The morning sun welcomes a new, beautiful day.
Ponies want to spend it on having fun and joy.
Yet peace is a very fragile thing,
At sunset, it will be shattered.

Chapter 1

Red Sun

Hearing the voice of a young adult mare pulled Rainbow Dash out of a blissful dream. She slowly turned around, looking behind her and seeing the face of her good friend and older sister alike. It was Firefly, a pink pegasus pony with purple eyes. She managed to recognize her short, blue mane quite easily. Firefly was grinning at her.

Rainbow slowly blinked her eyes. She had a very insentient sight; her rainbow mane was totally disarranged and messy. It almost made her look like she just came back from an intense party arranged by Pinkie Pie. Rainbow tried to cover her head with a quilt, mumbling with a sleepy voice:

Firefly giggled, hearing those words. She liked to tease Rainbow Dash whenever she had trouble with waking up. They had been living together for two years now, so it wasn’t the first time.

With just a single move of her head, Firefly pushed the blue pony from the bed. Rainbow landed on the floor. When she got up, she had a very dissatisfied look on her face.

“Get back to reality,” Firefly interrupted her. “Come on, what’s the point of wasting your time in bed on such a nice day? Let’s stretch our wings and go for a flight.”

Rainbow looked outside. The sun was already shining bright, being surrounded by small clouds. Still, Rainbow Dash didn’t seem very enthusiastic about going out.

“You know today is Sunday, right? This is a day for resting. Do you have any idea how long I was flying and working yesterday? Go fly yourself, if you want. I want to sleep...”

“Actually, I already did,” Firefly confessed. “Two hours ago. You were snoring so loud that you woke me up. So, I got out for a little flying session. Now I feel like a newborn. I’ve been waiting for you to get up so we could fly together. But it’s been lasting so long...”

Rainbow climbed back on the bed. The annoyed expression didn’t disappear from her face.

“Firefly, seriously. I’m tired, let me sleep. I’m not going anywhere today.”

“Say what? We’re suppose to go to Whitetail Woods today,” Firefly said with a reproach. “We were gonna spend some time with our friends. We were both planning it for a few days. Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind!”

“It won’t happen until a few hours,” Rainbow Dash grumbled. “We still have a lot of time. Go do something and let me sleep...”

Rainbow already covered herself with a quilt. But Firefly didn’t want to remit.

“So, maybe you can tell me why are you so tired. What were you doing yesterday? I know that we were both on a Wonderbolts show in Trottingham. You were actually taking a part in it. But what else were you doing?”

Ever since Firefly met Rainbow Dash almost three years ago, in the first days of The Equestrian War, they’d taken a liking to each other. Sure, they would get grumpy at times, but they could always count on each other. Also, after the war, whenever Rainbow went somewhere without Firefly, she would always tell her about everything she did. Rainbow started to snore, yet it sounded very factitious. It was clear to Firefly that Rainbow was simply messing with her. But she was already used to it and showed only mild annoyance.

The answer was a short “Mm-mm,” indicating Rainbow still intended to keep sleeping. Firefly let out a sigh.

“Okay. Seems like we won’t get into agreement with just small talk. Oh well, that’s fine. Just you wait, I’m gonna wake you up.”

“Oh yeah? And just how do you plan to do it?” Rainbow asked from under her quilt.

With a swift motion, Firefly suddenly jumped on the bed and instantly removed the quilt from Rainbow Dash. Her expression was a mixture of disbelief and surprise.

Firefly’s blue tail started dangling in front of Rainbow’s face. She knew exactly what this meant.

Ignoring her plea, Firefly touched Rainbow’s belly with the end of her tail and started tickling her. But Rainbow, instead of bursting out laughing, was only looking sneeringly at the pink pony. This surprised Firefly; she had no idea why her method wasn’t effective. After all, it was the best way to get Rainbow out of the bed when she refused to do it normally.

“What the...? Tickling the stomach always worked...” Firefly growled slightly.

“You really thought this was going to work?” Rainbow asked. “You’ve been doing this way too many times. I’ve immunized myself. Go ahead and tickle me all you want, but that won’t make me get up.”

Satisfied, Rainbow covered herself with quilt all the way to the ears, intending to go back to sleep at last. Firefly figured there was no reason to continue with her insufficient method. But just then, she noticed Rainbow’s rear legs dangling from the edge of the bed and thought of another idea.

“So... you say I can tickle you all I want and you won’t even budge?” Firefly asked, still bantering with her sister.

Firefly slowly touched Rainbow’s left rear hoof with her tail. The blue pony’s eyes opened immediately, dumbfoundedness was now present on her face. Firefly caught attention to it.

Rainbow kept staring at her, afraid of what she might do. Firefly’s lips bent to form a triumphant smile.

