Saving Private Rarityby Show OffChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 1Shutterbug and I flew ahead of the advancing line of ponies, scouting for any sign of an ambush. The trek from the rear echelon had been long and difficult; cold weather and mud slowed the progress of the line to a crawl. There was a low rumble from somewhere up ahead. At first we thought it was thunder, but the lack of cloud cover told me that was unlikely. Another few rumbles passed, and I realized it must’ve been mortars. We were finally nearing the end of our journey. “I think we’re clear, Lunatic,” Shutterbug said through the radio. “Unless you can see anything, I say we call this sweep good.” “Sounds like a plan,” I replied, taking a last look around. “Control, this is Kessel flight; we’re returning from patrol.” Snap sounded tired, and I couldn’t blame him. We’d been on patrol for the past nine hours. “Roger Kessel flight,” the controller responded. “Take your place at the end of the line.” “Control, do we have to?” Shutterbug was exasperated. I looked down and saw why. We were at the front of the line; the rear guard was two miles back. If we had to fly back there, it’d be five minutes before we could ever touch the ground again, and I wasn’t sure I’d make it without dropping like a stone. “Roger, Kessel flight. Protocol is protocol; now get to the rear guard.” I groaned and struggled to pull alongside Shutterbug. “My wings are about to fall off.” “Pull it together,” he replied, but his flapping lacked the conviction of his words. “Two miles and we can rest.” “I need a bucking rest now.” We turned and began the flight to the back of the advancing line. My wingman lifted his visor in order to see better in the failing light. His eyes bore heavy bags of fatigue under them. I lifted my own visor to meet his gaze, and his smirk told me I wasn’t looking much better. “What do you think the eastern front is gonna be like?” I asked him. “Hell…just like the rest of it.” “As bad as Fort A?” “Faust, I hope not.” We flew on, but I didn’t know how much longer I could stay aloft. Neither of us was in much of a mood for talking and the only sound aside from the perpetual flapping of wings was our ragged, labored panting. Every now and then I’d miss a stroke and lose a little altitude, and I knew my wingman couldn’t be doing much better. At long last we could see empty space behind the line of ponies marching forever east. I breathed a sigh of relief as we touched down. My legs swayed a bit under me, unused to supporting weight after a day in the air. A young unicorn mare ran out to greet us as we started walking to catch up to the ground control cart. “Private Silver Lining, sirs!” Her voice was oddly peppy and she looked a bit young to have seen any action before. “At ease, private,” my wingman said. “Glad to see you again.” I looked to the young mare, and then to my comrade. “You know her?” Her eyes lit up with recognition. “Sergeant Shot? Is that you?” He gave a small chuckle. “Under the stress and fatigue, yeah, I think I’m down there somewhere. How are you holding up, Lining?” “As well as can be expected, sir!” she replied cheerily. “I’m anxious to see some action.” There was a fire in her eyes that reminded me of new recruits. I figured she must have enlisted, but for what reason I couldn’t fathom. “So you’ve been out making friends behind my back, eh Snap?” I teased. “Put a bridle in it, Show,” he shot back. “This is Silver Lining. The mare I was telling you about; she first clued me into the…well, you know.” I nodded; the conversation suddenly got a lot more somber. Snap had told me about the threat of treason in the government. I had hoped it was all a lie, but the events back on the southern front had convinced me otherwise. Silver seemed to pick up on the tension of the moment and did her best to alleviate it. “I’m on ground crew duty today, sirs. I’d be happy to take your flight gear if you’d like to rest in the bunk wagon just a little ways up the line.” She nodded to a large wagon pulled by a team of ponies some ways ahead of us. Snap paused to tussle the young mare’s mane out of its proper neatness. “Thanks, private.” He gave her a genuine smile, something I hadn’t seen all day. He removed his helmet and gave it to her. She took it with her magic, and turned to me. “Would you like me to take yours too, Sergeant Offington?” “No, thank you, private; I’ve got a little work to do on it.” I’d neglected my trademark message on the front of my helmet for far too long; where it once said “I <3 Luna” there was now nothing but bare leather. “But if you could point in the direction of some black paint, I’d much appreciate it.” “There’s some in a supply wagon a ways up the line, sir. I can bring it back to you once I’ve stowed Sergeant Shot’s helmet.” “Thank you, Silver.” I tucked my headpiece securely under my wing. “My pleasure, Sergeant!” She cantered off up the column, more than eager to please. “Sweet kid,” I said to Snap once she was out of earshot. “Yeah…yeah she is.” He smiled and pulled out his dog tags and the dragon scale amulet he always kept with him. “Reminding you of anypony?” He stared at the initials carved into the back of the dragon scale. “Kinda…” His eyes took on a more distant look. I draped my other wing over him. “Come on; let’s go see about that bunk wagon.” We walked up to where Private Lining had indicated. The so-called “bunk wagon” was little more than a covered wagon with a few bedrolls and blankets laid out for general use. We were lucky that the cart was currently unoccupied. “Boarding!” Snap called to the ponies who got stuck pulling the cart. Then he jumped in, scraping his back hooves on the edge of the cart. “Ow…” I heard him say from inside. I walked behind the cart while he got settled down. “Boarding!” I yelled. My own leap was hardly graceful; I tumbled into the cart headfirst after my comrade. He lay facing the front of the wagon, already curled up with a blanket draped over him. “Ain’t easy, is it?” he teased. “Yours wasn’t much better.” I sat against the wall of the wagon, waiting for Silver to return. I ran a hoof lovingly across my scarred helmet, each gash a reminder of the Carebears I’d taken down. “What’re you up to now?” Snap always seemed to sense when I was deep in thought about something; it was a quirk of his I never fully understood. I looked at the kill tally I kept cut into the leather cover. “Thirteen,” I said solemnly. I heard him sigh. “We weren’t meant to kill,” he said quietly. “Or die…” “Snap…” I wanted to comfort him, but he’d fallen asleep. I stared out the back of the wagon, waiting on the private to show up with my paint. She didn’t disappoint. “Sergeant Offington!” she called out. I signaled for her to be quiet and pointed at Snaps slumbering mass. “Easy, private. Snap needs some rest.” She set the paint into the wagon carefully, complete with a brush. “What are you painting, sir?” “A tribute to a pony I love,” I replied. The young mare cocked an eye at me before snapping a quick salute. “Whatever you feel is best, sir.” I chuckled and waved her off. “You’re dismissed, private.” I watched her run back to the radio wagon where ground control constantly ran patrols. We were thankful (and lucky) it had been quiet for the entire three day trek out to the eastern lines. I picked up the paintbrush in my mouth and began carefully repainting the proclamation of my love to Luna. The bumps on the path made it hard to keep the lines looking neat, but given the circumstances, I’d say it turned out alright. I capped the lid to the paint and set the brush in a knot hole on the rear bumper to keep it from messing up the mats of the bunk wagon. My helmet I placed near the front of the cart where Snap dozed. He kept one hoof on the dragon scale he always wore, never willing to let it go. I backed up against him to conserve warmth and pulled a blanket over myself. Sleep came easy, and was a welcome friend after hours in the sky. I dozed off just as the sun was beginning to touch the edge of the horizon. Chapter 2I woke late the next morning, far later than I’d have liked. Snap was already gone; I knew we would have stopped at some point the night before to camp, but the swaying of the wagon told me we were already back on the road. The dull thump of the mortars could be heard on the ground now too, and I guessed we’d see the front lines by nightfall. I wiggled out from under the blanket and snagged my helmet before walking to the edge of the cart. “Unloading!” I called to the grunts pulling the wagon before leaping down. The line around me was just about as usual. Ponies worked in pairs to carry carts of supplies while others flitted about between them carrying about other business. Despite the foul weather, the mood was generally high, and the buzz of casual conversation was all around me. There was a kind of orderly chaos to the line I’d miss when we finally reached our destination. The journey was always better than the destination. A young brown pegasus with a bad case of acne ran up to me. “Are you Sergeant Offington?” he asked. “Yes,” I replied. He snapped a quick salute before continuing. “Corporal Boil Lancer, sir. Captain Famosity wants to see you on the double.” “Where is she at, corporal?” He indicated the front of the advancing column. “Near the head of the line, sir. She’s gathering intel at the moment.” “Kid, you do realize the front of the line is two miles from here, right?” “You’ve been given special clearance to fly up there, sir. She insists it’s very important.” “Well, if she insists.” I gave the young stallion my helmet. “Take this and store it with the flight gear; I feel like flying free today.” “Yes, sir.” He took it and walked beside me, waiting to be dismissed. When I finally nodded to him, he took off for the supply cart like a shot. “Some ponies are too energetic for their own good,” I chuckled to myself before taking to the sky. A short flight brought me to the head of the line, where Famosity and a group of other ponies sat on a wagon, hard at work trying to learn everything they could about the enemy’s position. I spotted the mint green unicorn and touched down next to her, swaying a little with the motion of the cart. “Sergeant Show Off, reporting as ordered, ma’am,” I said, saluting quickly. “Oh, glad you’re here, Show.” She was busy studying several maps, committing each one to memory. “You said you needed me for something important?” “Yes!” She held up an assortment of pencils, each with a different color. “Which one do you like best?” “Uh…the green one, I guess.” “Perfect!” She put the other pencils back in her saddle bags, but held on to the green one. “Hold still,” she said. I sighed; I knew what was coming, but let her have her fun anyway. She quickly drew a moustache and top hat on me, her talent allowing her drawings to hang in midair, then shoved the pencil back in her bag and flashed me a smile. I rolled my eyes and brushed the delicate graphite away. “I hate you…so much…” “Love you too!” She smiled at me again before returning to her maps. “Was that all you needed me for?” “Yes, thank you sergeant.” I stuck my tongue out at her before taking to the air once again. Without a radio, control couldn’t contact me or verify that I was a friendly, but rules were pretty lax out here. I spotted another friendly face in the sea of ponies and landed quietly behind him. While he seemed to be