisper to Soarin'.
“We are,” I said to the General. He stepped aside.
“Then fly as fast as you can fucking manage. Good luck, and may Celestia and Luna meet you in the afterlife.”
And with a flurry of flapping wings and a blast of dust, we were off. I tried to enjoy the flying as we covered the distance; tried to savor the feeling of the wind caressing my body like a pillow, as it could well be the last time I would ever experience the feeling... I couldn't. The dread in my gut felt like a ton of bricks; it was a good thing it was just a feeling, or we were all doomed for sure.
“Border in ten seconds,” I shouted out over my shoulder, “Soarin', Airheart, get ready to make some low passes. Blow them to hell for me!” The two saluted, then peeled off in opposite directions. I heard the echoing booms moments later, but not those produced by the grenades the other two were dropping: the flak guns were starting to open up. Scootaloo pulled up next to me, and glanced over.
“You ready!?” I shouted.
“I was born for this!,” she hollered in reply, and the two of us hit the gas. I was pleasantly surprised by Scootaloo's airspeed; I hardly had to slow down. Maybe this would work. I nearly missed a beat when my radio crackled to life unexpectedly.
“Dash, Dash, you hear me!?”
“What is it, Soarin'!?” I screamed into the headset.
“Airheart took a bad hit, and I mean BAD! I'm setting down to get her somewhere safe!”
I screamed expletives into the wind. I had to keep going, it wasn't just expected, it was necessary... but I couldn't leave them behind. Glancing down, I saw we were over the Unicorn-Earth Pony battlefield. They'd be torn apart if they didn't find cover fast. I glanced to Scootaloo.
“Pull around, we need to help them! Soarin', I'm coming back to help you! Don't fucking object, I'm not in the mood!”
“Damnit, fine! I'm popping a purple flare; hopefully it won't be noticed in the carnage.”
I wheeled about, Scootaloo following hesitantly, and lost altitude as I scoured the field below, littered with mangled Earth Pony corpses and the smoldering hulks of their battle machines. Then I caught a flash of purple; a column of violet smoke, caught by the wind and smeared across the sky above the decimation beneath me.
“I have you, Soarin'; smother it if you can.”
A few seconds later, Scootaloo and I came in to land. Soarin' and Airheart were cowering in an emptied trench, and he was right: it was bad. He'd bandaged some of the injuries, but the cuts were deep and plentiful; her entire left flank was running red with openly flowing blood. Her wing was torn to shreds, bone clearly visible in multiple places. Her head was lolled to one side, her eyes hanging half open.
“Fucking hell,” I muttered as I put pressure on one of the worst cuts, “She conscious?”
Soarin' shook his head as he pulled a bandage tight on her leg.
“Not sure. She's certainly in shock, though.”
“Dash,” Scootaloo pressed urgently, “We need to go.”
“I know.”
A dangerously close explosion made me impulsively duck; moments later, I started to hear approaching shouts.
“Soarin', front's getting closer. We need to move her somewhere safe; preferably in territory the Unicorns have already...”
My words trailed off into silence as an Earth Pony battlemech soared through the air, smashing into the ground in an explosion of gears, struts, and snapped belts before skidding to a stop, its one attached leg sticking into the air at an awkward angle. A functional mech thundered by a moment later, backpedling as fast as it could, noxious black smoke coughing from its exhaust tower as its machinegun sprayed bullets at some unseen foe and shell casings around us like rain. A ten-meter long steel javelin punched straight through its armored body a moment later, hitting something important and forcing the mech to a grinding stop, the Earth Pony at its fore jumping away and running for cover.
“I fucking hate Unicorn telekinetics,” Scoot mumbled as Soarin' shouldered Airheart's body, and I strapped a half-empty pistol to my leg, locking my teeth around the trigger mouthpiece. I poked my head up over the walls of the trench, making sure no troops from either side closing in... and there, in the middle of the fight, her horn glowing brightly with magic, was Trixie. The 'Great and Powerful' Trixie. From the looks of it, she was really enjoying herself.
“Looks like you finally grew some teeth,” I growled, before carefully aiming and biting down on the trigger, putting a bullet through her head.
“Bitch.”
I backed down into the trench, and nodded to the rest.
