The Shadows of War

The world around me reeled. Memories flashed before me like screens in a film, all of them flashing by in quick succession.

Blaze, in the changing room at boot camp.

Blaze, grinning with me in training.

Blaze, storming a beach with me.

Blaze, holding me while I cried.

Blaze, shot and bleeding in a hole in the ground.

Blaze, standing there in the door, smiling at me like nothing was wrong.

Rainbow Dash held the door, standing a bit off to the side while I gaped at Orange Blaze in the doorway. Her smile slowly fell as she looked at me. My own mind was still trying to comprehend what was in front of me. Over three months, I had no contact with her, other than a letter saying that everything about her was classified now. No calls, no letters, not even a word of mouth message back to let me know she was alive and not... something else. Something like me maybe... or something like Radio Wave.

After a moment, she finally stepped forward, looking at Rainbow. “May I come in?” she inquired, and Rainbow nodded. Entering, she took a few slow steps towards me, and I finally stopped staring and started seeing.

She was dressed in a uniform, black and crisp with red trimming and a gold chain on one shoulder. Master Sergeant chevrons were on her shoulder, and she had a saber at her side, one that looked very combat-ready, but the thing I noticed most was the way her right sleeve didn’t move quite right... a tiny lump and a glint of metal told me she had a concealed weapon. I had only a moments notice before those arms were wrapped around me, and her familiar smell filled my nostrils. She still went without any perfume.

I looked up at her, tears in my eyes. “Where have you been?” I asked, my voice slightly hoarse.

She sighed. “We have a lot to talk about... Miss Dash, any chance there is a bit more food?”

Dash nodded, and we all sat down once Blaze had some coffee and biscuits. Blaze sat quietly for a bit while I got changed into sweatpants and a hoodie, coming back and sitting on the couch next to Rainbow. Blaze's eyes looked a bit odd at how close we sat together, but I couldn’t care less. Right now, all I wanted to know was what she was doing here. Finally, she started speaking.

“Look, I would apologize... but right now, I don’t think that would solve anything. For the record, I am sorry about being out of the loop, but there were things going on that I couldn’t leave. I joined up with the Office of Secret Intelligence right out of the hospital. They were pulling soldiers out with various specialties, and since I marked very high in hand to hand and recon, they asked me to join up. I just... I dunno, I was out of it still and I agreed. Still, I'm glad I did. It's got a lot of purpose behind the program, making sure that a war like this never breaks out again.”

I shook my head. “Blaze... we promised we would be there for each other once we got out! We promised!”

She sighed and took another sip of coffee. “Wing... I thought about that promise every day for the last few months. I have had trouble sleeping, especially after I saw what happened to you in the news... and I realize something. We do need each other... that is why I came here to ask you to come and teach marksmanship at Reigngly Intelligence Academy. You would be perfect!” she said, grinning.

There was a moment of silence while, for an INSTANT, I considered her offer. Blaze and me, side by side, watching eachother's backs. Blaze and me, kicking ass together. Blaze and me... together again... Then Rainbow stirred next to me, and I blinked. “What? No! Blaze, I shot you in the leg, not the head! What the HELL is wrong with you?” I said, getting up. I could feel my heartbeat accelerating, and the rushing sound in my ears as my blood pumped faster. The cold tingle of adrenaline spiked my veins, and my breath hitched for a moment as I felt the stirrings of panic. What was I panicking about?

Blaze looked at me and sighed. “Hey... calm down. I just came out here to offer you a chance at doing something for your country. I mean, I know you already did, but this would be VERY important. With the scout training we got, we could do recon and stuff, stop threats before they ever happened, knock off bad guys before they really become a problem. Remember the mission to Redwing Manor?”

I could hardly hear her over the pounding in my chest, but at the words Redwing Manor... I remembered all right.

“Corporal, take the shot whenever you think you have it! Do NOT miss! If you cant hit him from here, we need to go down there!”

I lay prone, the rifle propped up on a small rock, rain dripping off the end as I squinted at the room. The light came on, and I saw a gryphon in the room. Two of them... one large one, with red wings, and the other a bit smaller, who was getting out of bed. As I adjusted my aim, the larger one grabbed the smaller one in an embrace and pointed at the door. My shot was blocked by her, however.