alone, I followed him for a few minutes before sneaking up closer. I got so close that his tail hairs were missing my nose by mere fractions of an inch. “Hey sarge!” I quipped loudly. The dark green earth pony in front of me jumped and spun around to face me, practically snarling. His face went through a myriad of expressions, including anger, confusion, recognition, and finally settling on exasperation. “Sergeant Offington, how many times must I tell you that I am now your Lieutenant?” “At least once more, Quill.” His face turned red, but he held his temper and resumed marching with the rest of the column. I trotted happily and caught up with him. “What do you expect at the front lines, sir?” “More than a few un-pleasantries, but perhaps something brighter,” he said cryptically. “I’ll bet you can’t wait to see your girl.” Quill had just started a love affair when the war broke out, and when both of them had been drafted, they’d been sent to different fronts. It was the first time in three years Quill would get to see his love. “Sergeant, she is more than just a girl. She is a gem; my shining star. Why, I don’t know that I could drag myself out of bed in the morning without the thought of Rarity to pull me.” I laughed. “Of course, Lieutenant. Of course.” His reaction was not quite as light-hearted as mine. He turned to face me somberly. “You’ll help me look for her, won’t you Show?” he asked. I nodded to him. “Sure thing, Quill. Anything to help a friend.” He sighed and relaxed a little. “Forgive me; it’s unprofessional of me to ask a favor of you.” “It’s no problem, sir. I’d be happy to help.” “Thank you, Show. You’re a fine stallion.” He looked off towards the horizon. “I’m coming, my dear. Just hold on a little longer.” I stayed with Quill until well into the afternoon. Snap joined us when rations were passed out for lunch, and the three of us continued together, chatting absently. Throughout the day, the mortars grew louder; the sun had just barely touched the edge of the horizon when the battlefront finally came into view. Both sides were entrenched in a large valley between two sets of rolling hills. A large chain of mountains stood to the east, signaling the final official border of Equestria. We stood at the top of the west side, looking down. Off in the distance, the other hills hid the supply lines for the Carebears. “By Faust…” Quill swore, “It’s huge…” He was right. The front itself stretched the entire length of the valley and beyond, stacking up fifteen lines deep. Plumes of smoke rose from scarred landscape, and flashes of lightning lit up the already shadowy battlefield, heralding death. Some of our earth pony companions winced at the sight; others heaved the contents of their stomachs onto the ground. Their connection to land made it difficult for them to cope with devastation of Equestrian soil. The lieutenant managed to maintain his calm demeanor, but his eyes were wide and his breathing was short and quick. Things were going to be harder on him than I had anticipated. My own jaw dropped as I checked the skies. The pegasi waged constant battle against the cloudships of the Carebears. Every time another cloud was kicked from the sky, two more would take its place. The two sides seem locked in an eternal stalemate, neither gaining any ground. Famosity caught up with us on our way to the rear lines. “Suddenly, I miss the old fort…” Even our normally peppy CO was shaken by the scale of the violence. I looked at the three ponies standing around me. We each had our expectations of what the front lines would look like, but I didn’t think anyone was prepared for this. I heaved a melancholy sigh. “Welcome to the war.” We continued down the gentle slope of the hill until well after dark. General Sparkle, a young but well organized lavender unicorn met us at the bottom to direct our first efforts. “She’s a friend of Rarity’s!” Quill said excitedly. “I wager she knows where I could find my love.” She addressed all of us who had just arrived, magically amplifying her voice so the few hundred fresh ponies could hear her. “This isn’t basic training; things out here are probably going to be much different from what you’re used to. “We don’t put much stock in ranks, but if a superior tells you do something, do it. We have to maintain order. Now, while you’re off duty, nothing is as important as getting to know the ponies around you. Look to the pony on your left, then on your right.” She paused to give us leave to do as instructed before continuing. “If you don’t know their names, find time in the next two days to learn them. If you do, you’ve just seen your new bunkmates.” Confused chatter broke out in the battalion; no one was quite sure what she meant. She quickly regained control of the crowd. “Quiet everypony! Now, I know this seems strange, but we have to remember that we have the one thing the mindless horde of Carebears don’t…friendship. “It is of utmost importance that we maintain the connections that we share with each other; they’re what give us strength in such a dark chapter of Equestrian history. Bunking assignments will be done based upon the ponies you already know. Find the ponies who are your closest friends, grab a tent, and get to work!” She flashed us a reassuring smile. “So,” Snap said, turning to our little group. “At least that explains where they sent all bucking tents we needed back at the hill…” I smirked, and turned to the three ponies standing next to me. “Well…shall we?” We began our walk over to the supply carts. “I can’t believe I have to share a tent with you three…” Fam said indignantly. Quill nodded his assent. “Indeed. The thought of having to share quarters with a mare is quite…well, I suppose it’s quite nice, actually, but I am spoken for.” I tapped Snap with my wing and we fell back from the officers a few paces. “They’ve gotten too used to their glamorous private tents,” I whispered. He laughed, but still betrayed a little hesitation. “Do you think it’s wise to break up the natural pecking order? You and I can handle bunking together, but do you really think Quill and Famosity can deal with it?” “They’re gonna have to; I don’t really see where we have much choice.” The cart was attended by another soldier, passing out bundled tents to each set of friends that walked up. She passed us ours; it was worryingly small. “Um, private?” The captain put on her best stern voice. “This one looks a bit small, don’t you think?” “No, ma’am,” he replied matter-of-factly. “Four ponies; four-pony tent.” Famosity poured on the charm. “Oh, come on, private. Can’t we get a tent that’s just a little bit bigger?” She leaned in close to him and whispered “I’ll love you forever…” “’Fraid not, ma’am,” the soldier coldly replied. “Take your tent and go; you’re holding up the line.” “Fine!” Fam snapped, snatching the tent from the stubborn pony. “This isn’t over…” “Never is, ma’am.” She turned to look at us and jerked her head in the direction of the campgrounds. “Let’s go.” I started to trot up to talk to her, but Quill held me back. “Just let her stew.” He seemed oddly at peace with the whole scenario. “She’ll calm down in a bit.” “I hope so…” We walked over to the sea of tents that made up the campgrounds. Snap gawked a bit at the sight. “How the buck are we supposed to find our tents in this mess?” He had a fair point. Acres of land behind the rear lines had been converted into long rows of neatly erected tents. Campfires every couple of tents lit the grounds in a perpetual orange glow; other soldiers sat around them, enjoying the warmth. As we walked through the camp, everypony looked downtrodden. It was a feeling the four of us were all too familiar with. But in spite of the melancholy attitude of the other ponies, we were fairly sure that things would improve with the addition of an entire battalion. Snap spotted an empty space and we pitched our tent under the glow of Famosity’s horn, fighting off fatigue. When our new home was finally erected, Snap and Fam stayed behind while Quill and I went off to requisition our standard issue furniture. “I wish that setting up camp wasn’t as tedious as this. Some ponies have errands of their own.” “You’ll have plenty of time to look for Rarity tomorrow, Quill. It’s too dark now anyway.” He sighed. “I know. But we’ve been apart for so long, and we’re so close now…” “I know, Quill…it’s hard, but we’ll make it.” The supply cart came upon us quickly, and we snagged four cots, a privacy screen for Fam, footlockers, and all the other odds and ends necessary for mildly survivable quarters. We loaded up our saddlebags and began the trek back to the tent. “Faust above,” Quill swore. “One would think they’d make these bundles a little lighter.” “Methinks you’ve gone a bit soft,” I teased him. “Put a bridle in it, Show,” he huffed. By the time we made it back to our tent and finished arranging everything, we were too tired to even think. We collapsed onto our respective bunks and passed out, having hellacious dreams of mortars and lightning. Chapter 3The sound of a bugle woke us at o’dark thirty, and we groggily got out of bed. Quill had obviously been up for a while before us, scratching out plans in the notebook that he perpetually carried. “Been busy, eh lieutenant?” Snap yawned. He waved the comment away with a hoof, apparently putting the finishing touches on his course of action. We each went about our usual morning routines, trying to rub the sleep from our eyes. Fam joined us after a moment and we waited patiently for the lieutenant to finish his scribbles. We made our way to the mess hall, where we were encouraged by our fearless leader to eat quickly so we could go begin our hunt for his love. I tried my best to keep his enthusiasm up, but I could only suck down my rations so quickly. After breakfast, Quill practically dragged us down into the quagmire of the trenches, sneering a little, but forging ahead all the same. “Alright, here’s the plan; Show, Snap, you take off and search by air. Famosity, you’re with me to map their progress. With luck, we’ll find Rarity by early afternoon.” Snap and I looked at each other. “Shouldn’t you ask the general what she thinks about that?” I inquired. The lieutenant looked at me desperately. “Please, Show. I’m asking for just one day to find her. Surely the general wouldn’t mind that…” I looked for confirmation from my wingman, and we both nodded. “You can count on us, sir,” he said. “I know this isn’t exactly protocol,” Quill continued. “I’m asking you to act under the orders of a lower officer. But I promise that the ire of command will not fall on you.” Snap rolled his eyes. “Quill, this front isn’t exactly the most organized offensive in the world. I think we’ll manage to slip away for one day.” “Alright then; let’s get to it!” “Huah!” It took an agonizingly long time for the ground crew to give us permission to leave; it took Snap three tries to finally get an answer. "Friesian Flight, Outpost 3 Control, you are cleared for take off; go when ready. Just watch out for Shire Flight coming down; they have wounded.” The panicked filly’s voice in our ears didn’t instill the kind of confidence we were looking for. But despite our misgivings, we took to the skies. The shelling continued unabated, and more than once Snap and I had to dodge the falling harbingers of death. We set up a standard search grid, keeping in constant contact with Fam. While Quill was