“We're clear, for now. Come on; we've got to patch up Airheart before she bleeds out.”
A few meters further down the trench, and we were solidly behind the Unicorn attack front. Their efforts were focused forwards, so they wouldn't be back through here until they began to retreat, or began to search for anything valuable among the destruction they had wrought. Hopefully that would give Soarin' enough time to put Airheart back together and sneak back to Pegasus territory. As I helped them get set up in an underground barracks chamber, I was beyond glad I'd allowed Scootaloo to come with us. She was waiting when I stepped back outside, an eyebrow raised.
“Ready to finish this?”
I nodded.
“Yeah. Let's make them pay.”
And we took to the skies once again, making best speed for the Earth Pony forward command base. The battle beneath us was quickly wrapping up; the Unicorns settling into their new territory as the Earth Ponies set up an uneasy defense perimeter around the land they'd lost. Even as I made best speed towards the completion of my objective, I shook my head at the idiocy of it all. We needed an alliance with the Earth Ponies, not a gambit to take them out of the game. Even with our flight and the Earth Ponies' strength and ingenious war machines, the Unicorns might still be too much to handle with their deft, organized strikes and powerful magical attacks. Knocking the Earth Ponies on their asses might be a victory in the short term, but in the long term, it only turned Unicorn eyes on us. I glanced down and pulled my goggles over my eyes; we were approaching the end of the battlefield, and the next defensive line.
“Get ready, Scootaloo!” I shouted over my shoulder as I kicked it up a notch, moving as fast as I could manage without tiring myself out. The gunners were ready this time. The sky exploded around us as hundreds of shells burst in air, tiny, bladelike fragments of superheated metal flying like confetti as the flak guns stained the sky with bursts of inky black smoke. I gritted my teeth and picked up the speed, but it wasn't working: the explosions were getting steadily closer. I put it off as long as possible, but I was starting to feel the heat against my flanks when the shells went off – it was time.
“Scoot, break formation! We'll break up their fire and give both of us a better chance at...”
Everything was black for a minute, then blinding white again. The world pinwheeled around me, the air rushing past my head and the acrid stench of burning feathers and hair in my nostrils. Had I been hit...? No, that couldn't... had I? I forced my eyes open. I was falling, falling very fast, and a searing pain was slowly settling in all across my right side. I blinked, but when I opened my eyes, I was much closer to the ground. I was losing time, was I falling unconscious?
Then, I hit.
I was out for... how long? I'm not sure, and it didn't really matter. It was a long time before I was anywhere approaching awake; drifting between the foggy banks of consciousness and catatonia. I didn't care about my objective, didn't care about the war, didn't even care where I'd landed, I just wanted the pain to go away. I wanted...
“I want to go home,” I moaned quietly.
“Well you can't,” I heard as if from a great distance... was that Lionhart's voice? “Ponyville's gone, remember? What the hell are you doing, Dash, you need to complete the mission! Stop lazing around and get on your fucking feet!”
“Gimme that,” a female voice said, and after a brief scuffle, the new voice continued.
“Dash? Dash, please tell me you're okay...”
“Spitfire... I'm tired, Spitfire. I just want to...”
“Come on, Dash, I know you're tired, but you can't rest just yet. We need you, Dash – we're all counting on you, remember?”
I coughed, and something thick and warm sprayed out of my mouth. I felt like death. A moment later, I heard another voice; Twilight's voice.
“You're tougher than this, Dash. Remember, I know you.”
She paused.
“You wouldn't want to let the Earth Ponies win, now would you?”
My eyes snapped wide open, my mind suddenly focused to a razor edge. Ignoring the searing agony coursing through my entire body, I forced myself to my feet.
“I. HATE. LOSING.”
I heard Twilight sigh with relief, and Spitfire cheer in the background.
“That's the spirit, love,” Twilight whispered, her voice quavering, “Now do what you need to do and come back for me.”
I took a deep breath, and locked the pain away deep in the depths of my mind.
