The Last Cutie Mark Crusader

by Jatheus

5 The Forging of an Elite Squad

Pibs woke up screaming, or so she thought. It was a dream that hadn't quite ended as she was awakening. Her heart raced as she lay in her bunk; she realized that she hadn't screamed, but she was covered in a cold sweat. She sat up, and it was all she could do to just try and keep breathing. It wasn't her first nightmare. She got them fairly frequently ever since Dodge Junction was destroyed. She was with her family again in this dream, which was typical. They were walking through the forest near Hayseed Swamps, which was near home. Her mom had a picnic basket, and they were going for lunch on a beautiful spring day. They spread the blanket in a clearing, and Pibs was playing ball with her younger brothers and sister. They kicked it around, and threw it through the air. Sometimes they'd throw it back and forth, and Pibs would fly up and knock it back down. Her baby brothers would laugh and laugh. On one such attempt, Pibs accidentally hit the ball too far, sending it sailing out of the clearing. When she went to get it, the plants in the forest became alive and angry. The vines and the trees attacked her, so she flew up above them. That was when she heard screaming; it was her family. She raced back to the clearing; it was somehow now miles away. She arrived only just in time to see her entire family being consumed by the forest. She wanted to help, and she flew down to them, but her dad stopped her shouting, "Pibs, go. Daddy loves, but you have to go now. Go!" The vines came for her, reaching, scratching, and grabbing. She flew up high to escape and saw her family taken by the forest. She screamed, and that was when she woke up.

She didn't know what time it was, but nopony else was up yet, so it must still be late in the night. 'Just keep breathing,' Pibs thought to herself. 'It was just a dream.' Pibs wasn't afraid of the forest. In fact, she had a love for all manner of growing things. She had developed a keen interest in plants as a filly. That love became a rabid fascination to learn everything she could about all plant life. They had a little garden back home that she would tend, so when her cutie mark appeared as an assortment of rare flowers, it didn't surprise anyone. Pibs was the only one in all of Dodge Junction that had even known the names of each flower in her cutie mark. Before the timberwolf invasion, she was all set to go and study at the Equestria Botany Institute in Vanhoover. She had hoped to one day become a botanist, studying exotic plants. Either that or a florist that sells exotic plants. Botany would probably have been lonely work, and Pibs was far too social to see herself out in the field alone. If she was on a team, that'd be fine, which is why she strongly was leaning toward florist. Everypony loves a florist, and what better way to meet a strong, handsome stallion that might one day become her special somepony? That would have been the perfect way to spend her days, near home with her family in Dodge Junction, but these plans had to be put on hold. If she ever had foals of her own, they would never know their grandparents.

Pibs was saddened by these thoughts of what should have been. She suddenly realized that she was very thirsty. Quietly, she lowered herself down onto the cold floor, and slowly padded over toward the end of the hall where the fountain was. As she approached it, a chill ran down her spine, and she froze on the spot. There was a headless horse standing by the fountain. Pibs shut her eyes tightly, trying to breathe quietly. Her father had often told the story of the Headless Horse that roamed the Hayseed Swamps, looking for little fillies and colts that wandered into the woods and got lost. He would take their heads so he could have one of his own, and the young ponies would be doomed to wander Equestria headless for the rest of the their lives. Pibs loved scary stories, but she always had nightmares about them. Her heart was pounding now, and fresh cold sweat glistened in her coat. She dared not open her eyes. She could hear the blood rushing through her ears as her heart pounded even faster. She told herself that it wasn't real, that she was still dreaming. Pibs was wide awake.

"Can't sleep?" the headless pony whispered to her.

Pibs was nearly in a panic. She fought to remain calm, imagining what it would say next. It would probably be, 'That's too bad, for now I have to take your head!' or something to that effect with a twisted maniacal laugh for good measure.

Pibs finally forced her eyes open, and it wasn't a headless horse at all. It was just Scootaloo. Relief washed over her like a wave hits the beach.

"Scootaloo! You scared me half to death!" Pibs frantically whispered.

Scootaloo snorted, looking amused, "All I did was stand here," she whispered back, "how did I scare you?"