hopeful at first, as the day wore on I could tell he was getting frustrated. More than once, he snatched the radio from Famosity and told us to recheck a certain area. All the while, we had to dodge other airponies and try to stay out of the line of fire of the cloudships the CB’s were so fond of. Finally, the inevitable came to pass. “Watch it, Lunatic; you’ve picked up a shadow,” my wingman said through my earpiece. I checked my six. A cloudship piloted by a particularly angry-looking purple bear was gaining fast. “Roger that, I see him.” I was about to go weapons-free, until I realized we hadn’t picked up our usual outfit of lightning guns. “Shutterbug…” His voice crackled to life in my headset. “Yes, Lunatic?” “Why did we think it was a good idea to go out on a battlefield with our armaments?” The radio was quiet for a moment. I guessed he was checking his back for his guns like I had. “Horse apples…” The CB opened up on me, sending a flurry of gumballs whizzing angrily past. I barely had time to roll out of the way. “Buck it all! I’m gonna try and shake this guy; keep your guard up.” I put on a burst of speed and climbed into the sun, hoping to lose my shadow in its glare. When I checked back behind me after a couple dozen feet, he was still there. “Oh come on!” An idea struck me, and I smiled; those two long, mandatory years of weather school were about to pay off. I stopped climbing and settled into a hover directly in front of the sun, staring back over my shoulder as the fuzzy ball of death approached. “Closer…closer…” He didn’t see me until he was right on top of me, and by then it was too late. At the last second before impact, I kicked out as hard as I could against his cloud, vaporizing it instantly. The bear gave me the funniest confused look as his cloud disintegrated around him. He tried to lash out as he started to fall, but his deadly claws fell short of their mark. I was just going to let him fall, but my arrogance got the better of me and I dove after him, grinning madly. I pulled ahead of his fall and stopped again. “Get out of my sky!” I yelled and kicked him again as he fell past me. I felt his spine crack through my hooves, and his limp corpse arced beautifully back into his comrades’ trenches. My headset crackled to life again. “Don’t you think that was a bit unnecessary?” Shutterbug asked condescendingly. “Maybe,” I replied. “But it was still fun.” The rest of the day passed relatively uneventfully, and by the time Snap and I finally touched earth again, we’d been in the air for almost ten hours. My mane was slick with sweat and my wings hurt like they never had before. Quill was severely disappointed by our lack of success earlier. “We’ll have to hit it again tomorrow,” he said, pacing around our tent. “Quill, we have other duties tomorrow. Snap and I are on the roster for camp patrol. We can’t go running off.” I grabbed a knife and sliced the leather once more. Fourteen kills. “When do your duties end?” he asked pointedly. Snap pulled a copy of the schedule out of his flight suit and checked it. “1800 hours.” “That will give us about an hour of light afterwards. Meet me on the far western edge of the camp; we will continue from there.” He stepped out into the cold night air, desperate to be alone for a bit. “I’m worried about him…” Fam said when she was sure he was out of earshot. “Yeah… I’m afraid this won’t end well.” I set the knife down and hung my helmet from the corner of my cot. “Me too,” Snap chimed in. “But you can’t really blame him. A stallion in love is a force to be reckoned with.” “So what are we gonna do about it?” I wondered aloud. “Technically, there’s nothing we can do,” Fam replied. “He hasn’t broken protocol or anything like that, and we all volunteered to help.” Snap nodded his agreement. “We’ll just have to keep an eye on him until this all blows over.” “Let’s hope that happens soon…” Fam said. “We better tuck in,” I advised. “Long day tomorrow.” Chapter 4My prediction proved accurate; Snap and I were awake and flying an hour before the sun was up. Thankfully, our patrol only covered the camp, and thermals rising from the bonfires meant we could glide most of the time. He flew close to me, mere inches separating our wing tips. Several times we spotted Quill below us, running from tent to tent searching for his beloved Rarity. My wingman raised his visor to look me in the eye. “You know, before I saw the size of this place, I had some hope he’d find her quickly; but now…” His voice trailed off in thought. “But now we don’t even have the slightest idea of whether or not she’s alive,” I finished. “He’ll do anything to find her.” “I know.” We flew in silence for a while, keeping alert for trouble. Once or twice one of us would zip off to buck what we thought might be an enemy craft, but every time it turned out to be a rogue cloud that had wandered in. “Thank Luna the patrols here are less…eventful…than the ones back at the old fort,” I commented after five such encounters. “You and that Princess of yours…” Snap chuckled. “Hey, you saw what happened at the award ceremony; I’d say I have a decent shot.” “Dream on, Lunatic. Dream on.” “I will, thank you.” He smirked and shook his head. The rest of our patrol continued in much the same way. We never encountered any real threats, and were actually glad to get back into the swing of everyday grunt work. The biggest incident we encountered was an argument between two other ponies down in the camp, which we interrupted before it broke into a fight. I thought I saw the tell-tail glow of Famosity’s magic behind a tent a little ways away, but further investigation proved fruitless. Quill flagged us down at exactly 1800 hours. Famosity stood next to him with a clipboard which the lieutenant seemed very interested in. “Ready to begin again?” I stretched my wings a few times. “Let us catch our breath, Quill. We’ve been on patrol all day.” He checked the sun, then the clipboard before giving us a reply. “Very well; you have five minutes. Captain, trim the last sweep of sector twelve.” He returned to the map, studying it for some clue as to his beloved’s whereabouts. “If he trimmed a sweep, that means he had us booked solid from 1800 hours until dark…” Snap postulated. “Yeah,” I nodded. “We are earning our bits today, my friend.” “No kidding.” I decided the best way to spend my five minutes was to lie down and pour my stress and fatigue back into the earth. I shrugged off the lightning turrets I’d been carrying all day and lay down. Snap made use of his time by stretching and having a glass of water some ways away from me. As I lay there on my back—eyes closed, wings extended, dumping all of my fatigue into the ground—Fam walked over to chat. “How was patrol?” “Uneventful,” I answered keeping my eyes closed. “I have a real bad cramp in my left wing though…” “Maybe I can help.” She stepped over to it and placed a hoof on my wing. “Where’s it hurt?” “A little to the right,” I grunted. She moved her hoof and found the spot, dead on. “Here?” she asked, applying a bit of pressure. “Ow! Yeah, that’s it.” “Sorry.” She moved her hoof gingerly in the spot I had indicated, applying light pressure to try to work the kink out. “Is that helping any?” “Yeah, a little.” The pain began to numb as Famosity worked the soreness out of the muscles. I sighed as the stress ebbed away and my wing began to feel much better. My eyes snapped open as a wave of pleasure washed over me, threatening to overwhelm my already tired mind. I sat up abruptly, shaking her hoof off my wing in the process. “Okay, you’re gonna have to stop.” I was struggling to control my breathing. “I thought you said it was helping,” she said, confused. “It was; I just…I’m good now, thanks.” “Okay…” She trotted off, leaving me staring after her flank and trying desperately not to be as aroused as I knew I was, and I was thankful my wings had already been extended. Snap walked over and flashed me a sarcastic smile. “She hit the right nerve, eh Show?” “Snap, I swear to Faust, if you do not cram a hoof in it, I will-“ “So are we ready to start?” Quill cut me off. My wingman and I snapped to attention. “Yessir,” Snap said. “I want to thank you both,” he said. “You’re fine stallions. I know you won’t let me down.” We suited back up, taking a moment to make sure our guns were tracking properly. Quill gave the map one final check before giving us leave to take off. Like last time, he organized the search while Fam radioed the proper positions to us. We were in a much more active part of the line this time around, and had to keep dodging falling mortar shells from the Carebear lines. Rarity was nowhere to found. Gumballs raked across the sky, cutting a deadly swathe inches from my rear hooves. “Ground fire!” I yelled into the microphone. “Evasive action!” Snap peeled off to the left while I dove down to try to draw fire away from the trenches. The guns tracked me, and I pushed myself to the limit to try and avoid the deadly candy. I was faintly aware of Snap relaying the coordinates of the guns to Fam, but I was too preoccupied with surviving to take much notice of what he said. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the turret, manned by a lone Charlie Bravo, on top of the second row of trenches in the Carebear lines. “Shutterbug, I’m going to try and keep his attention; come in behind him and take him out.” “Roger; be careful,” came his reply. I circled around for another pass, barely keeping a head of the stream of sugary death that poured from the barrels of the gun. I lined up and swooped low over the CB trenches, and let loose with a volley from the lightning guns on my back. Several of the enemy’s forces were vaporized instantly, while the ones who survived were cut down by friendly fire as the turret tried to keep up with me. Thank Faust the Carebears were idiots. Their stupor didn’t last, however. Many began turning their own weapons onto me, and my lightning turrets couldn’t hit them all. “Bucking bears…” I heard over my radio, followed by a sickening thump. “Got ‘im! Lunatic, pull up!” “Don’t have to tell me twice!” I angled into a steep climb, zigzagging to avoid any small arms fire that might follow me. I rose to a safe altitude and held up for my wingman. “Well…that was fun,” I said when he joined me. “You’ve got a strange idea of a good time,” he quipped back. My radio crackled to life. “Show?” It was Famosity; her voice had a slight quiver to it. “Show, are you alright?” “Still kickin’” I replied. “What say we get back to that search pattern?” “I…sounds like a good idea,” she said. “Resume pattern at mark 5-1.” “Mark 5-1,” Shutterbug repeated. “Thanks Fam.” We continued our search for another fifteen minutes before the sun finally sank below the horizon. We were still unable to locate the white unicorn who so commanded the lieutenant’s attention. Quill was thoroughly dejected. “Two days…for two days I have looked for Rarity and still nothing!” He stomped around the tent in a huff, venting his frustration at the canvas ceiling. “You’d think someone would have seen her by now!” “Isn’t the general best friends with Rarity?” Fam asked. “You could try asking her.” “I tried to get an audience with the general; she was far to busy to see me.” “Sir, I know this must be frustrating for you…” Snap started. “Yes! It’s incredibly frustrating. I would have no qualms about the war if I could find her!” “This isn’t the old