She suddenly started tickling Rainbow in the hoof. Rainbow started to laugh, despite trying everything to keep it concealed. That was the most sensitive part of her body. She didn’t like when other ponies touched her hooves. It was because they were very ticklish. Rainbow started jerking around on the bed, even trying to kick Firefly’s face with her second leg, but the pink pegasus had no intention of stopping. As she kept tickling her hoof with her tail, Rainbow started whacking a pillow with her arms, unable to hold laughter anymore.

Between snorts and giggles, Rainbow begged Firefly to stop tormenting her. But those pleas only encouraged Firefly further.

“How do you like that?” she asked, as she then started rapidly tickling Rainbow’s right hoof for a change. Dash erupted with hysterical laughter.

“Stooop iiiit... hehehe... stop, Firefly... I-ahahaha... I can’t take it! Hahaha!”

Firefly was now moving her tail across both of Rainbow’s hooves. She tried to move, even fly upward in hopes of getting away, but she was completely paralyzed from laughter. Rainbow kept laughing even louder while rolling around on the bed. Still, Firefly didn’t want to stop. The blue pegasus finally came to accept her defeat. She exhaled:

Only after hearing these words, Firefly stopped tormenting Rainbow. She rolled so fiercely that she fell to the floor again, wrapped up in the quilt. Firefly started laughing herself. As Rainbow was slowly recovering and catching her breath, Firefly set up on the bed, propping her head on her arms and looking at Rainbow with a cheeky smile.

“Did you enjoy my new method of waking you up, Rainbow?” she asked with an innocent voice.

The blue flier seemed quite angry, as she rest her back against the side of the bed, not looking at Firefly. She begun to realize she could have went too far.

“Hey, sorry, don’t be mad,” she pleaded. “I had no idea you had such sensitive hooves... honest!”

“Look, if you’ll forgive me, I’ll tell you where my sensitive spot is. Here’s a hint: it’s located below my head.”

Without warning, Rainbow pounced on Firefly, tackling her to the floor and blowing a raspberry into her neck. It cause the pink pony to laugh loudly. Actually, the two weren’t angry at each other at all. Those were just small tussles they did between themselves from time to time. This helped in diversifying their day.

The two mares were squirming on the floor for a few more minutes, playing tickles and wrestling. Firefly wasn’t jerking as hard as her younger sister, though. She sometimes needed a dose of good laughter in the morning. Finally they settled down, panting heavily and lying next to each other.

“OK, I’ll forgive you one last time. But if you ever tell somepony about this, then I swear... I’ll bring such a downpour on your head they’re going to be pushing water out of you!”

“Well, you did manage to wake me up. Guess we can go for a little flying session.”

After a few minutes, Firefly and Rainbow Dash got outside, spread their wings and flew into the clouds. They decided to go and visit their friends, as it was determined earlier. But there was still a lot of time on their hooves, so the two friends wanted to play tag or performing simple tricks. On top of that, Firefly was still curious about Rainbow’s activity yesterday, so she led her to a particularly big cloud, and they landed on it.

“I guess there’s no reason to not tell you,” said Rainbow. “I had a little talk with Spitfire...”

“Well, that explains why you didn’t come and help me with cleaning the sky over Ponyville. I figured you stayed behind with her, though. So, what were you talking about?”

The Wonderbolt show in Trottingham turned out to be flawless, as usual. Spitfire, along with Soarin’ and Firebolt, showed numerous aerial acrobatics to the crowd. At first, they were just regular spins, barrel rolls and loops, but later turned into synchronized flying and even an obstacle course. In the middle of the show, as per Spitfire’s request, the commentator called for Rainbow Dash to join the routine. She and Firefly were naturally sitting in the first row. Since Spitfire gave her a Wonderbolt costume almost two years ago, Rainbow was not only present on every show, she always had it with her. If called, she would immediately don the outfit and join the other Wonderbolts.

During the show, Rainbow and Spitfire made even the most difficult tricks seem like child’s play. Soarin’ and Firebolt weren’t too far behind. Their performance put the entire stadium in delightful elation. At the very end, the blue pegasus even performed her signature Sonic Rainboom, which the gathered ponies seemed to like the most.

When the show came to an end and the pegasi were already in a locker room, Spitfire praised the other fliers. She and Rainbow were a little exhausted. Truth be told, that Saturday had quite a hot weather.

“Actually, Spitfire,” Rainbow started, “I’ve got a few questions for you. I mean, if you don’t mind...”

“Not at all. Say, I was going to hit the showers to cool off a little. Wanna come with me?”

Rainbow seemed a little surprised by that proposition, but she agreed. Soarin’ and Firebolt did not oppose, either. They left the stadium a few minutes later. In the meantime, Spitfire motioned Rainbow to follow her, leaving their costumes in locker room.

