A War in Equestria

“Mares and Gentlecoats of Ponyville, I've come here myself while delivering this speech to talk to make this more personal than a simple letter might show. It will also show exactly how grave of a time this is, and how sorry I am that something like this has to happen.” All the ponies in Ponyville had gathered around the center of town to listen to their Princess' speech. Nopony knew exactly what her speech entailed, and only a few had gathered that she called whatever her new law was “the draft”. However what that meant, nopony knew.

“We all know that this in our history is most likely the most grave ponykind has ever faced. We have never had anything like this happen before, nothing on a scale close to this war either. We were not prepared to have to fight our kind to save our own lives. We have to take lives of our own species to save those of the ones we love. However since we haven't faced this before, we do not have the means to defend ourselves for long without changing something. We need an army. I'm sure everypony is aware that we need one, but we need to actually have ponies join. With that I'm going to get straight to the first part of the point of why I am here. Any pony that is of age, and willing to join will be gladly welcomed. If you want to help our cause and save lives then step up now.”

Princess Celestia looked over the crowd and silenced herself, waiting for anypony to step up to the plate. After a minute of awkward silence, and awkward coughs, nopony had stepped up. Celestia gave a little sigh and continued, “This is what I was afraid of. In a small town like this I wasn't expecting many that wanted to risk their lives to do what is needed. It is with that knowledge that I come into the last part of this speech. If I don't have enough volunteers for my army, then I need to fill those spots. And that is what the draft will do. Fifteen ponies from this town have been randomly chosen to join the army. If you resist, you will face punishment.”

At this point all the ponies in the crowd had either gasped, were whispering quietly to those around them, or just held their mouths open agape as Celestia stared over them with unmoving, but apologetic eyes. “Trust me when I say that I do not want it to be this way, but I'm afraid it must. If a life must be risked to save thousands of life, then it needs to be that way. To save as many lives as I can, I need to be quick about this, and that is why you have not had time to prepare. I am gravely sorry I have to do this, but the fact is that I have to do this. I will be risking my life along with my subjects, so don't think I am just throwing these lives away. I care enough that I will be sending out every single one of my royal guards, who are sworn to protect me and my sister alone, out into this war, along with myself. I will do all I can to save as many lives as I can, and again, I'm sorry it has to be this way.

“If I call your name, please come up to the stand.” As Princess Celestia started naming the names of the ones who were chosen to fight for the lives of themselves and the ones they loved, fear spread through everypony's eyes as they knew that the very next name called could be their own. Twilight and her friends all silently begged that no name that they knew was called, and for the names called to be of ponies that weren't too close to any of them. Pinkie Pie appeared to be breaking down each and every time a name was called, and when the last name was called, she began to wail. All of the crowd turned to the last chosen pony, after Princess Celestia looked over the crowd solemnly and spoke the name of a pony everypony in the town knew.

“Rainbow Dash.”

“Dash ya can't leave! Ya just...just...can't!”

Rainbow Dash and Applejack were back at their house and the feeling in the air was anything but happy. Applejack was on the verge of tears and she knew it wouldn't be long till she crossed that line. Rainbow Dash felt dejected, and although she wouldn't tell anypony, not even Applejack, she also felt downright terrified. However, loyal as always, Rainbow Dash was going to do as she was needed and wasn't going to back down. She'd already met with Princess Celestia about where she was assigned, that she would be leaving the very next day, and had been informed she should pack light.

“I have to leave Applejack, I was drafted and I have to go. I have to go or I'll get repri-man-teld. Re-pry-milted...Uhm...in trouble. Celestia said I would get in trouble....d big time.” Rainbow Dash stopped packing the single saddlebag she was allowed to bring as she tried to figure out how to articulate what she meant without sounding stupid, which it was too late for, so she gave up, “Oh hay, you know what I mean. Celestia will be mad if I don't go and I'll probably get banished to a dungeon or something. Or the moon.”

Applejack looked as if she was on the verge of tears as she watched her wife packing a saddlebag, the realization that she was not going to see her for Celestia knows how long not yet hitting her. Out of no where Rainbow Dash felt herself get plowed into, and glancing over her shoulder revealed that the perpetrator was Applejack, who had let the tears begin to fall. Rainbow Dash turn around and wrapped her hooves around the sobbing pony, but couldn't figure what else to do as Applejack continued to cry onto her shoulder.

“Ah'm going to miss you so much Rainbow Dash.” Applejack whispered into Rainbow Dash's ear, “So much Dash.” Rainbow Dash shivered as she could tell how much Applejack was hurting. She was about to speak to try to comfort Applejack when she felt her pull back and looked her in the eye. “What about Scootaloo Dash? That filly looks up to you so much...” Rainbow Dash flinched as she realized how true that was.

“I know AJ, I know. Don't forget about me though. I'm going to miss y'all as well.” She stopped as she heard a giggle from Applejack. Rainbow Dash looked at her with a curious look on her face.

Applejack sniffed and wiped her face, “Ya said Ya'll. Ah seriously doubt ya said that at all before me.” She frowned as the little bit of enjoyment she got out of that faded, and the situation again loomed in front of her. “Ah'm not going to be able ta hear yer voice for a long time Dash.” She sighed and looked down at the floor sadly.