fort, Quill. You’re going to have to resume your duties at some point.” I was too tired to be tactful about what I said. “I am aware of that, Sergeant, but I will continue looking for her as long as I can.” “I should probably mention that we’re all supposed to be in the trenches tomorrow,” Fam said quietly. “We’re going to relieve some of the other airborne squads.” “Then why are we still awake?” Snap questioned. Quill stared at the ground, defeated. Fam walked over and gave him a hug; after a moment, I joined her. Snap tried to slip away, but the captain pulled him in as well. “It’ll be okay,” she said. “After all, we’ve got each other.” The lieutenant nodded gratefully. “Thank you. But I will find her; make no mistake about that. I’m going out for a walk. I’ll see you lot in the morning.” He left, and the rest of us said our goodnights and fell asleep. Chapter 5Quill’s cot was empty the next morning; we guessed he’d gotten up early to check some obscure part of the camp before we were due down at the trenches. But when he neither showed up for breakfast nor the hike down to the battlefield, we began to get worried. “Does anyone know if he even came back last night?” Snap asked. “I slept like a rock,” I yawned. “I have no idea.” Fam shook her head. “Last I saw, he was headed out for a walk.” I nodded towards the line of trenches. “Well, he wouldn’t desert his post. I’m sure he’s out there somewhere.” We marched down onto the battlefield with a slew of other squadrons, each with other pegasi in their ranks. It was clear the skies would not be empty today, and the prospect of a fight made us all a bit nervous. Snap and I were assigned to be in the trenches, but ready at all times to jump into the air if requested. Fam was to be in a bunker, continuously updating maps and assigning hooves where they were needed most. Quill was supposed to help organize the ground crews, but we still had no idea where he might have been. As we entered the trenches, the first thing we noticed was the mud. It was a thick, ugly quagmire that sucked at our hooves every time we took a step, squelching when it finally let go. My flight suit was instantly splattered with specks of mud; it was a far cry from the dry plateau on which the camp sat. “This is disgusting,” Fam said. “I didn’t realize they were this bad.” She peeled off from our marching line relatively quickly, hugging us both before heading for the command bunker in the rearmost line. “Looks like it’s just you and me,” I said to my wingman. He laughed. “As it always is.” We were stationed four rows from no-pony’s land. The crashing of mortar shells and bursts of fire from our infantry made it almost impossible to be heard. Overhead, duos of ponies attacked wave after wave of Carebear cloud ships. I would have rather been up there than stuck down on the ground waiting for somepony else to tag us in. We stood ready for an hour or two, staying as low and as dry as possible. We were surprised but ready when we saw Snap’s friend Silver Lining running towards us. “Private Silver Lining, sirs!” She had to shout be heard, and snapped a salute. “At ease, private,” Snap dismissed. “How are ya, kid?” “Just fine, sir!” “Do they need us in the air?” I asked, already stretching my wings to fly. “No sir! But I thought you should see this.” She levitated a pair of binoculars up for us to look through. Snap looked through them and cast his gaze over the battlefield. He gasped and swore loudly at something. “You have got to be bucking kidding me…” “What is it?” I took a look through the lenses and quickly saw why he was so distressed. “Tell me that’s not…” But the quill and parchment cutie mark confirmed; it was our lieutenant. He was wandering about out in the desecrated soil of no-pony’s land, seemingly oblivious to the destruction around him. It was a miracle he was still alive, and we had no idea how long he would stay that way. “Show, we have to do something, fast.” “I’m open to suggestions,” I said a bit harshly. I was in no mood to deal with a mess like this. “We’re gonna have to fly out over the enemy lines and scoop him up on the return to get him back here.” A sigh escaped me, betraying my stoic mask. “Sounds like as good a plan as any.” We took off without clearance. Protocol be bucked; at this point I was just hoping to pick Quill up in one piece. We flew as fast as we could out over the scorched earth of the battlefield, crossing over into enemy lines. We stayed low, hoping to avoid tangling with the fighters and concentrated on avoiding the bursts of anti-air fire directed at us. We banked hard and dove down towards the ground, pulling up mere inches from the floor of the valley. I spotted our target, and signaled my wingman to slow as we approached so that we wouldn’t break his legs. As we got close, we could hear him calling out. “Rarity? Darling, are you out here?” “He’s gone completely off his nut,” Snap said through the radio. “There’s no way he’d be out here otherwise.” I only nodded and readied myself for the added weight of another pony. I was on the left side of Quill and Snap was on the right. We held our forelegs in hook shapes as we prepared for the snatch. In one swift movement, we hooked him up from the ground and climbed a few hooves to avoid dragging the lieutenant. We were forced to roll as we dodged a falling mortar shell, and gumballs whizzed past us as the anti-air guns opened up. Quill began screaming obscenities at us, demanding that we put him down. We had nearly reached the front lines of our own trenches when a shell exploded right in front of us, forcing us to bank sharply to avoid the debris. For fifteen minutes, every time we tried to re-enter our own lines, we’d be cut off again, either by the shelling or a burst of small arms fire. I was beginning to tire, and Quill’s constant struggling didn’t make it any easier. Finally, the lieutenant wiggled free of our grasp and fell to the ground, tumbling into a foxhole. Snap and I made a rough landing, sliding to halt in the thick mud before running back and diving into the cramped hole. Gumballs whizzed over our heads and shells exploded dangerously close to our refuge. Quill clambered to get out of the hole, but just as he got his head above ground again, Snap yanked him back down, pinning one of his forelegs to the ground. I pounced on the other, and we held him as he squirmed to get free. “Let me go!” he screamed at us. “I’ll have you court marshaled for this!” “He’s completely lost it,” I said to Snap. “If you don’t let me up this instant, I will see you both hanged!” Snap reached back and punched him hard in the face. “Get a grip, soldier!” he yelled. “Just listen to yourself.” “I…” He blinked a few times, seeming to come to his senses. “Quill, I know it’s hard, but for Faust’s sake, you’ve got to hold it together.” I was trying not to be angry, but my patience was already thin. “With a traitor somewhere in the upper ranks, our little family is all we’ve got. We can’t go having you get blown to bits.” “I…I apologize,” he said finally. “I never slept last night. I kept justifying maybe she’d be somewhere out here if I kept looking.” “We all make mistakes,” Snap said as we let him up. “It’s just that-“ “I say, is someone out there?” we heard a voice call from a few yards away. Quill’s ears sprang up. “Could it be?” he wondered aloud. “I’ve been stuck out here all night and the mud is going to stain my coat if I stay here much longer! And I’m terribly hungry; I could eat a whole flower bed.” The voice was definitely female, and had a distinct accent to it. Snap and I looked at each other incredulously. “Rarity?” Quill called. “Darling is that you?” The explosion of another shell cut the conversation for a moment as we all covered to avoid the flying dirt. “Quill Weave?” she called back. “It’s marvelous to hear your voice again, dear.” He tried desperately to climb out of the foxhole again. This time it was me that pulled him back down. “Easy sarge; there’s still a war on.” “Show, please…” he begged. I held up a hoof to stop him. “Here’s the plan. Snap, fly Quill out of here and back into our lines, get as far to the rear as you possibly can. I’ll get to Rarity and join you in a few minutes.” “Be careful, Show,” he cautioned. I was about to leap back into the chaos of the field when the lieutenant stopped me. “Thank you, Show. For everything.” “Thank me when we’re out of here,” I said. They took off and I jumped out of the hole, spotting the place where I guessed Rarity’s voice had emanated from. I waved down a few of the infantry on the front lines to give me some cover fire, and I was able to slip into the shallow void with little trouble. The white unicorn in front of me was a wreck compared to the picture I’d seen the lieutenant carry. Her mane was completely disheveled, and mud was caked onto her coat in spots everywhere. She regarded me with her big blue eyes. “Who are you?” she demanded. I could see right away why Quill was attracted to her. Another mortar fell close enough to leave my ears ringing. “I’m Show Off. Quill sent me,” I said loudly. “Can you take me to him?” she asked me, a little more politely. “Absolutely,” I said, smiling despite the gravity of the situation. “Oh thank you, darling,” she replied, batting her eyes at me. I hovered over her and hooked my forelegs underneath hers. “Now brace yourself, this may hurt a bit.” I flapped as hard as I could and shot out of the tiny depression like a rocket, dragging the full weight of a mare with me. I grunted from the exertion and looked around for Snap and Quill. I spotted the duo in the very rear line, close to the command center where Famosity was stationed; they must have filled her in on the good news too; she was scanning the skies with them. I forgot to compensate for the added weight during landing, and crashed into the muck with a nasty splat. Everypony was covered in mud from our hooves right up to our heads, and all but Rarity and Quill laughed. The two were lost in each other’s eyes, oblivious to the war still going on around them. “Rarity, my dear…” “Quill, darling…” They leaned in and shared a long, passionate kiss, which I suspect was only broken because they needed to breath. Quill helped the mare to her feet, and they began walking back toward the camp, speaking quietly to each other and wrapping their tails together. Snap and I smiled and shook our heads, and Fam looked close to tears. “I’m glad we found her,” she said. “What do you mean ‘we’?” I teased her. The only response I got was a mint-green hoof across my face. Snap laughed. “You’ll learn to keep your mouth shut one of these days.” “Not likely,” I replied, rubbing my hoof against my cheek. “Looks like our little family just got a little bigger.” “So, does that mean we get a bigger tent?” The captain asked excitedly. Snap and I burst into laughter. “Faust, I hope so…” I said, wiping tears from my eyes. “At least you won’t be the only filly anymore,” my wingman offered. Fam’s eyes got big. “Show, tell me I’m prettier than her.” I laughed again. “You’re the most gorgeous mare on this battlefield.” She seemed satisfied with that answer. Snap gave me a wink, which I returned with a scowl. He smirked and shook his head. “I’ve had enough brushes with death for today,” he said. “Captain, would you be so kind as to order us all to the mess hall?” “Let’s go eat!” she said. The three of set off for the camp again, thankful to have put yet another crisis behind us.
