Rainbow Dash knew from the moment she fell asleep, till the moment she awoke that she was getting the silent treatment from Fluttershy whether she wanted to or not. For example, that night Fluttershy didn't even speak a word to her or even reprimand Angel for kicking her as she normally would. And this morning she had left an hour early for work. Rainbow Dash groaned as she saw this trend. Fluttershy was always a very kind pony, but when she was angry she had her own cruel ways of making the pony that did her wrong feel so guilty they could just explode.
Rainbow didn't cave however. Instead she immediately went to the front door, pulling it open with a mighty force. She didn't see the yellow package at the doorstep until she promptly stepped on it. Dash stepped back slowly from the package, her thoughts circulating about this mysterious package and of its contents. It was big enough to hold a book and looked as though it were holding one inside it.
She bent down to pick up the package, feeling its contents shift as she brought it up. The door was closed behind her as Rainbow Dash went back to the living room. The package was thrown onto the coffee table.
"To Dash" Rainbow read aloud.
A tear had already begun to form on a corner of the large envelope. With her mouth, Rainbow opened it quickly. It had not been a book inside the package, but rather an armband and a small map of Cloudsdale. Rainbow went for the map, her eyes sparkling with complete curiosity. The map was just a regular one only with a certain building circled in red. Rainbow stared at the circle until she finally realized where she knew where this building was. It was only a few clouds away from the rainbow factory, and fortunately for Dash, that was within walking distance from her house.
Without further instruction from the map, Rainbow Dash secured the armband onto her front arm and ran off with the map tucked under her forearm. Again, although she didn't have to fly, Dash decided to anyway. She didn't have her wing immobile for a full month just to walk everywhere after all. It was only a matter of seconds before she landed safely at the building. Rainbow Dash came to a stop in front of the door, if you could even call it one.
"This is headquarters?" Dash's jaw dropped at the site of the building.
The paint was peeling and the windows were all broken except for one. It was abandoned and desolate with no sign of any pony even there. Rainbow Dash let out a sigh. She had been tricked, and so easily too.
Dash was about to soar back home and mope in her bed when a small cough caught her attention. From the crack in the door, Rainbow Dash could make out the eyes of a male pegasi. His voice echoed soundly to where Dash was standing.
"Password," he demanded.
"Uh…" Rainbow Dash fumbled for the map, turning it this way and that.
"Try turning it around."
Dash turned the paper as she was told. On the back of the map, scrawled in red ink were just two words. Alpha Minor. The phrase reminded Rainbow Dash vaguely of one her friends.
"I was getting to that," she replied, "Uh…Alpha Minor?"
"Hold on a second," the pegasus behind the door instructed, "Please come forward a bit. There, that's good."
There was a fumbling of switches and knobs as Rainbow Dash impatiently waited. She tapped her hoof as she tucked the map into her armband.
"You may want to hold your breath."
"What?" Dash frowned, "Hold my brEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
The door had opened, not in front of her, but directly below her instead. Now, she was flying down a silver slide in pitch-black darkness. The slide took an abrupt turn and Rainbow Dash was spat out into a bright room. As soon as her senses caught up with her she stood up, swaying slightly from side to side.
"Aha, you made it!" the cheerful voice of Sandalwood exclaimed.
"So what? I knew she would too," Milky Way replied dryly.
The room they were in was large and spacious. A giant map of Equestria was hung up on a wall with red X's marked almost at random from across the room. A few anti-scouts were scribbling away at a table nearby it, looking up every minute or two to look at it. Rainbow Dash found herself becoming attracted to it like a magnet and examined it closely. Only a few X's were in the Bad Lands, but most were zigzagged across the country. The one closest to Canterlot was marked Encampment 2, she noticed.
"Those are the encampments we work with," Sandalwood said from behind Rainbow Dash's shoulder.
"Wow," murmured Dash, "Can I go to one? Deliver Supplies? Fight off the bad guys? Get information? Defeat the system? Or save the day?"
"Well, you have to go through a little something first before we start giving you jobs," Milky Way directed his voice toward the multi-hued pegasus.
"Oh boy, I know exactly what it is. Initiation! I have to get an initiation, don't I?" Rainbow was jumping up and down excitedly, bottling up the urge she had to fly around in circles just now, "What do I do? Do I have to perform an incredible feat of bravery? Beat you two in a flying contest? Save the day?"