"It was dark, and for a moment there, I thought you were the Headless Horse."

Scootaloo stifled a giggle, "Rainbow Dash got me with that story one time too."

Pibs was completely relieved now, and drank some cool water from the fountain. It was very refreshing. Pibs asked, "So, why are you up? You can't sleep either?"

Scootaloo shook her head, "I'm too excited to sleep. Rainbow Dash and Princess Twilight Sparkle have asked me to lead a team into the Everfree Forest-"

"Take me with you!" Pibs cut her off in an ecstatic whisper, excitement overflowing good sense. "I've always wanted to go to the Everfree Forest! I've read about all the plants that are there. I know about the trees, and brambles, and the poison joke-"

"Whoa there, slow down." Scootaloo hushed her as Pibs pranced in place with excitement. "This is going to be extremely dangerous. We're going to try to discover how the timberwolves are multiplying so fast. That means we'll be headed into the very heart of where they're coming from, and we're only taking a single squad."

Her excitement faded only a little, "I can be a great help to you in there! Many of the plants are also very dangerous," Pibs argued, "What other pony do you know that can keep you safe from the plant life?"

Scootaloo nodded, "Well, you do have freaky knowledge about plants, I'll give you that. On the other hoof, the training is going to be really rough. I'm not sure what Rainbow Dash has in store for us, but you can bet it's going to be brutal."

"Please take me with you, Scootaloo!" Pibs was almost on her knees, begging.

"Geez, don't be so pathetic. I'll recommend you for the team."

Pibs leaped in the air for joy, landing a little louder than she intended to. The thud of her hooves hitting the floor sounded throughout the barracks. Both Scootaloo and Pibs cringed, but it seemed that nopony was awakened by it. They nodded at each other, grinning, and they each went back to their bunks to try and get some rest. It would now be even harder for Pibs to sleep, but for a much better reason.

...

Cloud Blazer was up early for his leisurely morning flight around the training grounds in Cloudsdale. He always tried to get up before everypony else so he could have the whole sky to himself. This had been his morning ritual ever since he learned how to fly. There was nothing like the wind in your mane as you soar around your home. He had tried to get Scootaloo to join him. As it turned out, she was not the morning pony that Cloud Blazer was.

It was still dark, just before the faint hints of dawn creep into the sky. Sunrise was the best, and a dawn during a morning flight couldn't be beat. As Cloud Blazer came around, he saw somepony at the cadet leader board, the one that had the rankings of all of the cadets. As he got closer, he noticed that it was Scootaloo, and she seemed to be taking notes. Anytime Scootaloo was up this early deserved some serious investigation to determine the cause. Cloud Blazer dropped down and landed not far from her.

Scootaloo glanced back and saw Cloud Blazer, "Hey," she greeted him, and then immediately turned back to the leader board.

"Hey, yourself. What are you doing up so early? I doubt if you've lost any ranking since just last night."

"Very funny," she said flatly, "I've got a special assignment that I have to work on."

"A special assignment?" curiosity flooded him.

"Directly from Colonel Dash and Princess Twilight."

His imagination was beginning to run wild, "And...?"

She looked back at him. He could tell that she knew he wanted to know more. She finally said, "Sorry, I can't talk about it."

"Oh, come on!"

"Sorry, it's all top secret and stuff," she said in a lighthearted manner as a wry grin appeared on her face.

"Don't be like that, Scoot!" As soon as he said it, he realized he shouldn't have. The look on her face went instantly from light teasing to exasperation and frustration.

"Don't call me that!" She almost shouted quite abruptly. Without another word she stomped off back toward her barracks.

He hadn't intended to make her angry. He wanted to apologize, but the way she was storming away made him think again. He'd do it later. It would be best to let her have a chance to cool off first. They usually got along just fine, but sometimes he was a bit of an idiot. Cloud Blazer chastised himself, and then continued his morning flight around the compound. He and her other friends, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, had all called her 'Scoot' when they were younger. However, the moniker seemed to increasingly annoy her in the last few years. He took to the sky and returned to his approximate position. Somehow, the air was less fresh, and the flight not nearly as enjoyable today.

...