Chapter 1Shutterbug and I flew ahead of the advancing line of ponies, scouting for any sign of an ambush. The trek from the rear echelon had been long and difficult; cold weather and mud slowed the progress of the line to a crawl. There was a low rumble from somewhere up ahead. At first we thought it was thunder, but the lack of cloud cover told me that was unlikely. Another few rumbles passed, and I realized it must’ve been mortars. We were finally nearing the end of our journey. “I think we’re clear, Lunatic,” Shutterbug said through the radio. “Unless you can see anything, I say we call this sweep good.” “Sounds like a plan,” I replied, taking a last look around. “Control, this is Kessel flight; we’re returning from patrol.” Snap sounded tired, and I couldn’t blame him. We’d been on patrol for the past nine hours. “Roger Kessel flight,” the controller responded. “Take your place at the end of the line.” “Control, do we have to?” Shutterbug was exasperated. I looked down and saw why. We were at the front of the line; the rear guard was two miles back. If we had to fly back there, it’d be five minutes before we could ever touch the ground again, and I wasn’t sure I’d make it without dropping like a stone. “Roger, Kessel flight. Protocol is protocol; now get to the rear guard.” I groaned and struggled to pull alongside Shutterbug. “My wings are about to fall off.” “Pull it together,” he replied, but his flapping lacked the conviction of his words. “Two miles and we can rest.” “I need a bucking rest now.” We turned and began the flight to the back of the advancing line. My wingman lifted his visor in order to see better in the failing light. His eyes bore heavy bags of fatigue under them. I lifted my own visor to meet his gaze, and his smirk told me I wasn’t looking much better. “What do you think the eastern front is gonna be like?” I asked him. “Hell…just like the rest of it.” “As bad as Fort A?” “Faust, I hope not.” We flew on, but I didn’t know how much longer I could stay aloft. Neither of us was in much of a mood for talking and the only sound aside from the perpetual flapping of wings was our ragged, labored panting. Every now and then I’d miss a stroke and lose a little altitude, and I knew my wingman couldn’t be doing much better. At long last we could see empty space behind the line of ponies marching forever east. I breathed a sigh of relief as we touched down. My legs swayed a bit under me, unused to supporting weight after a day in the air. A young unicorn mare ran out to greet us as we started walking to catch up to the ground control cart. “Private Silver Lining, sirs!” Her voice was oddly peppy and she looked a bit young to have seen any action before. “At ease, private,” my wingman said. “Glad to see you again.” I looked to the young mare, and then to my comrade. “You know her?” Her eyes lit up with recognition. “Sergeant Shot? Is that you?” He gave a small chuckle. “Under the stress and fatigue, yeah, I think I’m down there somewhere. How are you holding up, Lining?” “As well as can be expected, sir!” she replied cheerily. “I’m anxious to see some action.” There was a fire in her eyes that reminded me of new recruits. I figured she must have enlisted, but for what reason I couldn’t fathom. “So you’ve been out making friends behind my back, eh Snap?” I teased. “Put a bridle in it, Show,” he shot back. “This is Silver Lining. The mare I was telling you about; she first clued me into the…well, you know.” I nodded; the conversation suddenly got a lot more somber. Snap had told me about the threat of treason in the government. I had hoped it was all a lie, but the events back on the southern front had convinced me otherwise. Silver seemed to pick up on the tension of the moment and did her best to alleviate it. “I’m on ground crew duty today, sirs. I’d be happy to take your flight gear if you’d like to rest in the bunk wagon just a little ways up the line.” She nodded to a large wagon pulled by a team of ponies some ways ahead of us. Snap paused to tussle the young mare’s mane out of its proper neatness. “Thanks, private.” He gave her a genuine smile, something I hadn’t seen all day. He removed his helmet and gave it to her. She took it with her magic, and turned to me. “Would you like me to take yours too, Sergeant Offington?” “No, thank you, private; I’ve got a little work to do on it.” I’d neglected my trademark message on the front of my helmet for far too long; where it once said “I <3 Luna” there was now nothing but bare leather. “But if you could point in the direction of some black paint, I’d much appreciate it.” “There’s some in a supply wagon a ways up the line, sir. I can bring it back to you once I’ve stowed Sergeant Shot’s helmet.” “Thank you, Silver.” I tucked my headpiece securely under my wing. “My pleasure, Sergeant!” She cantered off up the column, more than eager to please. “Sweet kid,” I said to Snap once she was out of earshot. “Yeah…yeah she is.” He smiled and pulled out his dog tags and the dragon scale amulet he always kept with him. “Reminding you of anypony?” He stared at the initials carved into the back of the dragon scale. “Kinda…” His eyes took on a more distant look. I draped my other wing over him. “Come on; let’s go see about that bunk wagon.” We walked up to where Private Lining had indicated. The so-called “bunk wagon” was little more than a covered wagon with a few bedrolls and blankets laid out for general use. We were lucky that the cart was currently unoccupied. “Boarding!” Snap called to the ponies who got stuck pulling the cart. Then he jumped in, scraping his back hooves on the edge of the cart. “Ow…” I heard him say from inside. I walked behind the cart while he got settled down. “Boarding!” I yelled. My own leap was hardly graceful; I tumbled into the cart headfirst after my comrade. He lay facing the front of the wagon, already curled up with a blanket draped over him. “Ain’t easy, is it?” he teased. “Yours wasn’t much better.” I sat against the wall of the wagon, waiting for Silver to return. I ran a hoof lovingly across my scarred helmet, each gash a reminder of the Carebears I’d taken down. “What’re you up to now?” Snap always seemed to sense when I was deep in thought about something; it was a quirk of his I never fully understood. I looked at the kill tally I kept cut into the leather cover. “Thirteen,” I said solemnly. I heard him sigh. “We weren’t meant to kill,” he said quietly. “Or die…” “Snap…” I wanted to comfort him, but he’d fallen asleep. I stared out the back of the wagon, waiting on the private to show up with my paint. She didn’t disappoint. “Sergeant Offington!” she called out. I signaled for her to be quiet and pointed at Snaps slumbering mass. “Easy, private. Snap needs some rest.” She set the paint into the wagon carefully, complete with a brush. “What are you painting, sir?” “A tribute to a pony I love,” I replied. The young mare cocked an eye at me before snapping a quick salute. “Whatever you feel is best, sir.” I chuckled and waved her off. “You’re dismissed, private.” I watched her run back to the radio wagon where ground control constantly ran patrols. We were thankful (and lucky) it had been quiet for the entire three day trek out to the eastern lines. I picked up the paintbrush in my mouth and began carefully repainting the proclamation of my love to Luna. The bumps on the path made it hard to keep the lines looking neat, but given the circumstances, I’d say it turned out alright. I capped the lid to the paint and set the brush in a knot hole on the rear bumper to keep it from messing up the mats of the bunk wagon. My helmet I placed near the front of the cart where Snap dozed. He kept one hoof on the dragon scale he always wore, never willing to let it go. I backed up against him to conserve warmth and pulled a blanket over myself. Sleep came easy, and was a welcome friend after hours in the sky. I dozed off just as the sun was beginning to touch the edge of the horizon.
Chapter 2I woke late the next morning, far later than I’d have liked. Snap was already gone; I knew we would have stopped at some point the night before to camp, but the swaying of the wagon told me we were already back on the road. The dull thump of the mortars could be heard on the ground now too, and I guessed we’d see the front lines by nightfall. I wiggled out from under the blanket and snagged my helmet before walking to the edge of the cart. “Unloading!” I called to the grunts pulling the wagon before leaping down. The line around me was just about as usual. Ponies worked in pairs to carry carts of supplies while others flitted about between them carrying about other business. Despite the foul weather, the mood was generally high, and the buzz of casual conversation was all around me. There was a kind of orderly chaos to the line I’d miss when we finally reached our destination. The journey was always better than the destination. A young brown pegasus with a bad case of acne ran up to me. “Are you Sergeant Offington?” he asked. “Yes,” I replied. He snapped a quick salute before continuing. “Corporal Boil Lancer, sir. Captain Famosity wants to see you on the double.” “Where is she at, corporal?” He indicated the front of the advancing column. “Near the head of the line, sir. She’s gathering intel at the moment.” “Kid, you do realize the front of the line is two miles from here, right?” “You’ve been given special clearance to fly up there, sir. She insists it’s very important.” “Well, if she insists.” I gave the young stallion my helmet. “Take this and store it with the flight gear; I feel like flying free today.” “Yes, sir.” He took it and walked beside me, waiting to be dismissed. When I finally nodded to him, he took off for the supply cart like a shot. “Some ponies are too energetic for their own good,” I chuckled to myself before taking to the sky. A short flight brought me to the head of the line, where Famosity and a group of other ponies sat on a wagon, hard at work trying to learn everything they could about the enemy’s position. I spotted the mint green unicorn and touched down next to her, swaying a little with the motion of the cart. “Sergeant Show Off, reporting as ordered, ma’am,” I said, saluting quickly. “Oh, glad you’re here, Show.” She was busy studying several maps, committing each one to memory. “You said you needed me for something important?” “Yes!” She held up an assortment of pencils, each with a different color. “Which one do you like best?” “Uh…the green one, I guess.” “Perfect!” She put the other pencils back in her saddle bags, but held on to the green one. “Hold still,” she said. I sighed; I knew what was coming, but let her have her fun anyway. She quickly drew a moustache and top hat on me, her talent allowing her drawings to hang in midair, then shoved the pencil back in her bag and flashed me a smile. I rolled my eyes and brushed the delicate graphite away. “I hate you…so much…” “Love you too!” She smiled at me again before returning to her maps. “Was that all you needed me for?” “Yes, thank you sergeant.” I stuck my tongue out at her before taking to the air once again. Without a radio, control couldn’t contact me or verify that I was a friendly, but rules were pretty lax out here. I spotted another friendly face in the sea of ponies and landed quietly behind him. While he seemed to be alone, I followed him for a few minutes