"Well, not exactly..." Sandalwood answered with a sheepish smile.
• • •
"Orientation?" Dash repeated angrily to herself in her uncomfortable seat, "Are you serious?"
"It'll only take a few minutes time," Sandalwood said from his place at the podium, "I promise. After this is done we can both go to Encampment 3. So shut-up and listen, please."
Rainbow Dash slumped down in her seat with a long, exaggerated sigh. She hated this already and the orientation hadn't even started yet.
"This headquarters is located underground the warehouse above us. The only way to get out is through the chimney we have. Don't worry we clean it regularly so that you won't get any ash on your body or in your eyes.
"Now when flying over encampments, what should we pay attention for? Rainbow Dash?"
Dash perked up an ear, "We...pay attention for fireballs coming our way."
"Only sometimes, but I'll consider that as one of the correct answers, but what do we also pay attention for?"
It took Dash a moment to get the right answer, "Earth Ponies?"
"Exactly," Sandalwood chirped from the podium, "We have to be aware of what they are doing before we land. For example if there are no ponies around what does that mean?"
"They're asleep or hiding?"
"The second one's correct. So, if they are hiding that means that there are pegasi in the area which means…"
"Hm? Oh," Dash jogged her memory for the answer, "You don't go down. You go on to the next encampment or back to headquarters."
"Yes, you report back to headquarters and report back in. Usually this doesn't happen too often, but if it does, after you report back in you're assigned another encampment. Sound good?"
"So far," Rainbow Dash replied with a small inward breath.
"Now if we get separated, Dash, don't go looking for the other. Go to headquarters."
Dash nodded, "Is that it?"
Sandalwood answered back instantly, "Not quite yet."
He leaned in closer, his body pressed to the edge of the podium, "If one word slips to the pegasi about our headquarters, our organization, or our work with the ponies...if we find out if it's you...we'll get you. But knowing your loyalty, we shouldn't have to worry about that. It's just something I say to intimidate every newbie that walks in."
Sandalwood paused for a second before quickly adding, "Don't tell Milky Way that."
Rainbow Dash grinned as he led her out of the door and back to headquarters. As soon as Dash saw the chimney, she sprinted to it. A forceful tug held her back.
"Also, a rule that's supposed to be common sense," Sandalwood released his hoof from Rainbow's wing, "Don't get yourself carried away."
His words struck Dash with a dull pain for some reason. She could hear the faint words of Fluttershy from the day before, "Sure you're loyal, bold, and hard working, but you are also reckless. You get impatient and you rush things. And right now you are rushing into this."
"I won't," Rainbow Dash whispered to herself.
"Good, now let me clarify something about the chimney," Sandalwood brushed past her, "You can't really just fly out of the chimney in a second. If you do, you're wings would scrape and everything. It would hurt a lot."
Sandalwood stood inside the chimney now and was slowly starting to rise into the air, "You have to go slow. When your whole body is outside, then by all means go fast. But since you're with me, you'll have to go a bit slow. I've seen you're sonic rainbooms, and although they're very impressive, I do not intend on doing one today. Kapeesh?"
"I understand," Dash said as she followed him through the chimney.
A few minutes later they were outside in the sky zooming through clouds. Rainbow Dash had trouble keeping the same pace as Sandalwood. Her excitement was at its bursting point. They were going to an encampment to help ponies. Rainbow Dash could only imagine the familiar faces she was going to see. And she was actually going to help.
"Ugh," she groaned after five minutes of flying, "Can't you go any faster, Sandalwood?"
"Just be patient," Sandalwood relied calmly, "This is a new encampment we're going to, and it's all the way near Trottingham, so it'll take a few more minutes to get there. And I'm sorry, but this is about as fast as I can go."
Rainbow Dash grumbled as they took their sweet time to navigate to the new encampment. By the time Dash could actually make out the encampment from above, she leaped with joy. Sandalwood came to a steady stop behind her.
"Okay, now don't go too fast or they'll think you're a scout," Sandalwood said, already flying down.
Rainbow Dash followed his lead. Miraculously, no fireballs were thrown at them, no ponies had torches and pitchforks when they made it to land, and there was no pony to greet them either.
