Rainbow hated sleeping.
When she lived in Cloudsdale, before the war started, Rainbow could find no better way to spend an afternoon than a power nap on a cloud. That was when she wasn't fighting in a war. She didn't feel vulnerable, and there was certainly no cold metal wing pressed up against her side.
Even though it was underground, the base still managed to feel colder than anywhere the pegasus had ever been. Without the Crystal Heart, the Frozen North was unpredictable and uncontrollable. Snowstorms appeared out of nowhere, and the temperature rarely rose above freezing.
The Mess Hall was dark and eerie at this time. There was no smell of overcooked military rations, no soldiers boasting of recent accomplishments, there was only silence. Rainbow's many restless nights usually brought her here as she took a walk around the base. The pegasus didn't expect to see somepony else sitting at a table as she walked in.
"Can't sleep?" Shining Armor asked as she noticed the Wonderbolt in the doorway. The unicorn was eating leftovers from dinner.
"Nothing new." Rainbow groaned as she sat across from the Captain. "You too?"
"Nah, I just got out of a meeting with the Princess. She's very thorough about her strategies." Shining Armor grinned. "I thought I might see you."
"You did?" Rainbow asked.
"Yup. I see you wandering the halls some nights on my way back to my room. Figured it was a regular thing."
"I'm not one for sleeping anymore." The pegasus sighed. "I keep myself awake a lot. Just thinking about things."
"About the war?" Shining asked.
Rainbow nodded. "Especially the day we left Spitfire behind. It just keeps playing back, and I think off all the things I could've done to save her."
"There's nothing anypony could've done." Shining Armor heaved. "Your entire team would be no match for Sombra. I wish I could've done something too."
"What was it like when you heard about the war?" Rainbow asked a few seconds later, desperate to change the subject.
"Well." Shining Armor finished his meal. "There was always a little outpost out here to keep watch for anything weird. The Princess knew the Empire would return someday, and with it, King Sombra."
"So you knew the minute it appeared?" The pegasus asked.
"I was stationed in Canterlot. I'd only gotten back from...." Shining trailed off.
"From your honeymoon." Rainbow finished. "The war only started a few weeks after you married Princess Cadence."
Shining Armor nodded painfully. "I almost lost her when the Changelings invaded. And I only got to spend a few weeks with her before... before she was sent here. I haven't heard from her since Sombra declared war."
"I'm so sorry." Rainbow held out her hoof for the Captain. She could see the single tear move down his face as he looked down.
"Nobody believed it when we got news. Equestria had never gone to war. Not even the Dragons had ever gone so far. Nobody took Sombra's claim seriously until the Crystal Ponies crossed over into Vanhoover and sacked it completely. We managed to push them out, but the city was in ruins."
"That was when the Wonderbolts got called in." Rainbow Dash finished the story. "I'd dreamed of flying with them when I was a filly. I grew out of it though when I realized flying wasn't my thing, but they needed all the pegasi they could get."
"Didn't you work in the weather factory in Cloudsdale? What got you out of flying?" Shining Armor inquired.
"When I was a filly I raced these bullies who were teasing a filly in my flight camp class. In the middle, my wings just froze up, and I trailed way behind. They never let me hear the end of it after that. I found out the hard way I wasn't a very good flier."
"You seem pretty agile in the skies now though. Maybe you should re-think it." Shining Armor suggested. "The war's got to end at some point, and maybe when it does, Soarin' and Fleetfoot could offer you some professional training."
"Maybe." Rainbow Dash yawned. "I guess our stories managed to get me feeling sleepy. I'd better head back to my bunk." The Pegasus got up off her seat. "G'night Cap."
"Night, Rainbow." Shining Armor waved. It was time he hit the hay too.