A Daughter and her Dragon Side Stories: Gone, But Not Forgotten

by Level Dasher

Letters From A Military Mare (Written by Crystal Moose)

Hey AJ,

Can’t say I wish you were here, but I do miss you.

Princess Celestia asked that I order a recon mission over changeling territory, so I don’t know the next time I’ll be home. The bugs are definitely up to something, I just don’t know what yet.

Sorry I missed Apple Bloom’s wedding; you tell that Coffee Caramel if he hurts our ‘Bloom he’ll have an entire wing of Shadowbolts on his plot!

Miss you so much,

Dash

Applejack flicked through the box of letters she had collected. She had kept every correspondence she had received from her wife when she was on duty. Every letter, every telegram, every photo.

Dash being a Shadowbolt had certainly taken its toll on Applejack and Rainbow Dash’s marriage. The secretive nature of their missions often meant Rainbow Dash would be called up, with less than a day’s notice, to report to Canterlot, and then fly out to Celestia-knew-where. As the commander of the secret squadron, Rainbow was always the first to be informed of any missions that Princess Celestia requested. Most ponies weren’t even aware of the existence of the Shadowbolts. Applejack only knew through her wife, and an awkward confirmation from Twilight.

AJ!

I can’t believe you sent that photo! You know the MPs read all incoming and outgoing mail! No exceptions! Not even for me!

Damn, you are the bravest pony!

Still missing you!

Dash

Applejack laughed, reading the letter. That had certainly been awkward; having her sister-in-law Cheerilee help her take the photos, having to look Photo Frame in the eyes after getting the film developed, then to top it all off, forgetting about the Military Police checking all military mail.

She was far from a vain pony, but Applejack sincerely hoped nopony had made copies of those pictures once they were out of her hooves.

Hey AJ,

The damned dragons and griffons are at it again. Tensions are increasing again, so Princess Celestia has us patrolling the coast, making sure the fight doesn’t spill over into Equestria.

Missing you from sunny Fillydelphia!

Dash

Applejack smiled as she added the latest letter to the pile, along with a newspaper clipping.

AJ,

We’ve got word that some changelings have taken some ponies from along the Macintosh Hills, and we’ve been sent to investigate.

Time to go smash some bugs!

Dash

Applejack placed a hoof on the newspaper clipping; she was so proud. Her Dash was doing these amazing things.

…citizens of Appleloosa rejoiced as missing friends and family returned home today. Citizens reported sightings of an unknown group of pegasi clad in black flight suits.

Princess Celestia announced today that while she applauded the bravery of these pegasi, she could not condone vigilante actions, and urges citizens to leave such matters to her military. See page six for full report.

Applejack was far from comfortable about the Princess denying that it was a military action, but Rainbow had assured her many times that it was necessary. Being a member of the Wonderbolts wasn’t just to do amazing sky shows—the Shadowbolts doubly so.

A gentle knock at Applejack’s door pulled the mare out of her thoughts.

“Applejack, I think you should come downstairs,” Cheerilee called through the door.

Applejack jumped off her bed, quickly ran a comb through her mane, and put on her stetson.

Dash is home!

She trotted down the stairs towards the front door, her heart beating madly at the thought of seeing her wife again. She practically galloped, only to find two ponies she was not expecting.

Princess Twilight Sparkle stood in the doorway, her eyes red and her cheeks puffy. Scootaloo, also bleary-eyed, stood next to the Princess in her service uniform.

“H-heya, gals. Whatch’y’all doin’ here?” Applejack asked, nervous as to what their response might be.

Scootaloo turned to her side, revealing what lay across her back: a folded Equestrian flag.

“Applejack… I-I’m so sorry,” Twilight croaked.

Author's Note:

“Sorry, AJ. Even if I knew, I couldn’t tell you. I don’t have that clearance.”

— Scootaloo, A.K.A. Buzz

---

This was the first of the side stories that was written by Crystal Moose when he was still writing the main story. It was too short to publish on its own, though, so I finished writing all the ones we wanted to have before starting to publish them all.

If you’re wondering why Scootaloo is in this chapter when I just wrote about her death first—the reason this one is listed afterward is because I wanted you all to know how Scootaloo got into the military first. I thought it would be strange to have you be exposed to Rainbow’s death without knowing how Scoots became a recruit. To answer the obvious question, yes, Rainbow Dash died first chronologically. Take a look at Spitfire's quote at the end of Scootaloo's story again—you may have missed the hint.

Also, before anyone asks (since I'm guessing at least one person would), the lines in spoilers in Rainbow Dash's letters are lines that the military police redacted so nobody could read them. Only you can.

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[TheGreatEater]

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