“I will,” I replied, and took my bearings. The flak guns were some distance behind me, so I was almost to the base. I just had to find a forward listening post or foxhole and follow a path back to the main compound. Fortunately, the pistol was still strapped to my leg, even if it only held five bullets. Now that I had a handle on where I was, I tried to get a sense of what kind of shape I was in. It wasn't pretty, to be sure: my mane and tail were seared and blackened in patches, my front left leg was swollen at the knee, badly sprained, my right side was covered in minor cuts from shrapnel, and my wing was in genuinely bad shape. It was broken, much like Spitfire's had been, but the damage was worse; half the feathers where missing, burned to a stump by the blast, or turned to brittle ash. The plumage had clearly caught fire for a reasonably long period. I gulped as I tried to move it, and it barely responded. I would probably never fly again.
I shook my head to clear it; had to focus on the mission, nothing else mattered, and the first order of business was finding Scootaloo. If she had made it through the flak without serious injury, then she'd be invaluable in completing the mission, given my brand new top speed of 'fucking slow'. Again forcing the pain to the back of my mind, I set out limping towards the nearest listening post; a shallow pit in the ground with a tarp tied down as a roof, flapping in the wind. I carefully lowered myself down into the foxhole, and froze at what I saw.
“Dash! Thank Celestia's bones you're still alive. I'm sorry I wasn't there helping you up, but I caught sight of THIS bastard and, well... some opportunities you just can't pass up, you know?”
Scootaloo stood close to the near end of the foxhole, holding a scavenged pistol level with another pony's head... a pony who was clearly the Earth Pony general. He was locked in place; not confident enough to make a run for it, but defiant enough to look Scootaloo in the eye. His deep blue coat was almost completely obscured by a massive, plated exoskeleton, but his red eyes stood out from the black plating, burning with the force of a Unicorn magic beam.
“STOP STARING AT ME YOU FUCK!!” she screamed, putting a bullet into the wall less than an inch to the left of the general's armored head. The stallion didn't even flinch, and certainly didn't stop staring. I had to admire his guts. Scoot glanced to me.
“So, what are we going to do with him?”
“We do what we came to do,” I growled, fetching a grenade from an ammo stash in the corner and tossing it to myself, “We finish the job.”
That's when the general made his move, much like I'd expected him to.
“Cover me!” he shouted to an unseen pony, and almost before I knew what was happening, he'd vanished around the corner. I had to give give it to him – the bastard was fast.
“Shit!” Scoot cried as she started to run for the exit... but stopped in her tracks when a very, very familiar face appeared from around the corner.
“Pinkie...?”
“That's not my name,” she said in a cold, flat voice. I noticed she was wearing her mane straight. I stepped up next to Scoot, and looked Pinkie in the eye: she was different. Her eyes were hard and glassy, and her mouth was locked in a flat, angry line.
“What did they do to you?” I asked in a half whisper.
“They rearranged my priorities,” she replied, pacing at an angle so I could clearly see the rifle strapped to her side, “General Falling Hammer reminded me that my first loyalty should be to my people, and I couldn't properly serve my people as a ditzy, party-addict idiot, now could I?”
I shook my head.
“You weren't an idiot, Pinkie, you were just... you. That was always more than enough for us. What right does this Falling Hammer guy to hold you to a different standard?”
She closed her eyes.
“We all make sacrifices. Some greater than others. I already made mine, and you are about to make yours.”
“Pinkie, don't...”
“My name is Pinkamena,” she said coldly as she unstrapped the rifle, “Now are we going to do this properly, or with bullets?”
I shot a look at Scoot, and she got the point, backing away into the corner as I dropped my pistol and extended the blade strapped to my right leg. Pinkamena did the same.
“Pinkie...”
“That's not my name.”
I sighed.
“Pinkamena, it doesn't have to be like this. If we kill General Falling Hammer, the war's length could be cut in half.”
Scootaloo raised an eyebrow.
“And do you really want that, Dash? If we put the Earth Ponies in chaos, then the Unicorns focus on us, and WE die instead of them.”
“Then we surrender,” I snarled, “I'm sick of this fucking war.”
Scootaloo shifted uneasily, glancing away.
“I'm not.”
“Who's side are you on!?” I cried, whirling on her.
“What do I do after the war ends, huh? Tell me, Dash! I rot away, pretending to be happy, but inside, every single day, I'm wishing I was back on the field. I'm not the same any more, Dash. Killing is all I'm good for.”
