Things had been quiet since the battle which resulted in the loss of Spitfire. There had been no activity from the Empire, so Celestia took this time to increase the morale of her troops, as well as give time to mourn the losses from the battle.
The Wonderbolts were out on a routine patrol of the area. Fleetfoot had since been promoted to Commander. Promises of new Pegasi being added to the team had yet to be fulfilled.
"Nothing as usual, Sir." Fleetfoot reported to Shining Armor though her headset. "We're on our way back." The trio began flying in the direction of the base camp.
"You ok Rainbow Dash?" Soarin' asked her teammate. "You seem to be keeping a pretty sharp eye down there."
Rainbow sighed. "I was trying to see if I could find any signs of..." the pegasus trailed off.
"Spitfire?" Fleetfoot asked. "As much as I want to find her out here too, I think if she hadn't been captured, or worse, she would've gotten back to base camp by now. It's been a week."
"You're right." Rainbow admitted. "She's probably gone."
After weeks of waiting, Shining Armor finally announced that a group of Pegasi would be arriving from Cloudsdale within the next few days to help out the aerial teams.
"I just hope we don't lose anymore soldiers." Fleetfoot sighed. "One of us is enough. Hopefully this whole war can come to an end soon."
"I think it just might." Shining Armor revealed. "I don't know if I should be telling you this, but Celestia and I have managed to make contact with someone inside the city."
"Inside?" Rainbow gasped. "But aren't they all brainwashed in there? How are you sure they can be trusted?"
"She claims to have a defective helmet." The unicorn answered. "She definitely sounded way too emotional to be under Sombra's spell. Celestia still wants to be cautious though."
"I can understand that." Rainbow nodded.
"Speaking of the Princess. I need to go meet her. I'll be briefing you when the new Pegasi arrive." Shining Armor trotted off to meet Celestia.
Food on the front lines wasn't exactly gourmet Manehatten delicacies. Most meals consisted of gruel, a piece of near-rotted fruit and a glass of water. There were rare occasions when supplies would be sent out from cities like nearby Vanhoover or Canterlot, but that only lasted a few days at best.
The Wonderbolts were queuing up to collect their lunch when Rainbow spotted the two Earth Ponies that had saved her from the falling boulder a few days ago.
"Keep my place for me Soar? I need to speak with those two." Rainbow said quickly as she made her way over to the mares.
"Hi.. my name's Rainbow Dash." The pegasus introduced herself.
"We've heard." One of the mares responded in a bland tone. She was grey, had a light purple mane, and her eyes were in a half-lidded state which suggested she was trapped inside some sort of eternal boredom. "My name's Maud Pie. This is my sister Pinkie Pie." She pointed at the mare sitting opposite her. Her coat certainly looked less drab than her sister's. It was a bright pink, with a slightly darker mane. She looked equally as bored though.
"Nice to meet you." Rainbow gave a slight smile. "I wanted to thank you for crushing up that boulder the other day. I would've been squashed into the snow if it wasn't for you two."
"It was no problem." Pinkie replied. Her tone was as dull as her sister's. It made Rainbow wonder if the two were even interested in her.
"I uh... just thought I should tell you that." Rainbow continued, awkwardly as she began to walk away. "I should get back to the others now."
"It was nice talking to you." Maud waved after her, not even cracking a smile.
"What was that about?" Soarin' asked as Rainbow walked back over.
"They saved my life on the battlefield the other day. Smashed up this huge boulder with their bare hooves. I just wanted to say thanks." Rainbow informed her teammate.
"Those two are a little.. awkward don't you think?" The stallion went on. "I don't think I've ever seen them smile."
"At times like this, Soarin'." Rainbow Dash said as she picked up her food tray. "There's not many people here with enough reason to smile."
"They have two other sisters, a lot easier to talk to. Well, one of them at least. Marble and Limestone Pie."
"I've met Marble Pie." Rainbow remembered. "She works in the medic tent. She was the one who hooked me up with this." The pegasus opened up her metal wing, still trying to get used to it after a few months.
"Oh right." Soarin' remembered the circumstances which led to Rainbow needing a new wing all to clearly. "That was a pretty nasty fight."
"You should've seen the other guy." Rainbow chuckled.
"Boys! I want you both outside now! The procession is starting in 5 minutes!" Chestnut Falls snapped through the door into Blizzard and Diamond Glow's room.
"We'll be right there, miss!" Diamond answered. "Come on Blizzard, if we're not outside when the King arrives, I don't even wanna think about what's going to happen!"
As the younger colt turned around, he noticed Blizzard was packing a saddlebag.
"Blizzard? What are you doing?" Diamond asked.
"What does it look like?" The unicorn said, without even turning to face his friend. He levitated a pair of winter jackets into his bag. "I'm packing."
"Packing what? We don't have time for games Blizzard!"
"We're running away, Diamond."