“Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash? Wake up, Rainbow Dash.”
A disembodied voice spoke to the slumbering pegasus as she twisted and turned on her cot trying to ignore it. The poking and prodding of hooves tried to change her sleeping state and the pegasus’ eyes fluttered behind closed lids and her mouth grumbled as she tried to wave the offending hooves away and return to sleep.
“Oh for the love of—here!”
She heard a yell and felt the sheet of her bed yanked off her. The sudden cold caused her body to curl up and a displeased frown to appear on her face as her eyes slowly opened to glare up at whoever had the audacity to do this.
Summer Rains and Crescent Moon looked down at her, the latter giving a rather unimpressed stare himself while he held onto the sheet.
“What is it?” She asked, blinking a few times and sitting up.
“Well for one you slept past breakfast so I was going to wake you up anyways. Even if you’re not going through normal training anymore that’s no reason to waste the entire day,” Crescent Moon said. “But also we have news for you.”
“News?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Good news,” Summer Rains smiled. “Something I’ve been planning for a while now, I asked the Lieutenant about it too and he was more than glad to give his permission.”
Rainbow Dash rubbed the last bit of sleep from her eyes and hopped off the cot. “Can you guys just fill me in already? It’s too early for this.”
“It is not too early,” Crescent Moon rolled his eyes.
“You’re moving out of the barracks,” Summer Rains told her with barely restrained excitement.
That surprised her. She tilted her head back and shot him a confused look. “Huh?”
“Technically this was always supposed to be just a temporary place for you to begin with,” Crescent Moon explained. “Summer Rains has found you a more… permanent place to stay.”
“Where?” She asked her squadmate.
“My house!” He nearly shouted.
Rainbow Dash was even more surprised this time. “I’m going to be living with your family? I mean, I’m happy that you’re helping me out but are you sure?”
Summer Rains nodded. “More than sure. Don’t you remember when you first visited my family? I had a talk with my parents, wife, and in-laws about this.”
“Ohhh...” Dash realized. “That’s why you sent me upstairs to play with your little sister.”
“Yep! My family was more than happy at the idea of having you board with us but I needed official permission first and I didn’t think I would get it. Until now.”
“Wow, dude. That’s… that’s really awesome. Thanks,” she almost didn’t know what to say.
“You can go immediately if you wish. It’s not like you have anything to take with you,” Crescent Moon told them. “Also just so you know it’s not like you’ll really be living in that house most of the time. The barracks will still be where you spend most of your nights. Unless you just feel like ditching that completely, which I couldn’t really stop you from doing if you wanted, although it would make it more difficult for you to meet up with everyone else.”
“But now you at least don’t have to consider the barracks your home or anything. You’ll have a real room to yourself at my family’s house and everything,” Summer Rains told her.
Rainbow Dash grinned. “Sounds awesome. I’ll have to say thanks to your parents and everyone too, let’s go!”
“You mean Rainbow Dash is going to live with us?” Aurora gaped as she welcomed her big brother and the blue pony from Equestria back home. Snowshine was the only other one downstairs when they walked in the door and the four pegasi now stood inside the small sitting room right beside the hallway and stairs.
“That’s right,” Summer Rains smiled and ruffled her mane.
“That’s amazing!” Aurora fluttered up on her small wings for a bit before dropping back to the ground. “Everyone is going to be so jealous—oh and you can play with my stuffed animals some more too!”
Rainbow Dash blushed in embarrassment. “I’ll uh, give that a little raincheck for now.”
Aurora peered up at her with confused eyes and a slight frown. “Aww, how come? Mr. Tortoise isn’t mad at you anymore for making me cry or anything, and Mrs. Walrus liked you flying around with her. She wanted to go on another trip.”
“Wait,” Summer Rains glanced at Rainbow Dash. “You made my little sister cry?”
He asked it a bit seriously but Rainbow Dash could see the smile tugging at his lips.
“Ugh!” She blushed harder. “Look it was just—forget it! Is the rest of your family here?”
Summer Rains snorted in amusement while Snowshine giggled. He then called out to the rest of the house, with the multiple floors it had the parents probably just hadn’t heard anybody come in when they did.