I shook my head.
“The war may have killed who you were, Scoot...” I glanced back to Pinkie, “But I believe the Pinkie Pie we knew is still alive somewhere inside this monster.”
Pinkie looked taken aback.
“I'm... I'm not a monster.”
“Aren't you?” I pressed, moving closer, “You're willing to kill me, one of your oldest friends, and for what? For some misconceived notions of honor? Damnit, Pinkie, we weren't meant to be divided like this! All ponies are supposed to live in harmony, regardless of race! This war, this endless bloodshed, it's not just like things were before the Elements of Harmony – it's worse. This is insanity, Pinkie, and if you help me, we can at least start to put a stop to it. So fuck the general, fuck what he told you, and help me, for Celestia's sake.”
“I...”
“Help me,” I implored her, sheathing the knife, “And we can rebuild Ponyville. Together. Like old times, Pinkie. Please.”
She backed away slightly, still holding me at knifepoint, glancing frantically from me to the exit, me to the exit.
“Damnit,” she whispered to herself, and for a moment, I thought she was going to attack... then she sheathed the knife, and bolted around the corner, after the general. I sighed in relief, almost collapsing. Scoot was just shaking her head.
“I don't know how you did that, but I'm impressed.”
“Not like you helped,” I snapped, “Fine time to start questioning our objective, Scootaloo! That could've easily gone south, and your bullshit almost ensured it did. Do me a favor and keep your mouth shut from now on.”
“But I have a point, Dash! What will I do if the war ends!? I'll have nothing!”
“And this matters right now... why? Just follow me and do what you're told. You can go find another war when we're done here.”
She looked hurt, but that wasn't my problem right now. If she'd become a cold killer like she believed, then she could handle a few harsh words. I felt a little bad, but I wasn't in a mood to apologize, so I just limped for the exit and hoped Scootaloo would follow. The trench eventually levelled out, leading up to the surface with a gently sloped ramp and giving way to a long dirt path that seemed to stretch out for eternity. If I squinted, I could make out a shape far down the road... a splash of pink. It wasn't moving.
“Oh no,” I whispered to myself, picking up the pace as I tried to get to Pinkie with best speed... but my efforts were feeble as the pain escaped its mental prison, limiting me to a fast hobble. By the time I reached Pinkie, she was barely breathing. I didn't see the wound at first, but when I found it, I knew Pinkie wouldn't be recovering from this. She'd been stabbed in the chest with a thin blade, and from the amount of blood soaking the dirt road, it was clear an important vein or artery had been hit.
“Dash,” she whispered, “I hurt him bad... he's not going so fast anymore...”
There were tears in my eyes as I knelt at her side.
“You didn't have to do this, Pinkie... all I needed was for you to let me pass, but now you've gone and gotten yourself hurt...”
She coughed out a harsh laugh.
“On that leg, no way you've caught him...”
She coughed again, and blood spattered against the dirt.
“We all make sacrifices. Some greater than others. You already made yours... and I'm about to make mine.”
She suddenly put a hoof on my shoulder and pulled herself up, meeting my gaze squarely.
“End this war. Save as many as you can. Rebuild Ponyville. Promise me.”
A slight smile forced its way onto my face, despite the primed tears.
“Pinkie promise.”
“Yeah,” she whispered, collapsing back to the ground, “That's my name...”
And she was still.
“Damn, never thought that was how she'd go,” Scoot muttered as she came up next to me.
“All bets were off when the war started,” I growled, suddenly just angry with everything, “I never thought I'd stop flying, but look at me now.”
I glanced to her.
“I never thought you would grow up. That changed too.”
I sighed.
“I never thought I'd leave Ponyville. Now it's not even there to go back to.”
I nodded towards Pinkie's corpse.
“Come on. Let's at least get her off the road.”
It was difficult to move her on the bad leg, but given what she'd done for me, enduring a little pain to give her some measure of dignity in death was the least I could do. When she was out of the way, I met Scootaloo's gaze.
“Stay here, kill anypony trying to scavenge her gear. I'm going to finish this. Now.”