“Ma'am, the civilian, I think it is his wife, is between me and him. I don’t have a clear shot” I said, my heart beating quickly. “I cant get him!”

“Corporal, will that shot go through her and still kill him?” she demanded. I hesitated, and she said “TAKE THE SHOT!”

Time slowed to a crawl. She was a civilian! This wouldn’t be collateral damage, this would be murder! I adjusted the crosshairs, trying to center his head, but at this range there was a five inch spread. I had to aim for the chest... and they wre overlapping. In a moment, they would be heading for the door...

“Ma'am, I-” I started, but the major glared. “Take the shot, corporal. One life versus thousands, take the shot NOW! That's an order!”

Gulping, I centered the crossairs and let my breath out. My finger squeezed the trigger gently, and the rifle kicked against my shoulder.

She collapsed, dead along with her husband. I had murdered them both... they never had a fair chance at fighting back.

I shook my head. “No... Blaze, I am NOT going back. There is nothing in this world that will make me go back to war! I gave EVERYTHING I had, so did you! Blaze, we did enough! We did MORE than enough! Hoof saved my life at the cost of his own, and he told me to earn it! He told me to earn his sacrifice! Remember Radio Wave? He was so excited to do great things, and he died a stuipd, pointless death on a beach!!”

My voice was rising, and before I knew it, I was standing up. Blaze looked at me in horror as I kept going, pacing back and fourth. “I am NOT proud of what we did! You didn’t look down a scope and have to shoot through an innocent civilian to kill someone that never had a chance to defend themselves! I was a sniper! I murdered people! And what about-” I said, looking at her.

Blaze stood up too, face hard. “Dont even say it! Don’t you DARE-” she started, before I went chest to chest with the much larger mare, looking up at her. I would NOT back down, not this time.

“What about Saint Feathersburge? Tell me you don’t still have nightmares about that!” I shouted, my vision getting blurry. “Tell me you don’t remember that! Tell me you don’t remember-”

I didn’t finish as, with a snarl, she swung at me. Her fist connected solidly with my jaw, and I went over backwards, tumbling over the couch as Rainbow swore and jumped up. “The HELL!” she shouted. This wasn't her fight though... this one was mine. I would not run from my past again.

In an instant, I was over the couch and tackling her hard. She rolled over backwards and we both hit the front door, which buckled under the impact and broke open backwards, dumping us into the street.

“We made a promise!” I shouted, before she kicked me off and I rolled backwards, settling into a fighting crouch. “We promised each other we would be together after the war! WE PROMISED!”

She came at me, a quick left-right combination that we had been taught in basic. I blocked both, and replied with a kick to the chest. She caught it, and went to twist it to knock me down. Hours of sparring together had taught me how to defend, and I jumped, using her hands as leverage to maneuver myself up and over her, flapping my numb wings as hard as I could until I broke free of her and straddled her head, bearing her to the ground with my knees locked around her head. She thrashed, before slamming me down hard and breaking free.

“Yes, we did! But things changed, Wing! They changed! I was in the hospital when it hit me... we are GOOD at fighting! You and me, we were a great team! We did great things together, and we could keep doing them!” she said as she stood up. Both of us were breathing hard, and for a moment I was about to charge her again.

Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the fight left me and I slumped. She was beyond reason... she had gone mad in her own way. “Blaze... what happened?” I asked. “Why... never mind. Just leave...” I said, as Rainbow finally came out, heading towards me slowly.

Blaze scowled. “We both saw shit over there. Difference between you and me is that I stayed tough. I kept going. You gave up.”

As Rainbow put an arm around my shoulders, I looked at Blaze and shook my head, sorrow in my chest as I looked at one I used to call my friend.

“No Blaze... made a harder choice... I moved on. I stopped doing what was easy, and now I am doing the hardest thing I have EVER done... just leave.”

She looked pissed, and turned to leave, climbing into an army truck that was parked next to the curb. As she left, Rainbow looked at me and held onto me still, and I rested my head on her shoulder.

Some people, I guess, still had it worse than me. Still, somehow I knew this would not be the last I would ever see of her... and I prayed, right then and there, that someday she would come home.