“Mom? Dad? Ice? Snowfall? I’m back, and I’ve got company again!”
Rainbow Dash was grateful to all of them but embarrassed that they had accepted to do this after just meeting her once. She really had a lot to thank them for. Even if she was just getting a spare room or if they mostly did it for their son it was a big deal to her. With her being the special pony from Equestria it could bring a lot of unwanted attention to them as well. Hopefully they wouldn’t get in trouble or have anything to worry about but she knew Blizzard would learn about this soon enough and she wasn’t totally sure what his reaction would be. And even without him there might be plenty of others in this city that would hound Summer Rains’ family for taking in the heretical or whatever mare from Equestria.
Just as before the parents of the happily married couple came down to the first floor of the house. One by one their eyes lit up in recognition of Rainbow Dash and the realization of why she and Summer Rains were here.
“Oh, so it got approved?” Autumn Mist said to the room as he walked in.
“Sure did!” Summer Rains replied.
“Yeah, and I really have to thank all of you for that. Uh, it’s pretty cool that you’d let me stay at your house and everything. So thanks,” Rainbow Dash tried to not sound too embarrassed but she probably failed. This kind of stuff just wasn’t her thing.
“You don’t need to think anything of it,” Snowshine said. “We were just doing a good thing.” The mare quickly blushed. “And—well—I thought it would be fun to have a mare like you around too. You’re very interesting.”
Rainbow Dash regained her composure and grinned, flicking her mane out of her eyes. “Well, yeah. I am definitely awesome.”
“I know you won’t be here everyday but I’ll try and introduce you to the other neighborhood ladies next time. I wanted to do that last time too but I didn’t know you and Summer were coming back today,” Snowshine told her.
“We did drop in a bit unexpected. Even Rainbow Dash didn’t know we were coming today,” Summer Rains explained with a light chuckle.
“Since we are all here though, who wants some tea?” Summer’s mother, Sun Ray, asked. Rainbow Dash had almost forgotten their names, she should’ve asked Summer about them on the way over just to be sure.
Either way Sun Ray didn’t wait for anyone to say yes or no to tea and the mare flew back up to the second story of the house where the kitchen was. In a second she’d be back but in the meantime Rainbow Dash turned her attention to Ice Breezer and Snowfall Glitter. The parents of Snowshine looked almost like they could’ve been old enough to be Summer Rains’ grandparents and while they were definitely quieter than Autumn Mist and Sun Ray they were still polite ponies who regarded Rainbow Dash with a smile. They were just as happy to see her and welcome her into their home as any of the others.
“I really want to thank you too,” Dash said to the couple. “Your daughter is great by the way, just saying.”
“Thank you, Miss Rainbow Dash,” the wizened Ice Breezer said while his wife cheerfully smiled wider.
“Um, um!” Aurora was jumping up and down in excitement. “Where is Rainbow Dash going to be staying? What room does she get?”
“She’ll be getting the spare room on the third floor, down the hall from you,” Summer Rains told her.
“Yes!” The filly pumped her hoof in joy.
Rainbow Dash reached down to pat her head. “Don’t go too crazy just now. I’m still probably going to be at the barracks and on base most days. We’ll see how it works out.”
“Aww...” Aurora looked downtrodden for a second but she quickly recovered, smiling up at Rainbow Dash with sparkly eyes. “Oh! But I can still totally brag to everyone that the soldier mare is living in my house! This is gonna be so cool!” The filly started buzzing about in a circle while Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at the exuberant display.
Soon after that, Sun Ray came flying back down the stairs juggling a large teapot and several porcelain cups all balanced on top one another. Snowshine quickly flew over to lessen her load and the two mares began pouring tea for everybody. Tea was not exactly Rainbow Dash’s preferred beverage but she wasn’t going to be rude either and just outright refuse. She only hoped she could stop herself from making a face when she drank it, being forced to go to numerous tea parties by Fluttershy and high class events with Rarity should give her some practice.