She nodded, and I started up the road. The general was just a black blob in the distance, but he had a whole lot of road to cover, and I happened to be limping slightly faster than he was. I gritted my teeth and picked up the pace; adrenaline is a hell of an anesthetic, and right then, all I wanted in the world was to make General Falling Hammer very, very, VERY dead. It was at least half an hour before I finally caught up with him, and judging by the amount of blood he was leaving in a trail along the path, he wasn't going to put up much of a fight. I stopped several meters behind him.
“HEY!!”
He stopped in his tracks and slowly came about, favoring his right rear leg. It looked like Pinkie had cut something important in there, as blood was flowing freely down over his mechanical exoskeleton and onto the ground.
“You've got two choices here, Hammer! I kill you fast, or we fight, I win, and I kill you slow.”
He laughed maniacally, pointing a hoof at my wing.
“Come on, you stupid Pegasus fuck, you're just as beat up as I am. So how about we part ways and I forget I never saw you in Earth Pony territory, huh?”
He was scared. Good. I extended my blade once again.
“Not an option. A lot of good people were badly hurt and killed to get me where I am right now. Besides; I'm not about to waste an opportunity to gut the great General Falling Hammer.”
“Fine,” he spat, bracing himself with a whine of hydraulic rams, “I'm going to enjoy killing you.”
I wasted no time, leaping at him with the blade outstretched, aiming for a stretch of exposed flank, but his forceful punch caught me in midair, flinging me at least a meter back. I tried to get up, but cried out in pain as something shifted in my chest; that was a broken rib, at the very least. I tried to think of some way to even the odds, but it was already too late; Hammer had me pinned to the ground, one of his hooves grinding into my shoulder.
“You ready to talk?”
I spat in his face.
“Fuck you.”
He didn't even pause, just shook his head in disappointment and activated the exoskeleton. Half a second later, my shoulderblade and upper leg shattered. The pain hit me the same way a freight train would hit an apple, ripping through my body like an electric shock, tearing me to pieces and leaving me useless; gasping on the ground.
“How many bones to I have to break before you cry mercy!?”
Whatever semblance of dignity, of control I still had, I lost in that moment. I felt the pain of every single scratch and burn on my body amplified a hundredfold and just collapsed into tears, sobbing and screaming out every iota of my pain, my despair, my anger. I had to face it: I'd lost.
“That's right!” He laughed, “Break, you little Pegasus psychopath!”
Then I remembered: I still had a grenade.
“I'M NOT BROKEN YET,” I screamed in his face as I pulled the pin and held the fist-sized explosive high. Hammer screamed some expletive as he flung himself back, struggling to get as far away from the grenade as possible, but tripping over his bad leg on the way.
“You're not getting away that easy,” I shouted after him, flinging the grenade and pushing myself back as hard as I could, trying to escape the blast radius, if at all possible... then, the grenade went off. The blast flung me some distance, but it was okay. I was numb by the time I hit the ground, rolling to a limp stop like a battered ragdoll. In my last moments of consciousness, I smiled to myself – all that was left of General Falling Hammer was a large red patch.
“Why do you need to die?”
I shook myself, and tried to get my bearings. Where was I? Was I awake? No... unconscious? Maybe. Dead? Probably. I found myself sitting in some kind of massive, empty, white plane, staring at... myself? No... yes... what? It was me but... not. Then it clicked. I was looking at myself, but back when I'd been a filly: before I got my cutie mark, even.
“Sorry,” I asked, “What was that?”
“Why do you need to die?”
I frowned. Guess I wasn't dead. Yet, at least.
“I... I don't need to die. Actually, I'd prefer it if I survived.”
Filly Dash shook her head.
“You say that, but you don't believe it. You don't want to wake up. Why?”
I laughed, and looked myself over. I was bleeding from a plethora of wounds, my coat, mane, and tail were scorched and burned, my right wing was shattered, my back leg was still swollen, and my right shoulder and leg were buised an ugly purple. Fortunately, in this place, wherever it was, my pain didn't seem to matter.
“Look at me. Even if I survive my wounds, will I fly again? Will I even walk again? I might not be dead, but my life is over.”
“So you're saying death is easier? You're letting your wounds win?”
I laughed.
“That's only going to work on me once today, filly Dash.”
The little filly shook her head.