Rainbow Dash again wrapped her hooves around her wife, “I wish I could do something to make you happy right now, but there's nothing I can do. I'm sorry Applejack. I'll do my best to come back.”

“No. Ya WILL come back. There's no try. Ah can't even imagine ya not coming back.” Applejack's face had turned stern, and she stamped her hoof in frustration.

Rainbow Dash looked sadly into Applejack's eyes. “Applejack, don't lie to yourself. You know you can't do it well anyway, there's a possibility that I'm not going to come back at all AJ. I can promise I'll try my best to come back home, but that's as much as I can do AJ.” Applejack again lost it and began to weep into Rainbow Dash's shoulder. “Come on AJ, it's getting late, we should get to bed. It's going to be my last night here.”

Applejack sniffed and nodded, trotting slowly towards her room as Rainbow Dash followed her and placed her hoof on Scootaloo's door as she looked sadly at it. She'd already had her episode with her, where Scootaloo had balled her eyes nearly out begging Rainbow Dash to stay, saying it wasn't fair. She cast her eyes down and continued her way to her and Applejack's room for the night.

The next morning was spent mostly in silence as they were all feeling like it was the worst day of their lives. They all ended up at the train station and were all looking forlorn as they all only had five more minutes before the train was due, and they wouldn't see Rainbow Dash for quite a long time. Each pony said their goodbyes, and when it got to Twilight she had something extra. Her eyes were bloodshot and it was clear she had gotten next to no sleep last night.

“I stayed up all night trying to figure this spell out, since I didn't have much time to finish it.” Twilight Sparkle tapped her horn to Rainbow Dash's head, lighting her body up in the violet magic everypony had come to know so well and yawned shortly after, closing her eyes.

“Uhm. Twilight? What did that do?” Rainbow Dash tilted her head looking at the pony who appeared to now be sleeping.

Twilight snorted and looked up and around, looking temporarily frightened, apparently she actually was sleeping. She let her eyes rest on Rainbow Dash who was still looking at her curiously, “Oh sorry, uhm, it lets you write to Applejack like I do with Princess Celestia, and she can write you back. All you do is write a note then eat it.”

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth in shock for a few seconds, then burst out laughing. Twilight just looked at her crossly, “What's so funny?”

“Are you serious? Eat it? Couldn't you like...bottle up whatever you just did and let me pour it on it or something?” Rainbow Dash said in between breaths.

“I was tired! It was the first thing I thought off.” Twilight pouted as all the rest of the ponies started to giggle as well, eventually Twilight smiled as well, joining in the laughing.

Rainbow Dash sat up and let out a couple more chuckles and wiped her eyes of the tears that had formed there. “Thanks Twi, I really needed that.” Twilight Sparkle smiled and nodded in response. Rainbow Dash looked to Applejack, the last pony that hadn't said goodbye yet. “Applejack, I know your upset-”

“It's 'you're' Rainbow Dash.” Pinkie Pie stated.

“I-What? That's what I said?” Rainbow Dash looked at her confused.

“But that's not how you spelled it, so it was still wrong!”

“But I didn't...I...What? Okay...ignoring Pinkie Pie now. Back to AJ. I can write you now thanks to Twi, so it's not going to be as bad okay? I'll write at least every week, I promise, even if I have to stay up way later than I should I promise it'll be at least every week.” Rainbow Dash stopped talking as she could hear, and see the train as she looked towards the sound, coming. She looked down, then back to Applejack, whose eyes were tearing up again as she realized the time to part her mare was now within seconds.

“Applejack...I love you. I'm sorry this has to happen, but it just does. I'll see you as soon as I can AJ.”
She planted a kiss on Applejack's cheek, before turning back to every pony in turn, then towards the train before she heard Applejack shout her name. Turning back to her, she saw Applejack biting her lip and had her eyes shifted offset. She took of her hat and looked at it, then at Rainbow. Walking over to her, Applejack placed the hat on top of Rainbow Dash's head and looked at her seriously. “Ah know what you're going to say, and Ah'm telling ya, you're going to take it. No buts.”

Rainbow Dash closed her mouth as it had opened in surprise, and just nodded to Applejack, knowing that she had no chance in arguing against it. She tilted the hat to the side a little bit, so that about a quarter of her left eye was covered with the hate, giving it a more “Rainbow Dash” feel to it, and smiled. “Thank you” she whispered to Applejack, giving her a hug before again looking at everypony present, and stepping up to the train. She gulped, took a deep breath, and stepped up into the train, preparing herself for....the unknown really....as she noticed she really had no idea what she had gotten into.

She took a seat where she could see her friends out the window and placed a hoof on it, letting her eyes rest on Scootaloo, who had been trying to keep strong in Rainbow Dash's eyes, but had been visibly shaking the whole time. As she watched her daughter drifting away from her as the train moved forward. Her last glimpse of Scootaloo was of her dropping to the ground and placing her hooves around her head, and Rainbow Dash could tell she had started sobbing. She felt tears running down her own face as she looked forward in the train, leaving behind her old life to live one that she didn't want to live, but needed to.