The two mares soon reached the shower room. As the first drops of cold water rained on their bodies, they felt a sweet relief.

“Nothing like a good shower to invigorate yourself,” said Spitfire. “I gotta say, you rocked today, Rainbow Dash.”

“We all did,” Rainbow said in return. “Your synchronized flying was perfect. The crowd went totally wild!”

“Yeah, but your Sonic Rainboom was pretty good, too. I’m glad you’re a part of our team. You’ve really grown in those two years. Keep this up and, eventually, you might even become a Wonderbolt instructor. Maybe even in the Cloudsdale Academy.”

“Wow... that’s nice to hear. Speaking of which, Spitfire, how are things at the Academy? Everything going okay?”

Some time after The Equestrian War, Rainbow was invited for a Wonderbolt boot camp, conducted by Spitfire. It lasted a week and later turned out to be a foundation for a new Cloudsdale Military Academy that Princess Celestia established. The most experienced Wonderbolts, including Spitfire and Soarin’, were selected as instructors, whose job was to train a new generation of pegasi aces. Since Rainbow Dash was already a part of the team, she didn’t have to attend the Academy. However, she never lost interest in it.

Spitfire answered Rainbow’s question after a few seconds, after she moved her face away from the shower, letting the water to clean her back now.

“Now that you brought this up... It’s actually doing great. That new training schedule that was implemented last year is excellent. It can be adjusted not just for regular groups, but even individuals. Everypony can benefit from it. Every cadet is doing a fine job, too. They’re all raring to go. I don’t have any problems with them... well, except for one, maybe.”

She spoke the last few words with visible antipathy. Rainbow Dash knew exactly whom she was referring to.

The fiery-maned pegasus turned a spigot to the right, making more water pour on her.

“No matter how many times I talk to her or tell her to quit showing off, she just doesn’t stop. It’s like she’s living in her own world and doesn’t want to come out of it! Sometimes it feels like talking to a wall.”

Rainbow looked a little uncertain. She met Lightning Dust, a green pegasus pony with an orange mane, at the boot camp. Her attitude reminded Rainbow of her own, but the more she flew with her, the more cocky her teammate became, to the point she outright boasted herself as being the best pegasus around and the only fitting candidate for a Wonderbolt.

“Yeah. It was on an obstacle course. Initially, I told everypony that it was not supposed to be a race, and their job was simply to clear the obstacles in style. But I think you know Lightning Dust. To her, it meant to clear them as quickly as possible. I saw her trying to outrun other cadets, but despite my warnings, she kept flying even faster. At one point, she couldn’t control her movements, didn’t turn in time and crashed into two other pegasi.”

Rainbow knew that Lightning Dust was a very reckless pegasus. She didn’t care what would happen to others around her; she only thought about herself being the best. Her antics nearly caused Rainbow’s friends, who came in a Twinkling Balloon to visit her, to die in a huge tornado she created when she tried to clear the sky faster than anypony else. Luckily, Twilight Sparkle and the others were saved. But Lightning Dust’s careless attitude caused Rainbow and the other fliers to despise her.

“One of them has a dislocated wing, the other is a little hurt. I told Lightning Dust that she should have been more careful and reminded that her that it wasn’t supposed to be a race. Do you know what she said to me?”

“She said that it’s not her fault she is better than the others. If the other pegasi can't keep up with her, that’s their problem.”

It was just like that accident with the balloon. Nothing really serious happened, so everything was fine. That was what Lightning Dust thought. When Spitfire later learned about her antics, she was furious and stripped the green pegasus of her leader badge. Yet, she still decided to keep her in the Academy, but as a wing pony instead. Since then, she eased off a bit. But Spitfire’s recent revelations made Rainbow feel uncertain about her.

“That pretty much means she insulted every single cadet and even instructors to boot!” Spitfire said loudly.

“At first, I wanted to hit her in the face, but then... I decided to give her one last chance. If she’s going to cause another dangerous situation on the next session, or she continues to ignore my warnings, I’ll have no choice but to kick her out of the Academy. This has gone for far too long!”

“But, Spitfire... If you’ll do that, you’re going to crush her dreams, you know?”

“I know... you think it’s easy for me to make a decision? That’s the paradox of the whole situation. Lightning Dust is a great flier, she has huge potential... it’s her behaviour that’s intolerable. It would be stupid if she’d be denied becoming a Wonderbolt because of her own recklessness, don’t you think?”

“You think I didn’t try to tell her that? Look, Rainbow, I know what you’re thinking, but no matter how good she is, she can’t work alone. That’s not how the Wonderbolts operate. We always work together. It’s true that we try to be the best, but not at any cost.”