Scootaloo made it all the way back to her barracks before she even began to calm down. She didn't usually get that upset at Cloud Blazer, but she just wasn't in the mood for that kind of foolishness. She'd already told him on several occasions that she didn't like to be called by that childish nickname anymore, but he'd been using it since before she could fly. Back then she hadn't minded at all, but enough was enough. Maybe he hadn't meant to be offensive; sometimes old habits die hard. She let out a sigh of frustration and tried to push it from her mind.

The morning was otherwise uneventful. Everypony assembled for roll call, and did the normal routine of breakfast, making beds, and chores. Scootaloo got to be excused once drills started, and she went back to Rainbow Dash's office, as ordered. Unlike the previous two times she'd been here, the outer office was full of ponies that were coming up with plans and scenarios for the cadets to run through. It was full of noises and cross talk, which made it seem like a very exciting place to be.

Scootaloo walked silently passed everypony and to Rainbow Dash's office, but the door was shut. She stood for a moment, and had just decided to knock when it opened in front of her with the glow of magic.

"It looks like you beat me here," Princess Twilight Sparkle said from behind her.

Scootaloo smiled and followed her into the office.

Rainbow Dash greeted them, "Good morning!" They all sat around the desk.

Twilight Sparkle began, "Alright, Scootaloo, do you have any ideas for our team?"

Scootaloo answered, "Yes, your majesty. I looked over the leader board this morning for some help, and I know of some that I definitely want, but I'm open to suggestions."

"No problem, we're here to help," Colonel Rainbow Dash said, sounding rather informal.

Twilight Sparkle added, "Plus we'll have plenty of time to work together to make sure it's a solid team. Just one thing, Scootaloo. I already told you; you don't have to call me 'your majesty'. We've known each other way too long, just call me Twilight."

Scootaloo just couldn't do it, so she said, "Yes, ma'am." It was strange, really; she had been calling her Twilight for years. Something about the command structure that had been drilled into her for the past few months was making it difficult.

The princess smiled, "That works too."

Rainbow Dash giggled. It was the first time Scootaloo had seen her this relaxed since she'd arrived in Cloudsdale.

Scootaloo realized that she now had the undivided attention of the other two. She sat up straight, "For starters, I definitely want Cloud Blazer. He was with me in Canterlot, and he responds well under pressure. He's handy in a fight, too. Also, I want Pibs," Rainbow Dash was making notes. "I didn't really get to see her fight, but she kept her cool in Canterlot, even after being shot down and suffering a concussion. More importantly, she has freaky knowledge about plants and stuff. She was studying to be a botanist or something before the timberwolves invaded, and she says she knows about all the plants in the Everfree Forest. I think she'd be very useful. I've also considered Sparklefly because she's such a great flyer; she's always been at the top of our company's leader board since the first day."

This was mostly true. It was also true that it would give Scootaloo a certain feeling of accomplishment to have Sparklefly under her command. It may have been a bit petty, but she didn't care. She just wanted to be ahead of her this once.

Rainbow Dash said, "Not to mention how awesome she was in Canterlot!"

Scootaloo resisted the urge to frown at the colonel's praise of Sparklefly.

Twilight Sparkle added, "True, but we may not be doing a lot of flying. Every time scouts have tried to fly into the forest we have lost them."

Rainbow Dash countered, "That's true, but Sparklefly's a natural leader, and really good in a fight."

Scootaloo, feeling a little deflated, continued, "Those were my main thoughts. For the others, I was looking at the company leader boards to see who had the overall highest scores, and I've made a list from that of ponies that I think would be good candidates."

Rainbow Dash seemed to approve of this strategy and agreed, "Sure, we can get them in and see how the group performs together starting first thing tomorrow."

Rainbow Dash took the list from Scootaloo. She began to read over it.

Twilight Sparkle asked, "Cloud Blazer is a friend of yours isn't he? What about Pibs?"

Scootaloo replied, "Yeah; I've known Cloud Blazer since I lived in Ponyville. He moved there while Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and I still had our Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse." She suddenly felt very self-conscious about her cutie mark, but the princess didn't seem to pay any attention to the lack thereof. Of course, Twilight was already well aware of its absence. Scootaloo continued, "I only really just got to know Pibs on our way to Canterlot. She's been in my squad since I arrived here, but we never really talked until then."