The happy family got started on their tea and Summer Rains became the new topic of conversation as his parents and wife asked him how things had been at the base lately. Rainbow Dash for once was okay with not being the absolute center of attention that the world had to revolve around. She knew if she stayed here long enough that eventually the conversation would come to Equestria and any number of things about her, and she would be happy to answer.
She took a sip of tea and only slightly winced.
“So, Rainbow Dash-” Snowshine suddenly spoke to her from her seat on the couch next to her.
Rainbow Dash almost spit up her tea out of surprise but swallowed it down and turned to the white pegasus. “Y-Yeah?”
Snowshine giggled at her reaction. “I just wanted to say, dear, that the next time you’ll be here to please make sure we know beforehand. I want to introduce you to my sewing circle.”
That didn’t exactly sound like the most fun thing either.
“Hehe, sure. Sounds great,” she awkwardly smiled at the mare and rubbed the back of her neck. Taking one more sip of her tea she shuddered and forced it down like the rest.
Elder Tornado had been going about a fairly slow day in the Council Chambers. There weren’t many big arguments or problems between ponies today it seemed, the largest issue had to deal with a scheduled rain and lightning storm in a couple weeks and whether it needed to be a heavier or lighter rain than what was planned. Truthfully Tornado wasn’t sure if he was happier about days like this or not. Being free from the average stupidity of the typical issues brought before the Elder Council didn’t mean much when the only thing that replaced it was boredom.
He guessed he shouldn’t complain, it could be worse. Then there was the fact that Frost had come down with a fever recently. Tornado didn’t have much affection for him but he was still worried about the other Elder. At their ages something like that could always turn into the last time they ever get sick.
Why couldn’t Black Lightning have gotten sick?
Again, as they were in the middle of any meetings or trials, he found his thoughts drifting to the pony from Equestria. There had to be a way for him to speak to her but he only had a few contacts and friends who owed him favors that he might be able to rely on. And that was only if he was able to get out from Blizzard’s watchful eye in the first place.
Tornado sighed and leaned back in his chair, glancing to his sides at the other Elders. “Would any of you really mind if we just canceled the rest of the appointments for the day and left?”
"Yes, we can’t be so lazy,” Black Lightning frowned at him.
Tornado narrowed his eyes and stared ahead. He’s just saying the opposite of what I want. I should’ve said we should work overtime. Putz.
“I also think it would be a little improper to just leave like that. It’s a slow day but you never know what may come up at the last minute,” Hail Storm said, doing his very best not to stutter.
And you’re just a coward. Tornado inwardly scoffed.
How awful these days have become. How much of a shell of its former self the Elder Council was. These sham meetings he had to sit through with his growing pessimism and lacking interest. He wished his arthritis could at least be cured so he could fly off somewhere and cool his head, feel the wind beneath his wings and running through his mane, regaining what it meant to really be a pegasus. These lamentations were a daily occurrence to him in his old age. He was good at not becoming full on depressed but it still weighed on his heart and drew him closer towards total apathy. Rainbow Dash’s existence in this Empire was the lone bright spot in his life. And even that was so faint and far away.
“Fine then, let’s continue on and see what treasures the rest of the day brings us,” Tornado sarcastically said in response to the other two. Waterspout meanwhile had fallen asleep in his chair.
It was mostly quiet in the chambers with but a few ponies meandering about in the viewing areas for the next hour. Nothing much had occurred and Tornado was about to consider drifting off to sleep himself when the door leading in was suddenly opened up and one of the guards came in, flying in a tizzy right up to the platform where the Elders sat.
“What is it?” Black Lightning asked the guard with a scowl.
Tornado too looked on with a frown on his face, this was a bit different from protocol.
“I’m sorry sirs, but a mare came to the administration building demanding an audience with the Elder Council,” the worried guard said to them.
“A mare? Turn her away then! Mares aren’t allowed in here,” Black Lightning scoffed, trying to wave the guard off.
“She came with her father and brother, who is a soldier, and all three of them were adamant about seeing you. We didn’t want to start a fight in the building.”
“Why has she come?” Tornado asked before anything else could come out of Black Lightning’s mouth. He was genuinely curious now.