The two mares ended their conversation about Lightning Dust’s behaviour. There was no point to continue the discussion. When they frayed themselves with towels, they got outside and felt the warm sun on their faces again.

“Tomorrow is Sunday. Firefly and I will most likely go to Whitetail Woods with the rest of our friends to spend some time together. We’ve been planning this for a while. But before that, I’m just gonna lay in my bed and do absolutely nothing,” Rainbow answered.

“Wish I could that, too, but I still have some paperwork to do. It’s tough being the leader.”

Both ponies laughed. Spitfire reminded Rainbow Dash about the next show that would be held in Stalliongrad next week before the blue pegasus left for her home.

“If I was in Spitfire’s hooves, I’d kick her out without a second thought.”

Rainbow nodded in assent, albeit a little hesitant. If Lightning Dust would be expelled from the Academy, she could never have a chance of becoming a Wonderbolt again, and that would mean one less pony for Rainbow to compete with.

Firefly’s curiosity wasn’t satisfied yet. She wanted to know what Rainbow did after that, since they were supposed to go on a weather patrol on the afternoon. When the blue pegasus got home, she wasn’t there, as Firefly went to practice a few tricks she noticed during the show and liked them very much.

“I wanted to get some rest before going out with you, but then I got a letter... Spike send it. Twilight requested for me to come to Canterlot Castle...”

As Rainbow Dash landed before the castle gates, she was greeted by Twilight Sparkle, a purple unicorn, Princess Celestia’s apprentice and one of her best friends.

“This better be important, Twilight. I need to help Firefly on a weather patrol in two hours.”

The rainbow-maned pony followed Twilight to the castle library. To her surprise, she brought her before a section that read: “History of Conflicts”.

“Weird, it’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be. Aside from The Equestrian War, we didn’t have any conflicts in the past, did we?” Rainbow asked.

“Not us. But there were numerous other conflicts around the world,” Twilight answered. “For many years, the chroniclers noted all important facts about them. Such information would prove useful in case we were attacked. There’s a story that I wanted to show you. Look at this.”

With these words, Twilight gave Rainbow a piece of paper that looked like a newspaper headline from several years ago. A black and white picture in the middle showed a squadron of griffin soldiers flying over plains.

INVASION ON HOOFSTIO
BELKA ATTACKS ITS NEIGHBOR

Rainbow scratched her head after she read the headline aloud and after hearing her friend mentioning the conflict.

Twilight explained to her that Belka used to be a principality of griffins to the far northeast of Equestria. It was established by those who left The Griffin Kingdom nearly a hundred years ago. Belka was a militaristic country, surrounded by mountains from all sides, except south, where it bordered with Republic of Hoofstio, a small country founded by several pony immigrants from Equestria. The griffins from Belka were power-hungry, so one day, they attacked Hoofstio. When the war ultimately ended in Belka’s defeat, partially thanks to aid of other countries bordering with Hoofstio, it was re-established as Neue Gryphus and it became an industrial state of The Griffin Kingdom. Many technological gems were created there, and some of them were later put to use by Red Cyclone during The Equestrian War.

Rainbow kept reading the articles, as she was curious how the ponies managed to win.

“Within just a few days, the Belkans annihilated a vast majority of Hoofstio’s air forces. They were forced to hire mercenaries in order to fight the oppressors... And those mercenaries led them to victory. Wow... who would have thought.”

“About that...” Twilight started. “One of those mercenaries was said to be the best fighter in the whole war. There’s even a picture of him, here.”

She gave it to Rainbow. The pegasus pony on it seemed a little menacing, yet there was something in him that made Dash think she met him before. Rainbow noticed his short mane, adamantite look and solid physique. Her eyes widened.

“I thought so, too, at first, but after closer analysis, I realized he doesn't look anything like him. Those eyes have a different shape, the color of feathers on his wings is darker than the rest of his body... not to mention those numerous scars.”

Rainbow looked closer. Indeed, the pegasus’ body had many claw-shaped scars on it, namely on the back and some on the face. He must’ve got them in countless battles he fought in.

“The strangest thing is that his name is never mentioned. He’s only referred to as the ‘Demon Lord of the Round Table’.”

That title sounded both intimidating and silly. When Rainbow pointed out the “Round Table” part, Twilight told her that it was the name of an airspace situated on the borders of Belka and Hoofstio. Ace fighters from both sides would often clash in intense battles there in order to determine who was the best of them all and be known as the "Demon Lord of the Round Table". When the war came to an end, everyone agreed that this pegasus rightfully earned that unique title. He was undefeatable, known for his brutal fighting style and never letting his prey escape.