Twilight Sparkle said, "That's good; friendship can be a powerful thing." Scootaloo and the princess shared a knowing look, remembering simpler times in Ponyville, before the Cutie Mark Crusaders grew up, before Rainbow Dash joined the Wonderbolts, before Rarity, Sweetie Belle's sister, moved to Manehattan... Life seemed much simpler back then, but the lessons learned and the friends made were never forgotten.

Rainbow Dash looked up at Scootaloo, "I only see one problem. I don't think we should take Breeze Flicker. Her scores are good, but she's afraid of only two things. Enclosed spaces and spiders, both of which are in large supply in the Everfree Forest."

Scootaloo replied, "I had no idea, thanks."

Rainbow Dash said, "No problem. I’ll give you Regal Masquerade instead. He’s usually not quite at the top of the boards, but he’s one of the best. I’ll have the rest of these assemble this evening so we can all meet each other."

Twilight Sparkle said, "I want to add one final thing. This mission is going to be very dangerous. I believe we should only accept members on a volunteer basis."

Rainbow Dash looked a little skeptical but shrugged, "It's your party, Twilight."

...

That evening, just after dinner, the ponies chosen for Scootaloo's squad assembled at a small new training field across the city from the rest of the Academy. There were nine including Twilight Sparkle. In addition to Scootaloo, Sparklefly, Cloud Blazer, and Pibs, one mare and three stallions joined the squad. They were Nimba, Regal Masquerade, Lightning Dasher, and Nitro. Nimba and Nitro were twins, though they looked nothing alike. Regal Masquerade was from Manehattan, and Lightning Dasher was from Las Pegasus.

It was Sparklefly's impression that they had a solid team put together. She had met Regal Masquerade once or twice during their war games, when they would pit one company against another competitively. The others were strangers to her, but they all had been at the top of their respective companies, just like she was.

Colonel Rainbow Dash blew a whistle. Everypony but Twilight Sparkle instinctively formed a line facing the colonel. "Alright, listen up! For those of you who don't know, you've been asked here tonight to be part of an elite squad for a special mission. It will be led by Princess Twilight Sparkle, with Scootaloo as second in command. Twilight, you're up."

Twilight Sparkle walked over to Rainbow Dash, faced the cadets, and the spoke, "I'm very pleased to meet all of you. I wish it were under better circumstances, but I need your help. I've been tasked with infiltrating the Everfree Forest and finding the source of the timberwolves unchecked ability to multiply. We will go in, assess the situation, and come up with a strategy to stop them. I believe that this will be extremely hazardous, and so I wanted to let you all know that this will be a volunteer mission. Nopony will look down on you for not wanting to come."

Rainbow Dash continued, "As of this moment, everything you know or hear about this mission is classified. If you choose to be on this squad, you'll be pulled from regular training and ranking. I am personally going to handle your preparation for this mission. Additionally, everypony graduating from this squad will receive the rank of corporal or better. You'll have the night to decide so be here immediately following roll call in the morning. We're not doing any drills tonight, so why don't you all get to know each other a little bit before you hit your racks."

Looking around at the ponies that had been assembled, Sparklefly doubted whether any of them would be remiss in taking this opportunity. She felt really good about this group. Taking all of the best cadets and having Colonel Dash personally see to their training would make them tough to beat, but they also were going to have an alicorn with them. That would make them unstoppable.

Princess Twilight Sparkle stood to the side with the colonel and spoke quietly to each other while the cadets began introducing themselves. Nimba and Nitro were the most gregarious two. Nitro began by telling a joke at his sister's expense. She smacked him playfully in response for it and returned the phrase with a rather degrading comment of her own. These two were no strangers to sparring with each other, that much was evident. Lightning Dasher had the confidence of the colonel, but it seemed to be tempered with a little more humility. Regal Masquerade seemed impressively strong for a Pegasus. Pibs seemed rather taken with him at first glance. Sparklefly couldn't blame her; he was rather handsome as well. As for Scootaloo, she seemed very pleased with herself to have her own squad. Sparklefly didn't miss the glances she made or the look in her eyes. She had the unmistakable look of pride about her. She couldn't be certain, but Sparklefly suspected that Scootaloo was especially glad to be in command of so many top cadets, including herself. Whatever the case, Sparklefly was happy for her and also felt relief that they hadn't asked her to command the mission. She still didn't feel up to being in charge of anything for the hurt she still carried.