"Where is everypony?" Dash muttered under her breath.
Only a few ponies were meandering around the line of tents. Dash recognized one of the few ponies around instantly. Junebug looked emaciated. Her eyes were half shut and her mouth looked so dry.
"Hello?" Sandalwood stood rooted to where he was.
No one spoke anything. Rainbow Dash zoomed around the encampment twice before landing back to her spot next to Sandalwood.
"It doesn't look like any other pony is here. And anypony that is here looks like they haven't eaten in weeks," Rainbow whispered.
Sandalwood trotted to Junebug, "Excuse me, but I'm with the anti-scout group...uh, where is everypony exactly?"
Junebug licked her lips slowly before replying, "We're the only ones here. They ran out of room in Fillydelphia and Trottingham. So now we're here."
Sandalwood looked down at Junebug with sorrowful eyes, "I'm sorry. The best thing I can do for now is supply you with food and water. We'll be back next week to get you some weapons so that you can defend yourselves."
"Who are you?" Junebug asked wide-eyed.
"I'm just a pony who doesn't care for war," Sandalwood replied without a smile.
• • •
"Oh, you're back," a soft voice said from the kitchen.
Rainbow Dash had gotten back home a bit on the early side. Sandalwood had her go back alone while he inspected the encampment with Junebug. Fluttershy had a cruel, intensity in her eyes as she stared at Rainbow Dash. She was still angry.
"Yeah, I'm early today," Dash shrugged her shoulders as she put away her armband.
"Well," Fluttershy replied coldly, "How great for you. I got home early too because Flitter didn't show up for work."
"She didn't? That's weird," Rainbow Dash bit her lip.
"Oh?" Fluttershy's head perked up a bit at this bit, "Why do you say that?"
Dash just scratched her head sullenly, "Never mind, I think I'm just imagining it...but, it seems like a lot of pegasi are going missing. Derpy hasn't visited all week, a few pegasi from the Rainbow Factory have gone missing for two days, and now Flitter's gone. Doesn't that just seem strange to you?"
"Maybe it's just a coincidence..." Fluttershy turned her head back to the stove, where she was cooking some cabbage for herself.
"No it isn't," Rainbow Dash found herself snapping, "It's more than just coincidence, Fluttershy. I can see it in your eyes. You know something odd is going on here, but you're too scared to admit it."
Fluttershy's cheeks burned a deep scarlet color at these bitter words, "Can't you just let me have one night away from these scary thoughts, Dash? It isn't impossible that you're right...but I just want one peaceful night to myself. It's not that much to ask for...I mean, if that's alright with you..."
Rainbow Dash paused, "Fine. But you're going to have to open your eyes one day, Fluttershy. Twilight was wrong about our duties in Cloudsdale. I'm going to Fillydelphia tomorrow. You can come by all means with me. I don't think Flitter will mind if you don't show up, seeing as though she did the same thing, you know?"
Fluttershy didn't respond. She just stirred the cabbage in her pot idly. Rainbow Dash headed toward the bedroom on this silent note, calling behind her, "I'm gonna hit the hay early today. I'll see you tomorrow."
Still no response. Just when Rainbow Dash had managed to get herself out of the silent treatment, she had dug herself right back in. She cursed herself for her stupidity as she plopped onto her bed stiffly. She was always sabotaging everything she did since flight school. It was just dumb luck that she even was able to do a sonic rainboom without any severe consequences.
Rainbow stared at the ceiling. She didn't like going to sleep. It was the one time she felt out of control. She couldn't control those constant nightmares that would stalk her during the day and attack swiftly when she least expected. It was always that same flashback from the Ponyville air raid too. Dash could just barely hear the sound of bombs being dropped and pandemonium spreading throughout the streets. It was horrific to even remember.
Dash finally had no choice but to close her eyes and drift into a deep sleep. But of course it would be the same nightmare, right? It had been on her mind for some time now. The only problem was that it wasn't a real nightmare. Real nightmares are unexpected and imaginary. Only this one had actually happened and Dash was forced to relive it twice on a weekly basis.
Only this one was different. It pulled at her very heartstrings. It wasn't real, but it was still vivid nonetheless. And it was a long dream. One that she wouldn't forget in a long time to come...