All of these facts intrigued Rainbow as she stared at his picture for a while. Later, she offered Twilight to look for additional facts regarding The Belkan War and the pegasus ace.

“So, you see, Twilight and I were caught up in the research, and I totally forgot about the weather patrol,” Rainbow finished.

When she explained everything that happened to Firefly, she didn’t seem annoyed much.

Both mares then flew up, heading to meet their friends, starting with Lightning Bolt and Cloud Kicker. Since the end of The Equestrian War, these two were living together and treated each other as close friends, perhaps even a little closer than that.

Lightning Bolt was a white-coated pegasus pony with cyan mane and eyes. She was quite clever and well-acquainted with technology. Firefly always had great trust in her. Cloud Kicker was nearly the opposite of her. Lightning was usually calm and collected, but the purple pony’s attitude was bright, cheerful, and she had that never-fading smile on her face that put everypony around her in a good mood. During the war, they volunteered to join Firefly’s Mirage squadron, wanting to help them in fighting the griffin invasion off. Lightning’s acuity and Cloud Kicker’s optimism helped them in the hardest of times.

Both were really glad to see Rainbow and Firefly visiting them. They remembered about the trip to Whitetail Woods, so after a few minutes, Lightning and Cloud were ready to go with them. The purple pony seemed a little sleepy, though, as she wasn’t expecting guests to come this early. Hearing this, Rainbow let out a snicker. She had the same problem a couple of hours earlier. When all four pegasi went outside, they headed for Ponyville to get Fluttershy, Medley and Derpy.

Rainbow spotted Fluttershy’s cottage when they entered Ponyville airspace. She approached the door and knocked on it. The face of a yellow pegasus pony peeked from behind the door. Fluttershy seemed a little surprised, but genuinely happy to see her friends. She invited them to come inside for a moment. The yellow mare wasn’t asleep for a while now, as she was taking care of several animals that lived with her. Cloud Kicker noticed Medley, a youthful green pegasus pony, lying on the couch and sleeping cutely, with her front hooves covering her mouth. Cloud Kicker playfully poked her in the flank, causing Medley to yawn. When she saw Rainbow Dash and the others, she let out a happy squeal and flew to Rainbow, who stroked her mane. Medley, despite growing up a little in those two years, was still one of Rainbow’s youngest friends, and, just like Scootaloo, she was somewhat a fan of her. The blue pegasus liked Medley for her determination and still remembered how she saved her life during The Equestrian War.

Fluttershy quickly gathered her animal friends and told them to keep the cottage and the surrounding area neat and tidy. Angel, Fluttershy’s pet bunny, was supposed to keep an eye on everyone, including a big, brown bear named Harry. He seemed to be amused by that idea, but didn’t protest. Fluttershy was ready to come with Rainbow, and so was Medley. The green pegasus had a small bag with her. Inside it was a big, pink gumball. Medley said it would be nice to play a little in the woods, so she took it from her house before she came here to help Fluttershy with her animals. All six friends headed for Derpy’s house now.

On their way, Rainbow noticed a small, white flower entwined in Fluttershy’s mane. She got a little closer, wanting to speak with her about it.

“Hey, nice flower, Fluttershy,” Rainbow started. “Where’d you find it?”

Fluttershy didn’t answer at first, but when she did, her voice was filled with happiness.

“Shamrock?” Rainbow asked in surprise. “You mean, the one from Garuda team?”

Fluttershy nodded and told Rainbow that she, Lightning Bolt and Cloud Kicker went to Emareia a couple of days ago. They never forgot the invitation from the two pegasi, Talisman and Shamrock. The latter one was especially nice to them and wished to see them again after things in Equestria would finally return to normal.

Rainbow agreed, hoping that Fluttershy would tell her everything in Whitetail Woods. The other pegasi didn’t seem to be bothered at all. Within fifteen minutes, all of them reached Ponyville and made their way to Derpy’s house.

The grey pegasus pony already awoke, while her two children, Dinky and Pipsqueak, were still sleeping soundly. In truth, only Dinky was Derpy’s real child. Pip’s parents were killed during The Equestrian War, so Derpy offered him to take residence with her, upon Dinky’s request. Since then, the two little ponies treated each other like brother and sister.

Their presence alone was reinforcing for Derpy. She suffered greatly during the war as well, having lost her two best friends, Raindrops and Carrot Top. Although she tried, she could never truly get over their deaths. Every month, Derpy took Dinky and Pipsqueak to the Garden of the Fallen with her so they could visit not only their graves, but those belonging to Pip’s parents as well. The two kids knew how great her pain was and were doing everything they could to keep her in high spirits. Most of the time it worked.