Her sadness was heavy, and her emotions were raw. The previous evening that Princess Celestia had come to talk to her had been immeasurably helpful. In addition, words of wisdom that Sparklefly had grown up hearing were now rattling around in hear head, compliments of Twinklestar, her "Momma Mare". She knew that time would help her heal, and that little bit of hope was enough to drive her forward.

The pony cadets mingled for an hour or so before they started heading off, one by one to their respective barracks. Sparklefly didn't really have any misgivings about the group initially, but after spending time with them all, she felt even better about them. She knew one thing for certain: first thing in the morning, she was reporting to be on the princess's elite squad.

...

Pibs was amazed, not to mention horrified, at how intense the new training was. Somepony had the bright idea of replacing everything in their combat harnesses with lead weights. In addition to all of that and a leaded vest, they wore their armor at all times during the day. They also carried an extra weighted pack. She had nearly passed out the first day, twice. The flight training was extremely rigorous as well. On top of all the extra weights, they had to practice with the "rescue pony" weights. It was all any of them could do just to stay in the air for the first two days. Colonel Rainbow Dash had become rather sadistic to their squad members. She was constantly yelling at them and berating their abilities. She used all sorts of demeaning phrases to describe the way that they completed their drills, which was very disheartening at first. She seemed to take particular pleasure in yelling at Twilight. It was still rather thrilling to be working with an actual princess, but Pibs was beside herself in that they were specifically told not to address her by any royal titles: just Twilight.

On the bright side, all the new ponies she met were great, and Regal Masquerade was quite handsome. Scootaloo had teased Pibs since the first day that she was cheating on the unicorn of her dreams. It was all so confusing. Pibs first started going to the infirmary to visit Lighthoof because he had saved her life, and she felt so sorry for him, losing his leg like that. After he awoke, she talked to him to pass the time. Of course, she had thought he was handsome from the beginning, but the more time she spent with him, her perception changed. She got to know him in a way that she'd only ever taken time to get to know family before, and they did have several things in common. He had also lost his parents when he was young. He also loved nature, but not nearly to the same extent that Pibs did. While he appreciated the beauty of trees and flowers, she had to understand everything that could be learned about them.

Another thing that caught Pibs' attention was his attitude. Lighthoof had only ever wanted to be a soldier. With the loss of his leg, he wouldn't be able to do that anymore. He was sad about it at first, who wouldn't be, but a few days later, he had told her that it was a good thing. He had given his all as one of Princess Celestia's warriors, and had directly helped save almost two-hundred lives. True, it had cost him his leg, but he would have given his life just as surely, and he nearly did. He decided that his leg was the cost not to save the lives of others, but to save his own. That being the case he'd be a sorry soul indeed if he didn't make the most of the life he'd be able to have.

Pibs also was head over hooves for his voice. Lighthoof had such an eloquent way of speaking. She'd told him that he should do dramatic readings of poems, and the next day, she arrived to discover that he'd acquired a book of poetry to read to her when she came to visit. They eventually did talk about what he planned to do next. He wasn't sure yet, but he mentioned that if the war ended soon, maybe he'd find a beautiful mare to settle down with. They could maybe open a florist shop in Baltimare. Plus, if he were fortunate enough for a Pegasus mare to fall for him, she could fly to the ends of Equestria bringing back rare and exotic flowers to sell. Pibs knew that she must have blushed bright red when he said that, because he quickly changed the subject.

On the other hoof, Regal Masquerade was really handsome, not to mention uncommonly strong, and Pibs wasn't sure whether she was ready to settle down just yet. While it was true that she always thought of herself as having her own foals and building a family, she'd always pictured that as a few years down the road. Not that Lighthoof had even proposed such a thing, but the implication he hinted at her was enough to evoke some serious thought on the subject. So far, all it had accomplished was to make a great deal of confusion stir up inside her.