“We were usually a little selfish, Dash, but we were always loyal. You promised Twilight you'd come back. You promised Pinkie you'd finish the job, then rebuild Ponyville. Doesn't letting them down feel like a betrayal to you?”
I sighed.
“You know, you're right.”
My exhaustion was starting to catch up to me. I yawned, my eyelids getting heavier. Filly Dash got on her feet.
“Hey, I'm not done yet. Look at this.”
She showed me her blank flank; the place where a cutie mark had not yet appeared.
“What did you do before you discovered your love for flying? You had other things to live for, Rainbow Dash. Just because you lose one passion in life doesn't mean you can't find another.”
I was having difficulty keeping my eyes open.
“Look, I know this is important, and you're right... but I'm just... I'm too tired to think right now. I'm going to go to sleep for a while, okay?”
Filly Dash nodded.
“Okay. I'll be here if you want to talk later.”
I curled up on the ground, nodding slightly as I let my eyes fall shut, and allowed the darkness to wrap around me like a mother's comforting embrace. Memories of the good times flickered through my mind like a procession of all the fun I'd had; all the friends I'd made and things I'd done. I'd had a good life, and even as I felt my strength slipping away, I knew I was going to be okay. It was all going to be okay.
***
Five Months Later
The mayor straightened her notes as the ponies congregated in the field in front of the sparkling new town center. It had only just been finished; this was the commemoration ceremony. The speakers crackled as the microphone was plugged in, and the mayor tested the sound.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the grand opening of the new town hall. This is a very important step for many of us, as it represents the culmination of our ambitious quest to rebuild our beloved city... which in and of itself represents the dawn of a new age of peace. I'd like to take a few minutes to remember all the ponies who made the ultimate sacrifice to get us to where we're standing today; the brave ponies who fought long and hard for a home that we all knew was still there, just hiding beneath the dust and rubble. To speak on the behalf of those who can no longer speak for themselves, I'd like to invite a pony to the stage who was instrumental in bringing the war to a close: Rainbow Dash!”
The air was filled with applause as I stepped up to the podium, straightening my jacket. I still hadn't gotten used to the weight of the medals, but I supposed I was going to have to: I was the town hero now, and everyone would expect me to show up to every tiny little event in full dress gear. Screw that; I was Rainbow Dash. They knew what I was like. I cleared my throat, and stepped up to the microphone.
“I'm not good with speeches, so I'm going to keep this as short as I can.”
I reached into my pocket and almost pulled out my notes; the stack of little cards I'd poured hours into perfecting, but just let them lie in the end. I was going to speak my mind.
“To me, since the war ended, it's... felt to me like it's wrong, you know? That I'm still alive and they aren't. All the friends, the brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, the sons and daughters. The lovers. Airheart, who died on the mission. I'm not a good person, and I know that, so why was I allowed to live another day? I feel like these medals mean nothing. I didn't survive because I was skilled or dedicated, I survived because of sheer dumb luck. Had the Unicorns not attacked, had the flak gunners been feeling up to their game... things would've been very different. You know, I was against the mission. I knew that knocking the Earth Ponies out of the fight would just focus the Unicorns on the Pegasi, and that's exactly what happened. It didn't end like I wanted and I was angry about it, but in retrospect, I realized surrender was better than endless war. It took even longer to realize the truth of the matter: that surrender is always better than endless war. War makes us stupid. It makes us hurt people we care about, makes us turn against one another and kill people we used to live in harmony with.”
I closed my eyes for a moment, letting myself cool off.
“My point is this.”
I reached into my pocket, and held out the book I had on me at all times: the book filled with the names of people I'd known. People who had been killed.
“None of these ponies, not a single one, should have died. So we need to make sure this never. Happens. Again. Rebuilding is the first step towards a better tomorrow, so let's work together and make that tomorrow better than our yesterday. Let's build ourselves a future free of the concealed hatred that has shattered our present. Who's with me!?”
The entire crowd roared in approval, and I smiled to myself. Twilight's face shone from the sidelines, Spitfire nodded proudly... only Scootaloo looked unhappy, hiding back in the shadows. I hoped she could find something new, something better than killing... but some part of me knew she'd always be like this. Knew that, no matter how bright the future, the world and the people will always, always, bear the scars.