When Dinky and Pipsqueak finally started waking up, rubbing their eyes and welcoming each other with broad smiles, Derpy called for them:

“Rise and shine, kids! I’m going to make some muffins. They will be ready soon. Go wash your hooves and mouths.”

Dinky and Pip both responded with an overjoyed “Yay!” before they went towards the bathroom. In the meantime, Derpy began baking her favorite treats, while looking around and reminiscing. As her eyes rested on several pictures drawn by Dinky, the grey mare smiled. However, when she looked on the shelf that contained some photos, she noticed the one with her deceased friends. There were days when Derpy had that unreal, yet undying hope that, one day, she would see them again...

She didn’t let those distract her for too long, though, as she quickly turned her attention back to the oven, making sure that the muffins would not burn. Hearing Dinky and Pipsqueak sharing a giggle, Derpy smiled again, feeling some inner poignant happiness.

Just as the two little ponies entered the kitchen, they all heard knocking on the doors.

“Who could it be...?” Derpy wondered. “Dinky, would you be so kind and go see?”

Without saying a word, Dinky ran to the door and peeked through the small window. She saw six familiar pegasi mares and opened the door with an expression of joy.

“Mommy! It’s the Angels!” she exclaimed, motioning the ponies to come inside.

“Angels” was the nickname given to Rainbow, Firefly and their companions in the war by Cheerilee and the fillies they visited one day. It was thanks to their courageous efforts that ponies ultimately prevailed over the griffins.

Cloud Kicker got a little closer to the oven and licked her lips when she saw several well-baked muffins inside. Derpy decided to make some more after the first batch was ready. Naturally, Fluttershy didn’t want make her feel uncomfortable about it, but Derpy simply said:

Everypony sat around the table. A few minutes later, they were enjoying the taste of muffins together. In addition, Derpy served the best kind of apple juice for them to drink. Her friends wanted to know how she was doing. Derpy tried to sound casual, telling them she was having a great time with her kids, and even her work wasn’t hard as it seemed before. Rainbow Dash reminded her about the trip to Whitetail Woods. While Derpy was willing to go, she wondered what to do with Dinky and Pipsqueak. Leaving them alone for a few hours wasn’t the smartest choice, even though she knew the two would behave.

Derpy remembered that, a few weeks ago, Dinky and Pip were accepted into a club of ponies who were still trying to earn their cutie marks. It was initially run by Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, but they decided to expand their horizons and begun searching for new members. Dinky and Pipsqueak were among the first that volunteered to join. Apple Bloom told them that if they come, they would meet two other ponies who had plans to join the club as well. Derpy thought about it for a moment and agreed to let them go and play. Dinky and Pipsqueak shared a hug with their mom, causing the other pegasi to smile warmly as they saw it.

Once the breakfast was done with, the ponies helped Derpy with cleaning up the dishes and readied themselves to fly to Whitetail Woods. Derpy saw Dinky and Pipsqueak off and flew into the sky with her six companions.

“Hey, you still have that ball with you?” Cloud Kicker asked. “I can’t wait to play dodgebomb with you again.”

“I still find it hard to believe that it’s already been two years since the end of the war...” Firefly said. “And yet...”

“Oh yeah, Firefly,” Rainbow said suddenly. “Did you get in touch with Black Star? Did you talked about anything?”

“No, he’s gone. He seemingly vanished without a trace. Zeakros... I mean, Valdar, seems to have no intentions on looking for him. Something tells me he’s far away from Equestria...”

Rainbow still remembered seeing Firefly being depressed and broken after her encounters with Black Star, a cold-blooded griffon soldier, responsible for killing her parents and initiating the war. It wasn’t until the final days of the conflict that she learned the truth; Black Star was forced to cooperate with Red Cyclone, the true instigator of the conflict. If he would’ve done otherwise, he would undoubtedly have been killed.

Firefly settled the case with him and hadn’t seen him since the battle in The Valley of Kings.

“Hey, stop worrying. It’s a closed chapter, time to move on!” said Rainbow. “Let’s enjoy the peace. We earned it, after all.”

Having arrived in the forest, the seven ponies were turning their heads around, amazed at the lovely surroundings. In this time of year, the trees had been completely covered with leaves, birds were chirping, wind was blowing gently; an atmosphere of true relaxation. Rainbow and her friends landed near a river, seeing it as a perfect location to enjoy themselves. Mere seconds later, Cloud Kicker wanted to jump into it, only to be smacked in the face by Medley’s ball. It was a challenge from her. Lightning Bolt simply lay on the grass next to a tree, wanting to catch some sunbeams. Derpy soon joined Cloud Kicker and Medley while Firefly decided to go swimming in the river a little. Rainbow followed her soon after. Time passed quickly on various games, and they all had great fun.