In spite of these conflicting internal forces, at the present moment, Pibs was on break and found herself heading to the infirmary to see Lighthoof again. She just couldn't stay away from him. More often than not, she found herself flying meet him, so as to not waste time walking. Although the training was rigorous, they did allow short free periods throughout the day, as long as she reported back on time. One such failure to do so had previously caused their entire company to lose privileges for two days. Thereafter, everypony found promptness an imperative.

Pibs landed just outside the infirmary and entered. It was much more empty now. Most of the injured had already been released. Pibs even had her bandage off finally. The others didn't tease her too much for her completely shorn mane. Dark blonde stubble had already traced the path along her scalp, but it was still going to be months before it was back to their cropped military mane-cuts. It was the one thing that made Pibs thankful for having to wear a helmet all the time during training now. As etiquette required, she had removed it when she entered the hospital. Within moments she saw those green eyes light up when they saw her.

"Hey, you!" Pibs called out cheerfully.

Lighthoof answered smoothly, "I see that you have again chosen to grace an insignificant pony such as I with your presence. Welcome."

She felt her heart flutter. He could just keep talking all day as far as she was concerned.

"How are you feeling today?"

"Of truth, I must say that my leg hurts with a furious pain. It is, however, not all for naught. I am filled with much extra strength this fine day."

"That's good to hear."

"So, tell me, how does your new special training leave you today?"

"Much better. The first few days were horrible, but I think we're all getting a lot stronger from the weights."

They talked for a while about everything and nothing. Pibs couldn't help but notice that she somehow felt whole in a way that she didn't completely understand. It was probably just a really strong crush. She'd had many of those before, but this was the first since her home and Dodge Junction had been destroyed. Before she knew it, time was running short again, and Pibs would have to report back to her drill instructors.

Pibs reluctantly said, "My time is almost up, I need to get back to training."

Lighthoof was suddenly very serious, "Alas, I am most saddened to be the one to inform you, dear Pibs, but my time here also comes to an end this very evening."

Pibs was immediately saddened at this news, "They're shipping you out tonight?"

"Of a certainty, yes." Lighthoof read the sadness on her face. "Pibs, it may be that we must say our goodbyes, but it is not to say we shall not see each other again."

Pibs wasn't sure what to say. She finally managed, "I suppose that's true..."

"I shall be making my way to the fine city of Manehattan to assist in the proper instruction of unicorn soldiers." Pibs didn't respond. He continued, "Once this nasty business with the timberwolves finds itself at an end, I hope to return to Baltimare. Have you dedicated to memory of what we spoke as to my plans?"

Pibs nodded. She wasn't sure why, but she'd started to feel almost nervous.

"Pibs, will you come to find me when your obligations are completed? Would you have me wait for you only and look for no other mare?"

Pibs was completely floored. Was she getting proposed to? Did he just propose? Her thoughts worked through it. He was asking her if he had a reason to wait for her. Her mind raced, unsure exactly how she should respond. The confusion of the past few weeks had now culminated into one massive moment. This could be her entire future unfolding as a result of this one decision.

As Pibs sat there in shocked silence, Lighthoof waited patiently for an answer, gazing directly into her soul from those beautiful green eyes. What to do? What to answer? Pibs decided one thing on the spot, she wanted to see Lighthoof again. He was really great in every way, and even though he'd never run again, together, their hearts could fly.

Pibs tried to speak, but an unintelligible chocked noise was all she got out at first. She was also tearing a little. She cleared her throat and said, "Promise me; promise Pibs that you'll wait for me, and I'll come find you." Her trepidation gave way as confidence and the warmth of joy washed over her.

Lighthoof leaned over to her, drawing close, and whispered in her ear, "Though it be to my dying day, sweet Pibs, I will wait for you and no other, this I swear." He then kissed her lightly on the cheek, and sat back on his hospital bed.