The guard shook his head. “They wouldn’t say.”
“Ignore her! Force her out then, who cares? Grab some more guards from somewhere and do what you need to,” Black Lightning told him.
The guard was about to turn and leave when Tornado called out to him.
“No.”
Black Lightning, Hail Storm, and the guard all looked at the other Elder.
“I want to see why she’s here. Send them in.”
Commander Blizzard was busy meditating in his office, free from any distractions, when a knock interrupted his focus. He opened his eyes and stared at his door. Not quite frowning but certainly not smiling either. He wasn’t expecting a single visitor or anything today so who could it be? East or West Wind would have asked to be let in already but whoever it was that knocked right now was staying silent, either giving the Commander the choice of speaking up first, walking to the door, or ignoring the visitor entirely.
“Come in,” he decided on.
The door was opened up and the Commander’s mood soured. A practically beaming Elder Tornado trotted on into the Commander’s office until he stood right before the much larger pegasus.
“Hello, Commander,” Tornado greeted with a wide smile on his face.
“Elder,” Blizzard blinked, not showing any emotion on his face. “What is the reason you’ve come to see me? I’ve told you there’s no need for us to speak unless I send for you first.”
Tornado’s smile turned into an annoying smirk. “Well it just so happens that a certain unscheduled meeting just took place at the council. Something having to do with the army that I feel I should personally come and tell you about.”
“If it’s an army matter I would’ve heard about it eventually and-”
“Oh but I just had to come tell you immediately. I insist!” Elder Tornado interrupted him. “Because you see, a mare came to meet with us just now.”
Blizzard this time cocked an eyebrow at the Elder. “A mare? Mares are not allowed to make and participate in such meetings, she should’ve been barred from entering and thrown out of the building.”
“Oh, very true, but I decided to let her in and see what she wanted to say. Especially since her father and brother were both in attendance as well and stalwartly defending her. I mean, if a soldier and former soldier could be so resolute in getting her to speak with us it simply must have been something important.”
His mood worsening, this time Blizzard did fully frown at the obnoxiously smug Elder. “What was it she came to speak with you about?”
“Well she just so happened to hear about the absolutely amazing pony from Equestria that you put into the army. An excellent decision of yours I must say. I was a little on the fence about it at first but I really have to give you credit, that was a great idea,” Tornado smiled. “And do you know what she wanted after hearing about how this pony from Equestria was a hero, was respected by her fellows, was being an exemplary soldier, and on top of it all was a mare? Well our mare demanded, yes, demanded of our Elder Council, that she be allowed to become a soldier too!”
Blizzard’s eyes widened. “What?”
“You heard correct,” Tornado could barely contain his laughter. “Rainbow Dash has inspired a mare who grew up in our Empire to throw out her traditional role and expectations and become a soldier too. Isn’t it wonderful! Rainbow Dash truly is inspiring, isn’t she?”
“But… that’s not what...” Blizzard was having difficult getting his thoughts together. This is not the intended consequence of what he was doing with Rainbow Dash.
“I certainly wanted to accept her request but unfortunately it’s up to your discretion as army business, so I’ll be leaving the decision to you,” Elder Tornado snorted and turned to leave the room. He paused at the door and looked over his shoulder. “Oh right, I doubt this will influence your decision but the mare was quite enthusiastic about how popular and admired Rainbow Dash was with mares all around the city. You could even say she’s loved.” He brought a hoof up and tapped his chin as he looked up, feigning deep thought. “I wonder how many mares or ponies in general would say the same about you.”
Elder Tornado slammed the door behind him as he left the office.
Commander Blizzard stood there, his mind in turmoil. This shouldn’t have been happening. And Rainbow Dash should be on his side already, shouldn’t she? Why wasn’t she? Why weren’t all the soldiers and stallions climbing over each other to prove they could be amazing soldiers as well, to fight and show that they wouldn’t lose to a mare from the disgusting land of Equestria? It was almost like what he had done had the opposite effect it should have but he didn’t understand why.
He found his left hoof shaking and had to steady it. Gritting his teeth as he turned to his window and looked out across the city. “What’s going on?”