Except for Fluttershy. She was sitting on the side, not interested in playing too much. Rainbow noticed that and decided to talk with her. It could have something to do with her trip to Emareia... When Rainbow asked her about it again, Fluttershy’s voice started trembling a little. It was difficult to determine if she was nervous or disappointed.

“Shamrock is trying to start his life anew... He and Talisman quit the army, and now they live in a house by the lake. When I came with Lightning Bolt and Cloud Kicker... we met his girlfriend.”

“Yes... She was very pretty and kind. They are together for six months now. Shamrock told me that they are even planning to have a baby together...”

Rainbow Dash felt a little awkward hearing these news. Still, she tried to keep her cool.

Fluttershy looked surprised. She lowered her head and stared into the distance ahead of her.

“Yes. But... it’s not what you think. I love him... as a friend. Shamrock suffered a lot in his life... invasion on his country, the death of his sister... and still, despite all that, he came to help us. I saw his sadness... I wanted to make him feel better.”

Rainbow didn’t say a word to this. She just kept looking on Fluttershy, as if trying to read her thoughts.

“I like him... very much. But I don’t think it’s truly love. He’s just a great friend... nothing more. All I want for Shamrock is to be happy. As long as he is happy, I am, too.”

“We are separated by a thousand miles... but I’ve promised to see him again in the future. I’d like to see his baby grow... Besides, his girlfriend told us that Shamrock is lucky to have friends like us.”

Saying those words, Fluttershy smiled. Rainbow wasn’t sure what to say. Despite the fact that the pony she seemed infatuated with had another mare for a girlfriend, she wasn’t really sad...

“Anyway, Rainbow,” the yellow pegasus suddenly said, “I was wondering how you and Mobius are doing. Are you exchanging letters?”

“Uhhh... I-I don’t even know where he is... Sky Eye wrote to me about eight months ago that they found a place where they can finally rest, away from the wars... but I haven’t got a word from them since...”

“Of course I do. He was the best... I learned a lot by observing him. … Look, don’t tell anypony about it, but sometimes... I’m having a dream we’re flying together and... I....”

“Don’t worry, your secrets are safe with me. Pinkie promise,” she put her hoof on her right, closed eye.

She didn’t seem worried anymore and decided to join the others in having fun. Firefly wanted Rainbow to enjoy her company for a little flight over the woods, as she wanted to dry herself. In the meantime, Fluttershy went to join Cloud Kicker and Medley, who were still playing dodgebomb. Much to the purple pegasus’ annoyance, Medley kept on beating her.

Cloud Kicker used an opening as Medley suddenly came to a halt while looking above the trees. She didn’t even pay attention when the pink ball hit her in the face.

“Ha ha ha, yeah! See? I’ve beat you!” Cloud Kicker shouted as she started dancing around Medley.

Lightning Bolt was watching their game and knew that Medley could easily dodge that attack... so why didn’t she? It took her a few seconds to notice that the green pegasus was standing in place with an expression of horror on her face. Lightning came closer to her.

She didn’t answer, instead pointing her hoof into the sky. Lightning’s eyes shrunk in fear.

The white pegasus brought Cloud Kicker to her senses and told her to find Firefly and the others. Upon noticing the smoke in the air, she flew high, seeing their silhouettes coming closer.

“What the...? Where’s that smoke coming from?” Firefly asked. “Is there a fire?”

After a minute, all seven pegasi were already on their way toward the source of the smoke. They seemed quite anxious.

“It just appeared out of nowhere... What could be...?” Lightning Bolt wondered.

Just then, a sound of an explosion erupted in the distance. The smoke was getting bigger.

Derpy remembered that the town of New Saddle was located not too far from Whitetail Woods. She then realized something.

“What if— Oh, no! It’s not the fire in the woods, the town is in danger! It’s inhabited by earth ponies only. They won’t be able to deal with the fire all by themselves!”

The pegasi started flapping their wings even faster, but came to a screeching halt upon exiting the woods and noticing the carnage that unfold before them. In place of New Saddle was nothing but a burning inferno. The houses enveloped by flames were slowly crumbling and breaking into pieces, ponies tried everything to find a save spot or evacuate to the outskirts. Rainbow and the others could hear their screams of terror. As soon as she realized the gravity of the situation, the rainbow-maned pegasus started dispatching her companions to aid the citizens.

“Lightning Bolt! Get to the ponies that escaped and see if they have some sort of communicator or a radio. Try to contact Spitfire and tell her to bring the Medical Corps to New Saddle! The rest of you are coming with me! We’ll gather up clouds from the area to make one giant cloud and make it rain on the fire. This should put it down. Once we’ll take care of that, Cloud Kicker, Derpy and Medley will go to see if anypony remains in the town. In the meantime, Firefly, Fluttershy and me will try to gather some information. You know what to do! Hurry up!”