Pibs was blushing again, massively, and her churning emotions seemed to now have focus. They sat across from each other for fleeting moments that felt like a glorious eternity, his green eyes staring back into her dark blue eyes. Neither wanted to say goodbye, but Pibs had to report in.

The flight back to the training grounds was different. Pibs didn't feel the weight of her helmet, or the armor, or even the lead in her harness. She felt strangely powerful and alive; it was a feeling stronger than she had ever experienced in her life.

...

Cloud Blazer was fast making friends with the twins. Nitro and Nimba were pretty awesome. These twins were quite the jokesters. It must have been some kind of sibling rivalry, because they only directed their mischievous endeavors on each other. They had already made a fine art of pulling a prank that went off so flawlessly, and so quickly that they'd be done without Rainbow Dash noticing, not a small feat. It was so common that the other rarely fell for them, but they were constantly trying to get each other. The one advantage that they both gained from that constant back and forth was a keen situational awareness. It made them seem as though they had very fast reflexes.

Lightning Dasher was the fastest of the entire group, and he was also cross-trained as a field medic. Regal Masquerade was undoubtedly the strongest. The team drills were nowhere near up to Rainbow Dash's demands, a fact of which she constantly reminded them in a scathing way. Not surprisingly, Princess Twilight Sparkle was the weakest link in the flight and strength drills. She was incredibly smart and a quick thinker. Cloud Blazer was sure she wouldn't get them into anything they couldn't handle, but it was hard to get out of the competitive mindset in their elite squad drills. It was rather telling to see how much the princess had to learn about their drills and procedures. Only two months before, none of them had known anything about it. Cloud Blazer really appreciated how much they had all been learning once he saw the contrast. During the first day, there had been a confusing moment where Nimba called for Twilight Sparkle, and got her and Sparklefly's attention. After that, the princess insisted that she was only to be referred to as Twilight. This proved rather helpful to the squad.

Cloud Blazer didn't particularly care for Lightning Dasher. He always made sure to be polite, but they were just on different planes. Everypony else seemed to like him just fine. In fact, Lightning Dasher and Scootaloo had hit it off pretty fast. She even showed him the thinking spot. That was rather annoying to Cloud Blazer, but in the spirit of team bonding, he decided to let it go. He didn't really understand why it had upset him; he wasn't bothered that Pibs was allowed to join them anytime she wanted.

Colonel Rainbow Dash was incredibly cranky. It was probably a combination of the intense training and being grounded. Cloud Blazer couldn't even imagine being grounded for several months. Whatever the cause, Rainbow Dash had been magnificently harsh on a consistent basis. One time, she even shouted at Twilight for a solid minute and a half for making a mistake in one of the drills. The princess took it well, but she was clearly hurt by it. Cloud Blazer suspected that Rainbow Dash and the princess had talked about it later to clear the air, but he couldn't be sure.

As their break came to an end, Pibs finally returned; she must have been visiting Lighthoof again. She landed lightly, and pranced over to Cloud Blazer and the twins. Nimba looked over at Pibs, and then instinctively ducked, dodging Nitro's hoof that was intended to smack her on the back of the head. Cloud Blazer snorted at the pair; Lightning Dasher and Scootaloo also walked up just then.

Scootaloo said, "Hey guys, hi Pibs."

Pibs sighed blissfully. Her expression was obvious enough that even Cloud Blazer noticed, and he wasn't known for being terribly sensitive to mare moods.

Nimba said, "Uh-oh; Pibs, what's that face for?"

Nitro added, "Pibs, Pibs, Pibs... So, you had a nice break, did you?"

Pibs spoke softly, almost as if she wasn't even there, "Oh yes... It was... lovely..."

Cloud Blazer and Lightning Dasher both grinned, until Cloud Blazer saw Lightning Dasher grinning, and then he stopped.

Scootaloo asked, "Oh Pibs, did you go and get all mushy on your break? We don't have time for that stuff!"

Pibs nodded, still half-off in her own daydreams. Sparklefly and Regal Masquerade joined them.

Sparklefly said, "Oh wow, Pibs... Are you alright?"

Regal Masquerade waved a hoof in front of Pibs' face; she didn't react. "Wow, I've not seen one this bad in a long time," his uncommonly deep voice boomed.