before sneaking up closer. I got so close that his tail hairs were missing my nose by mere fractions of an inch. “Hey sarge!” I quipped loudly. The dark green earth pony in front of me jumped and spun around to face me, practically snarling. His face went through a myriad of expressions, including anger, confusion, recognition, and finally settling on exasperation. “Sergeant Offington, how many times must I tell you that I am now your Lieutenant?” “At least once more, Quill.” His face turned red, but he held his temper and resumed marching with the rest of the column. I trotted happily and caught up with him. “What do you expect at the front lines, sir?” “More than a few un-pleasantries, but perhaps something brighter,” he said cryptically. “I’ll bet you can’t wait to see your girl.” Quill had just started a love affair when the war broke out, and when both of them had been drafted, they’d been sent to different fronts. It was the first time in three years Quill would get to see his love. “Sergeant, she is more than just a girl. She is a gem; my shining star. Why, I don’t know that I could drag myself out of bed in the morning without the thought of Rarity to pull me.” I laughed. “Of course, Lieutenant. Of course.” His reaction was not quite as light-hearted as mine. He turned to face me somberly. “You’ll help me look for her, won’t you Show?” he asked. I nodded to him. “Sure thing, Quill. Anything to help a friend.” He sighed and relaxed a little. “Forgive me; it’s unprofessional of me to ask a favor of you.” “It’s no problem, sir. I’d be happy to help.” “Thank you, Show. You’re a fine stallion.” He looked off towards the horizon. “I’m coming, my dear. Just hold on a little longer.” I stayed with Quill until well into the afternoon. Snap joined us when rations were passed out for lunch, and the three of us continued together, chatting absently. Throughout the day, the mortars grew louder; the sun had just barely touched the edge of the horizon when the battlefront finally came into view. Both sides were entrenched in a large valley between two sets of rolling hills. A large chain of mountains stood to the east, signaling the final official border of Equestria. We stood at the top of the west side, looking down. Off in the distance, the other hills hid the supply lines for the Carebears. “By Faust…” Quill swore, “It’s huge…” He was right. The front itself stretched the entire length of the valley and beyond, stacking up fifteen lines deep. Plumes of smoke rose from scarred landscape, and flashes of lightning lit up the already shadowy battlefield, heralding death. Some of our earth pony companions winced at the sight; others heaved the contents of their stomachs onto the ground. Their connection to land made it difficult for them to cope with devastation of Equestrian soil. The lieutenant managed to maintain his calm demeanor, but his eyes were wide and his breathing was short and quick. Things were going to be harder on him than I had anticipated. My own jaw dropped as I checked the skies. The pegasi waged constant battle against the cloudships of the Carebears. Every time another cloud was kicked from the sky, two more would take its place. The two sides seem locked in an eternal stalemate, neither gaining any ground. Famosity caught up with us on our way to the rear lines. “Suddenly, I miss the old fort…” Even our normally peppy CO was shaken by the scale of the violence. I looked at the three ponies standing around me. We each had our expectations of what the front lines would look like, but I didn’t think anyone was prepared for this. I heaved a melancholy sigh. “Welcome to the war.” We continued down the gentle slope of the hill until well after dark. General Sparkle, a young but well organized lavender unicorn met us at the bottom to direct our first efforts. “She’s a friend of Rarity’s!” Quill said excitedly. “I wager she knows where I could find my love.” She addressed all of us who had just arrived, magically amplifying her voice so the few hundred fresh ponies could hear her. “This isn’t basic training; things out here are probably going to be much different from what you’re used to. “We don’t put much stock in ranks, but if a superior tells you do something, do it. We have to maintain order. Now, while you’re off duty, nothing is as important as getting to know the ponies around you. Look to the pony on your left, then on your right.” She paused to give us leave to do as instructed before continuing. “If you don’t know their names, find time in the next two days to learn them. If you do, you’ve just seen your new bunkmates.” Confused chatter broke out in the battalion; no one was quite sure what she meant. She quickly regained control of the crowd. “Quiet everypony! Now, I know this seems strange, but we have to remember that we have the one thing the mindless horde of Carebears don’t…friendship. “It is of utmost importance that we maintain the connections that we share with each other; they’re what give us strength in such a dark chapter of Equestrian history. Bunking assignments will be done based upon the ponies you already know. Find the ponies who are your closest friends, grab a tent, and get to work!” She flashed us a reassuring smile. “So,” Snap said, turning to our little group. “At least that explains where they sent all bucking tents we needed back at the hill…” I smirked, and turned to the three ponies standing next to me. “Well…shall we?” We began our walk over to the supply carts. “I can’t believe I have to share a tent with you three…” Fam said indignantly. Quill nodded his assent. “Indeed. The thought of having to share quarters with a mare is quite…well, I suppose it’s quite nice, actually, but I am spoken for.” I tapped Snap with my wing and we fell back from the officers a few paces. “They’ve gotten too used to their glamorous private tents,” I whispered. He laughed, but still betrayed a little hesitation. “Do you think it’s wise to break up the natural pecking order? You and I can handle bunking together, but do you really think Quill and Famosity can deal with it?” “They’re gonna have to; I don’t really see where we have much choice.” The cart was attended by another soldier, passing out bundled tents to each set of friends that walked up. She passed us ours; it was worryingly small. “Um, private?” The captain put on her best stern voice. “This one looks a bit small, don’t you think?” “No, ma’am,” he replied matter-of-factly. “Four ponies; four-pony tent.” Famosity poured on the charm. “Oh, come on, private. Can’t we get a tent that’s just a little bit bigger?” She leaned in close to him and whispered “I’ll love you forever…” “’Fraid not, ma’am,” the soldier coldly replied. “Take your tent and go; you’re holding up the line.” “Fine!” Fam snapped, snatching the tent from the stubborn pony. “This isn’t over…” “Never is, ma’am.” She turned to look at us and jerked her head in the direction of the campgrounds. “Let’s go.” I started to trot up to talk to her, but Quill held me back. “Just let her stew.” He seemed oddly at peace with the whole scenario. “She’ll calm down in a bit.” “I hope so…” We walked over to the sea of tents that made up the campgrounds. Snap gawked a bit at the sight. “How the buck are we supposed to find our tents in this mess?” He had a fair point. Acres of land behind the rear lines had been converted into long rows of neatly erected tents. Campfires every couple of tents lit the grounds in a perpetual orange glow; other soldiers sat around them, enjoying the warmth. As we walked through the camp, everypony looked downtrodden. It was a feeling the four of us were all too familiar with. But in spite of the melancholy attitude of the other ponies, we were fairly sure that things would improve with the addition of an entire battalion. Snap spotted an empty space and we pitched our tent under the glow of Famosity’s horn, fighting off fatigue. When our new home was finally erected, Snap and Fam stayed behind while Quill and I went off to requisition our standard issue furniture. “I wish that setting up camp wasn’t as tedious as this. Some ponies have errands of their own.” “You’ll have plenty of time to look for Rarity tomorrow, Quill. It’s too dark now anyway.” He sighed. “I know. But we’ve been apart for so long, and we’re so close now…” “I know, Quill…it’s hard, but we’ll make it.” The supply cart came upon us quickly, and we snagged four cots, a privacy screen for Fam, footlockers, and all the other odds and ends necessary for mildly survivable quarters. We loaded up our saddlebags and began the trek back to the tent. “Faust above,” Quill swore. “One would think they’d make these bundles a little lighter.” “Methinks you’ve gone a bit soft,” I teased him. “Put a bridle in it, Show,” he huffed. By the time we made it back to our tent and finished arranging everything, we were too tired to even think. We collapsed onto our respective bunks and passed out, having hellacious dreams of mortars and lightning.
Chapter 3The sound of a bugle woke us at o’dark thirty, and we groggily got out of bed. Quill had obviously been up for a while before us, scratching out plans in the notebook that he perpetually carried. “Been busy, eh lieutenant?” Snap yawned. He waved the comment away with a hoof, apparently putting the finishing touches on his course of action. We each went about our usual morning routines, trying to rub the sleep from our eyes. Fam joined us after a moment and we waited patiently for the lieutenant to finish his scribbles. We made our way to the mess hall, where we were encouraged by our fearless leader to eat quickly so we could go begin our hunt for his love. I tried my best to keep his enthusiasm up, but I could only suck down my rations so quickly. After breakfast, Quill practically dragged us down into the quagmire of the trenches, sneering a little, but forging ahead all the same. “Alright, here’s the plan; Show, Snap, you take off and search by air. Famosity, you’re with me to map their progress. With luck, we’ll find Rarity by early afternoon.” Snap and I looked at each other. “Shouldn’t you ask the general what she thinks about that?” I inquired. The lieutenant looked at me desperately. “Please, Show. I’m asking for just one day to find her. Surely the general wouldn’t mind that…” I looked for confirmation from my wingman, and we both nodded. “You can count on us, sir,” he said. “I know this isn’t exactly protocol,” Quill continued. “I’m asking you to act under the orders of a lower officer. But I promise that the ire of command will not fall on you.” Snap rolled his eyes. “Quill, this front isn’t exactly the most organized offensive in the world. I think we’ll manage to slip away for one day.” “Alright then; let’s get to it!” “Huah!” It took an agonizingly long time for the ground crew to give us permission to leave; it took Snap three tries to finally get an answer. "Friesian Flight, Outpost 3 Control, you are cleared for take off; go when ready. Just watch out for Shire Flight coming down; they have wounded.” The panicked filly’s voice in our ears didn’t instill the kind of confidence we were looking for. But despite our misgivings, we took to the skies. The shelling continued unabated, and more than once Snap and I had to dodge the falling harbingers of death. We set up a standard search grid, keeping in constant contact with Fam. While Quill was hopeful at first, as the day wore on I could