When Lightning left to do her part of the job, the other pegasi begun amassing clouds in order to cast a downpour. All the while they couldn’t stop thinking about what happened.

It took them a few minutes to finally amass a sufficient amount of clouds, which they then merged together and started bouncing on them. The rain from the big cloud managed to subside most of the raging fires. Now Rainbow, Fluttershy and Firefly descended to the survivors, trying to learn who or what was behind this disaster.

At the same time, Cloud Kicker, Derpy and Medley flew into the smoke to find any more ponies alive. What they saw was horrifying. Practically every house turned into complete ruin, the smoke was limiting their visions and made it hard to breathe... Cloud Kicker spotted a trapped pony, still breathing and calling for help. She and Derpy went to free him from under the rubble.

The green pegasus followed the voice and soon managed to find a little earth pony child, trapped under a destroyed house. She tried to reach it, but it kept struggling, trying to escape on its own.

“Don’t move!” Medley screamed. “Calm down! I will take you to your mom. Just grab onto me...!”

Just then, the rubble started coming down, cutting the little pony from Medley. Knowing she had to hurry, she started to remove pieces of wood and stone by herself, trying to dig her way to it. Cloud Kicker and Derpy found her in this state, as they carried the wounded middle-aged pony on their arms.

“What are you doing, Medley?” Cloud Kicker exclaimed. “There’s no time for this! The smoke is getting too thick. There’s nothing more we can do! We must leave!”

“No, not yet! There’s a baby trapped in there! Help me!” Medley screamed in response.

The two mares briefly put the earth pony on the ground and aided Medley in finding the child. But it wasn’t moving... Cloud Kicker again told Medley to get back to the others.

It would appear that most ponies luckily managed to escape the flames. Some of them had mild burns or wounds, probably caused by falling debris. Fluttershy was distraught upon seeing a family of ponies without a small foal in mother’s arms. Those parents couldn’t tell if it was alive or not, but the pain on their faces was visible. They probably thought it must have fallen behind... Lightning Bolt returned from her search.

“Yes. She and the other Wonderbolts will be here soon. The Medical Corps will be coming, too,” the white pegasus replied.

Rainbow stopped mid-sentence, seeing her friends return from the smoking remains of New Saddle, coughing a little. Their sight relieved her, but only briefly, as one of the middle-aged mares darted toward Medley, who carried a little pony on her arms.

Medley handed the child to her. For a moment, everything seemed to be fine, but then the mare collapsed on the ground, sobbing hysterically. That little pony never opened its eyes again. A few ponies approached her and tried to comfort her. Medley could barely hold her tears.

“I found it... under rubble... it got trapped... It was calling out to mommy... I...”

Derpy hugged her tight. She knew well how horrible it must have been for that baby’s mother.

Cloud Kicker felt sadness as well. Fluttershy decided to check on the wounded earth pony. Dash wanted some answers. One of the ponies, seemingly looking to be an authority of the town, approached her.

The green-coated stallion slowly turned his head in Rainbow’s direction. When he spoke, he sounded like he had a really sore throat.

“The Diamond Dogs... they were trying to steal the gems... we planned to have a major celebration today... but they showed up and sacked the town.”

The seven pegasi looked at each other. The Diamond Dogs are a vicious bunch, known for their greed and are not above hurting ponies if they happen to get in their way of earning more and more gems for their own needs.

Before Firefly asked if they were also responsible for starting the fire, the earth pony started mumbling to himself in depression. He revealed with a broken voice that the attack killed his neighbors and family. After a few moments of uneasiness, as they tried to calm the civilians down, Medley spotted Spitfire, and the Wonderbolts approaching them. Upon landing before Rainbow, the blue pegasus noticed great anxiety on her face.

“Listen up, girls. We, along with the Medical Corps, will take it over from here. You are to go to Canterlot Castle. Princess Celestia’s orders. Rainbow, Twilight and the rest of your friends are already there.”

Rainbow Dash nodded in silence and did as Spitfire told her. She took to the skies, looking behind her to see a big, smoldering hole in the ground where the town of New Saddle was. Fluttershy got closer to her.

Lightning Bolt looked around and noticed the sun slowly hiding behind the horizon. She shuddered, as the way it glowed gave an impression of a bloody red color. What would normally be a pretty sight, seeing it now gave her chills this time. Cloud Kicker approached her and saw it as well. It must have scared her a bit, as she cuddled Lightning. Firefly stared into the setting sun for a moment herself. A feeling of uncertainty struck her. She felt that ominous sign meant something. But she didn’t knew what. Nopony knew.

Ace Combat: Wings of Unity

by PolishValsion

Chapter 1: Red Sun