Scootaloo took charge, "Alright Pibs, there's plenty of time for that later, and you are going to tell us all about it, but we need you back right now!"

Pibs shook her head and her mind came back, "Huh? What?"

The others all laughed at her. The whistle blew, letting them know that break time was over. They instantly formed up and prepared to continue their drills.

"You call that forming up?" Colonel Rainbow Dash yelled. "That was so slow half of you would have been killed off before you even tried to fight!"

That had become a familiar sound; nothing they did was ever good enough. Twilight's elite squad now did everything together. They had their own barracks, and they ate together in the mess hall. Graduation came and went, but their training continued. A new group of cadets came, but Twilight’s squad was still under the merciless whip of Rainbow Lash, a nickname only spoken with great care and secrecy. As their graduation day fast approached, they all became flawless at reading each other. Cloud Blazer felt totally safe around all of the others. He knew they had his back. Even the princess had come a long way in the six short weeks they'd had to train. He knew that she'd seen her share of dangerous situations, but it was military discipline that she had initially lacked.

Pibs seemed a little distracted at times, but then she would devote herself even more to the drills. She had told everypony about her and Lighthoof. Sparklefly and Nimba thought it was adorable. Cloud Blazer was pretty sure that Scootaloo did also, but she just kept dismissing it as 'mushy stuff'. She was so cute. Wait, where did that come from? Cloud Blazer shook his head and quickly buried the thought. Unlike Pibs, he wasn't any good with those sorts of feelings, so he dared not even think about it. More and more, those thoughts about Scootaloo would hit him. They were becoming difficult to contain.

The graduation ceremony itself was very welcome. Each member of the elite squad received special recognition and rank. There was an air of excitement among all of the former cadets. The same day, good news began coming in from all over Equestria, a welcome change. Another air academy had been set up in Las Pegasus; it would be able to house and train almost five times as many pegasi at a time as Cloudsdale. On the other coast, almost fifty-thousand earth and unicorn ponies had completed their training and left Manehattan, led by Princess Luna. In a matter of days, they had waged a successful campaign in securing everything from HorseShoe Bay at Baltimare, to the Foal Mountains, and up to the plain northwest of Neighagra Falls. Also, hordes of timberwolves had attacked VanHoover, and were pushed back all the way to the Galloping Gorge. Victories were being won, and now an elite squad from Cloudsdale was joining the fight.

Comments

[Emperor]

One could say that Pibs is floating on air . Rainbow Dash I guess now gets to see what it's like to be Fluttershy, who rarely flies (I made an interesting note a while back that Fluttershy most often flies in her rare few moments when she's being aggressive, such as confronting the dragon in Dragonshy or bullying Pinkie Pie and Rarity in Putting Your Hoof Down, where she's in the air during basically that entire sequence), or of course, pre-flight Scootaloo.

In fact, I'm now imagining Rainbow Dash as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, just without a Gomer Pyle to bully.

[OmalleyCaboose5]

Rainbow Dash continued, "As of this moment, everything you know or hear about this mission is classified. If you choose to be on this squad, you'll be pulled from regular training and ranking. I am personally going to handle your preparation for this mission. Additionally, everypony graduating from this squad will receive the rank of corporal or better. You'll have the night to decide so be here immediately following roll call in the morning. We're not doing any drills tonight, so why don't you all get to know each other a little bit before you hit your racks."

classified information is used to avoid the spread of knowledge to the enemy, I doubt the Timberwolves have enough intelligence to form military intelgence, or any organized military operation so military secrecy at this point is unnecessary.

[Jatheus]

8725405
That’s a valid point. The only explanation I can offer is that hence had several scouting missions already go missing, which does seem amiss. So... that’s why the secrecy?

[Draco Dei]

8725433
So they suspect there might be an intelligence creating, or even directing the Timberwolves?

[Jatheus]

11202951
Indeed, they do.

Have a cookie. 🍪
Typically I give cookies for accurate predictions, but… like I said, you made valid points, so you get a cookie.

[Draco Dei]

11202975
Wasn't me who actually made that point, although something at least LIKE it did cross my mind.