tell he was getting frustrated. More than once, he snatched the radio from Famosity and told us to recheck a certain area. All the while, we had to dodge other airponies and try to stay out of the line of fire of the cloudships the CB’s were so fond of. Finally, the inevitable came to pass. “Watch it, Lunatic; you’ve picked up a shadow,” my wingman said through my earpiece. I checked my six. A cloudship piloted by a particularly angry-looking purple bear was gaining fast. “Roger that, I see him.” I was about to go weapons-free, until I realized we hadn’t picked up our usual outfit of lightning guns. “Shutterbug…” His voice crackled to life in my headset. “Yes, Lunatic?” “Why did we think it was a good idea to go out on a battlefield with our armaments?” The radio was quiet for a moment. I guessed he was checking his back for his guns like I had. “Horse apples…” The CB opened up on me, sending a flurry of gumballs whizzing angrily past. I barely had time to roll out of the way. “Buck it all! I’m gonna try and shake this guy; keep your guard up.” I put on a burst of speed and climbed into the sun, hoping to lose my shadow in its glare. When I checked back behind me after a couple dozen feet, he was still there. “Oh come on!” An idea struck me, and I smiled; those two long, mandatory years of weather school were about to pay off. I stopped climbing and settled into a hover directly in front of the sun, staring back over my shoulder as the fuzzy ball of death approached. “Closer…closer…” He didn’t see me until he was right on top of me, and by then it was too late. At the last second before impact, I kicked out as hard as I could against his cloud, vaporizing it instantly. The bear gave me the funniest confused look as his cloud disintegrated around him. He tried to lash out as he started to fall, but his deadly claws fell short of their mark. I was just going to let him fall, but my arrogance got the better of me and I dove after him, grinning madly. I pulled ahead of his fall and stopped again. “Get out of my sky!” I yelled and kicked him again as he fell past me. I felt his spine crack through my hooves, and his limp corpse arced beautifully back into his comrades’ trenches. My headset crackled to life again. “Don’t you think that was a bit unnecessary?” Shutterbug asked condescendingly. “Maybe,” I replied. “But it was still fun.” The rest of the day passed relatively uneventfully, and by the time Snap and I finally touched earth again, we’d been in the air for almost ten hours. My mane was slick with sweat and my wings hurt like they never had before. Quill was severely disappointed by our lack of success earlier. “We’ll have to hit it again tomorrow,” he said, pacing around our tent. “Quill, we have other duties tomorrow. Snap and I are on the roster for camp patrol. We can’t go running off.” I grabbed a knife and sliced the leather once more. Fourteen kills. “When do your duties end?” he asked pointedly. Snap pulled a copy of the schedule out of his flight suit and checked it. “1800 hours.” “That will give us about an hour of light afterwards. Meet me on the far western edge of the camp; we will continue from there.” He stepped out into the cold night air, desperate to be alone for a bit. “I’m worried about him…” Fam said when she was sure he was out of earshot. “Yeah… I’m afraid this won’t end well.” I set the knife down and hung my helmet from the corner of my cot. “Me too,” Snap chimed in. “But you can’t really blame him. A stallion in love is a force to be reckoned with.” “So what are we gonna do about it?” I wondered aloud. “Technically, there’s nothing we can do,” Fam replied. “He hasn’t broken protocol or anything like that, and we all volunteered to help.” Snap nodded his agreement. “We’ll just have to keep an eye on him until this all blows over.” “Let’s hope that happens soon…” Fam said. “We better tuck in,” I advised. “Long day tomorrow.”
Chapter 4My prediction proved accurate; Snap and I were awake and flying an hour before the sun was up. Thankfully, our patrol only covered the camp, and thermals rising from the bonfires meant we could glide most of the time. He flew close to me, mere inches separating our wing tips. Several times we spotted Quill below us, running from tent to tent searching for his beloved Rarity. My wingman raised his visor to look me in the eye. “You know, before I saw the size of this place, I had some hope he’d find her quickly; but now…” His voice trailed off in thought. “But now we don’t even have the slightest idea of whether or not she’s alive,” I finished. “He’ll do anything to find her.” “I know.” We flew in silence for a while, keeping alert for trouble. Once or twice one of us would zip off to buck what we thought might be an enemy craft, but every time it turned out to be a rogue cloud that had wandered in. “Thank Luna the patrols here are less…eventful…than the ones back at the old fort,” I commented after five such encounters. “You and that Princess of yours…” Snap chuckled. “Hey, you saw what happened at the award ceremony; I’d say I have a decent shot.” “Dream on, Lunatic. Dream on.” “I will, thank you.” He smirked and shook his head. The rest of our patrol continued in much the same way. We never encountered any real threats, and were actually glad to get back into the swing of everyday grunt work. The biggest incident we encountered was an argument between two other ponies down in the camp, which we interrupted before it broke into a fight. I thought I saw the tell-tail glow of Famosity’s magic behind a tent a little ways away, but further investigation proved fruitless. Quill flagged us down at exactly 1800 hours. Famosity stood next to him with a clipboard which the lieutenant seemed very interested in. “Ready to begin again?” I stretched my wings a few times. “Let us catch our breath, Quill. We’ve been on patrol all day.” He checked the sun, then the clipboard before giving us a reply. “Very well; you have five minutes. Captain, trim the last sweep of sector twelve.” He returned to the map, studying it for some clue as to his beloved’s whereabouts. “If he trimmed a sweep, that means he had us booked solid from 1800 hours until dark…” Snap postulated. “Yeah,” I nodded. “We are earning our bits today, my friend.” “No kidding.” I decided the best way to spend my five minutes was to lie down and pour my stress and fatigue back into the earth. I shrugged off the lightning turrets I’d been carrying all day and lay down. Snap made use of his time by stretching and having a glass of water some ways away from me. As I lay there on my back—eyes closed, wings extended, dumping all of my fatigue into the ground—Fam walked over to chat. “How was patrol?” “Uneventful,” I answered keeping my eyes closed. “I have a real bad cramp in my left wing though…” “Maybe I can help.” She stepped over to it and placed a hoof on my wing. “Where’s it hurt?” “A little to the right,” I grunted. She moved her hoof and found the spot, dead on. “Here?” she asked, applying a bit of pressure. “Ow! Yeah, that’s it.” “Sorry.” She moved her hoof gingerly in the spot I had indicated, applying light pressure to try to work the kink out. “Is that helping any?” “Yeah, a little.” The pain began to numb as Famosity worked the soreness out of the muscles. I sighed as the stress ebbed away and my wing began to feel much better. My eyes snapped open as a wave of pleasure washed over me, threatening to overwhelm my already tired mind. I sat up abruptly, shaking her hoof off my wing in the process. “Okay, you’re gonna have to stop.” I was struggling to control my breathing. “I thought you said it was helping,” she said, confused. “It was; I just…I’m good now, thanks.” “Okay…” She trotted off, leaving me staring after her flank and trying desperately not to be as aroused as I knew I was, and I was thankful my wings had already been extended. Snap walked over and flashed me a sarcastic smile. “She hit the right nerve, eh Show?” “Snap, I swear to Faust, if you do not cram a hoof in it, I will-“ “So are we ready to start?” Quill cut me off. My wingman and I snapped to attention. “Yessir,” Snap said. “I want to thank you both,” he said. “You’re fine stallions. I know you won’t let me down.” We suited back up, taking a moment to make sure our guns were tracking properly. Quill gave the map one final check before giving us leave to take off. Like last time, he organized the search while Fam radioed the proper positions to us. We were in a much more active part of the line this time around, and had to keep dodging falling mortar shells from the Carebear lines. Rarity was nowhere to found. Gumballs raked across the sky, cutting a deadly swathe inches from my rear hooves. “Ground fire!” I yelled into the microphone. “Evasive action!” Snap peeled off to the left while I dove down to try to draw fire away from the trenches. The guns tracked me, and I pushed myself to the limit to try and avoid the deadly candy. I was faintly aware of Snap relaying the coordinates of the guns to Fam, but I was too preoccupied with surviving to take much notice of what he said. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the turret, manned by a lone Charlie Bravo, on top of the second row of trenches in the Carebear lines. “Shutterbug, I’m going to try and keep his attention; come in behind him and take him out.” “Roger; be careful,” came his reply. I circled around for another pass, barely keeping a head of the stream of sugary death that poured from the barrels of the gun. I lined up and swooped low over the CB trenches, and let loose with a volley from the lightning guns on my back. Several of the enemy’s forces were vaporized instantly, while the ones who survived were cut down by friendly fire as the turret tried to keep up with me. Thank Faust the Carebears were idiots. Their stupor didn’t last, however. Many began turning their own weapons onto me, and my lightning turrets couldn’t hit them all. “Bucking bears…” I heard over my radio, followed by a sickening thump. “Got ‘im! Lunatic, pull up!” “Don’t have to tell me twice!” I angled into a steep climb, zigzagging to avoid any small arms fire that might follow me. I rose to a safe altitude and held up for my wingman. “Well…that was fun,” I said when he joined me. “You’ve got a strange idea of a good time,” he quipped back. My radio crackled to life. “Show?” It was Famosity; her voice had a slight quiver to it. “Show, are you alright?” “Still kickin’” I replied. “What say we get back to that search pattern?” “I…sounds like a good idea,” she said. “Resume pattern at mark 5-1.” “Mark 5-1,” Shutterbug repeated. “Thanks Fam.” We continued our search for another fifteen minutes before the sun finally sank below the horizon. We were still unable to locate the white unicorn who so commanded the lieutenant’s attention. Quill was thoroughly dejected. “Two days…for two days I have looked for Rarity and still nothing!” He stomped around the tent in a huff, venting his frustration at the canvas ceiling. “You’d think someone would have seen her by now!” “Isn’t the general best friends with Rarity?” Fam asked. “You could try asking her.” “I tried to get an audience with the general; she was far to busy to see me.” “Sir, I know this must be frustrating for you…” Snap started. “Yes! It’s incredibly frustrating. I would have no qualms about the war if I could find her!” “This isn’t the old fort, Quill. You’re going to have to resume your duties at some point.” I was too tired to be tactful about what I said. “I am aware of that, Sergeant, but I will continue looking for her as long as I can.” “I should probably mention that we’re all supposed to be in the trenches tomorrow,” Fam said quietly. “We’re going to relieve some of the other airborne squads.” “Then why are we still awake?” Snap questioned. Quill stared at the ground, defeated. Fam walked over and gave him a hug; after a moment, I joined her. Snap tried to slip away, but the captain pulled him in as well. “It’ll be okay,” she said. “After all, we’ve got each other.” The lieutenant nodded gratefully. “Thank you. But I will find her; make no mistake about that. I’m going out for a walk. I’ll see you lot in the morning.” He left, and the rest of us said our goodnights and fell asleep.
Chapter 5Quill’s cot was empty the next morning; we guessed he’d gotten up early to check some obscure part of the camp before we were due down at the trenches. But when he neither showed up for breakfast nor the hike down to the battlefield, we began to get worried. “Does anyone know if he even came back last night?” Snap asked. “I slept like a rock,” I yawned. “I have no idea.” Fam shook her head. “Last I saw, he was headed out for a walk.” I nodded towards the line of trenches. “Well, he wouldn’t desert his post. I’m sure he’s out there somewhere.” We marched down onto the battlefield with a slew of other squadrons, each with other pegasi in their ranks. It was clear the skies would not be empty today, and the prospect of a fight made us all a bit nervous. Snap and I were assigned to be in the trenches, but ready at all times to jump into the air if requested. Fam was to be in a bunker, continuously updating maps and assigning hooves where they were needed most. Quill was supposed to help organize the ground crews, but we still had no idea where he might have been. As we entered the trenches, the first thing we noticed was the mud. It was a thick, ugly quagmire that sucked at our hooves every time we took a step, squelching when it finally let go. My flight suit was instantly splattered with specks of mud; it was a far cry from the dry plateau on which the camp sat. “This is disgusting,” Fam said. “I didn’t realize they were this bad.” She peeled off from our marching line relatively quickly, hugging us both before heading for the command bunker in the rearmost line. “Looks like it’s just you and me,” I said to my wingman. He laughed. “As it always is.” We were stationed four rows from no-pony’s land. The crashing of mortar shells and bursts of fire from our infantry made it almost impossible to be heard. Overhead, duos of ponies attacked wave after wave of Carebear cloud ships. I would have rather been up there than stuck down on the ground waiting for somepony else to tag us in. We stood ready for an hour or two, staying as low and as dry as possible. We were surprised but ready when we saw Snap’s friend Silver Lining running towards us. “Private Silver Lining, sirs!” She had to shout be heard, and snapped a salute. “At ease, private,” Snap dismissed. “How are ya, kid?” “Just fine, sir!” “Do they need us in the air?” I asked, already stretching my wings to fly. “No sir! But I thought you should see this.” She levitated a pair of binoculars up for us to look through. Snap looked through them and cast his gaze over the battlefield. He gasped and swore loudly at something. “You have got to be bucking kidding me…” “What is it?” I took a look through the lenses and quickly saw why he was so distressed. “Tell me that’s not…” But the quill and parchment cutie mark confirmed; it was our lieutenant. He was wandering about out in the desecrated soil of no-pony’s land, seemingly oblivious to the destruction around him. It was a miracle he was still alive, and we had no idea how long he would stay that way. “Show, we have to do something, fast.” “I’m open to suggestions,” I said a bit harshly. I was in no mood to deal with a mess like this. “We’re gonna have to fly out over the enemy lines and scoop him up on the return to get him back here.” A sigh escaped me, betraying my stoic mask. “Sounds like as good a plan as any.” We took off without clearance. Protocol be bucked; at this point I was just hoping to pick Quill up in one piece. We flew as fast as we could out over the scorched earth of the battlefield, crossing over into enemy lines. We stayed low, hoping to avoid tangling with the fighters and concentrated on avoiding the bursts of anti-air fire directed at us. We banked hard and dove down towards the ground, pulling up mere inches from the floor of the valley. I spotted our target, and signaled my wingman to slow as we approached so that we wouldn’t break his legs. As we got close, we could hear him calling out. “Rarity? Darling, are you out here?” “He’s gone completely off his nut,” Snap said through the radio. “There’s no way he’d be out here otherwise.” I only nodded and readied myself for the added weight of another pony. I was on the left side of Quill and Snap was on the right. We held our forelegs in hook shapes as we prepared for the snatch. In one swift movement, we hooked him up from the ground and climbed a few hooves to avoid dragging the lieutenant. We were forced to roll as we dodged a falling mortar shell, and gumballs whizzed past us as the anti-air guns opened up. Quill began screaming obscenities at us, demanding that we put him down. We had nearly reached the front lines of our own trenches when a shell exploded right in front of us, forcing us to bank sharply to avoid the debris. For fifteen minutes, every time we tried to re-enter our own lines, we’d be cut off again, either by the shelling or a burst of small arms fire. I was beginning to tire, and Quill’s constant struggling didn’t make it any easier. Finally, the lieutenant wiggled free of our grasp and fell to the ground, tumbling into a foxhole. Snap and I made a rough landing, sliding to halt in the thick mud before running back and diving into the cramped hole. Gumballs whizzed over our heads and shells exploded dangerously close to our refuge. Quill clambered to get out of the hole, but just as he got his head above ground again, Snap yanked him back down, pinning one of his forelegs to the ground. I pounced on the other, and we held him as he squirmed to get free. “Let me go!” he screamed at us. “I’ll have you court marshaled for this!” “He’s completely lost it,” I said to Snap. “If you don’t let me up this instant, I will see you both hanged!” Snap reached back and punched him hard in the face. “Get a grip, soldier!” he yelled. “Just listen to yourself.” “I…” He blinked a few times, seeming to come to his senses. “Quill, I know it’s hard, but for Faust’s sake, you’ve got to hold it together.” I was trying not to be angry, but my patience was already thin. “With a traitor somewhere in the upper ranks, our little family is all we’ve got. We can’t go having you get blown to bits.” “I…I apologize,” he said finally. “I never slept last night. I kept justifying maybe she’d be somewhere out here if I kept looking.” “We all make mistakes,” Snap said as we let him up. “It’s just that-“ “I say, is someone out there?” we heard a voice call from a few yards away. Quill’s ears sprang up. “Could it be?” he wondered aloud. “I’ve been stuck out here all night and the mud is going to stain my coat if I stay here much longer! And I’m terribly hungry; I could eat a whole flower bed.” The voice was definitely female, and had a distinct accent to it. Snap and I looked at each other incredulously. “Rarity?” Quill called. “Darling is that you?” The explosion of another shell cut the conversation for a moment as we all covered to avoid the flying dirt. “Quill Weave?” she called back. “It’s marvelous to hear your voice again, dear.” He tried desperately to climb out of the foxhole again. This time it was me that pulled him back down. “Easy sarge; there’s still a war on.” “Show, please…” he begged. I held up a hoof to stop him. “Here’s the plan. Snap, fly Quill out of here and back into our lines, get as far to the rear as you possibly can. I’ll get to Rarity and join you in a few minutes.” “Be careful, Show,” he cautioned. I was about to leap back into the chaos of the field when the lieutenant stopped me. “Thank you, Show. For everything.” “Thank me when we’re out of here,” I said. They took off and I jumped out of the hole, spotting the place where I guessed Rarity’s voice had emanated from. I waved down a few of the infantry on the front lines to give me some cover fire, and I was able to slip into the shallow void with little trouble. The white unicorn in front of me was a wreck compared to the picture I’d seen the lieutenant carry. Her mane was completely disheveled, and mud was caked onto her coat in spots everywhere. She regarded me with her big blue eyes. “Who are you?” she demanded. I could see right away why Quill was attracted to her. Another mortar fell close enough to leave my ears ringing. “I’m Show Off. Quill sent me,” I said loudly. “Can you take me to him?” she asked me, a little more politely. “Absolutely,” I said, smiling despite the gravity of the situation. “Oh thank you, darling,” she replied, batting her eyes at me. I hovered over her and hooked my forelegs underneath hers. “Now brace yourself, this may hurt a bit.” I flapped as hard as I could and shot out of the tiny depression like a rocket, dragging the full weight of a mare with me. I grunted from the exertion and looked around for Snap and Quill. I spotted the duo in the very rear line, close to the command center where Famosity was stationed; they must have filled her in on the good news too; she was scanning the skies with them. I forgot to compensate for the added weight during landing, and crashed into the muck with a nasty splat. Everypony was covered in mud from our hooves right up to our heads, and all but Rarity and Quill laughed. The two were lost in each other’s eyes, oblivious to the war still going on around them. “Rarity, my dear…” “Quill, darling…” They leaned in and shared a long, passionate kiss, which I suspect was only broken because they needed to breath. Quill helped the mare to her feet, and they began walking back toward the camp, speaking quietly to each other and wrapping their tails together. Snap and I smiled and shook our heads, and Fam looked close to tears. “I’m glad we found her,” she said. “What do you mean ‘we’?” I teased her. The only response I got was a mint-green hoof across my face. Snap laughed. “You’ll learn to keep your mouth shut one of these days.” “Not likely,” I replied, rubbing my hoof against my cheek. “Looks like our little family just got a little bigger.” “So, does that mean we get a bigger tent?” The captain asked excitedly. Snap and I burst into laughter. “Faust, I hope so…” I said, wiping tears from my eyes. “At least you won’t be the only filly anymore,” my wingman offered. Fam’s eyes got big. “Show, tell me I’m prettier than her.” I laughed again. “You’re the most gorgeous mare on this battlefield.” She seemed satisfied with that answer. Snap gave me a wink, which I returned with a scowl. He smirked and shook his head. “I’ve had enough brushes with death for today,” he said. “Captain, would you be so kind as to order us all to the mess hall?” “Let’s go eat!” she said. The three of set off for the camp again, thankful to have put yet another crisis behind us.
