A Twinkle of Hope

A Twinkle of Hope - Chapter 7

"Alright you ponies! I want a straight line! stand nice and tall!" Rainbow Dash stood in a crowd of freshly uniformed recruits. Standing before them was the drill sergeant. He seemed to especially eye Rainbow. She couldn't quite figure out why. Was it her mane? Sure it was flashy, but the sarge needed to concentrate on his job, and...

In thought she didn't realize her stare lined up with the Drill officer, even when he wasn't looking at her. "Dash! The hell are you starring at? You lookin' at me? You think I look pretty? You got anything to say?"

The pegasus stood there, overwhelmed with indecision. Before she could open her mouth, the red sergeant earth-pony yelled some more. "Didn't think so! Now drop and give me twenty! And no wings!"

Immediately Dash hit the floor and did as she was told. Her usual brashness and independent nature was deterred by the forceful pony in front of Rainbow.

The drill sergeant, not wanting to seem overly fond of ordering just the pegasus, repeated the demand to the other recruits. The line of ponies went down as fast as their legs would let them.

This was followed by a lunch of whatever hays and flowers could be acquired. Rainbow sat down with her tray and quietly began eating. A reddish-brown unicorn mare came and sat beside her, trying to start up a conversation.

"So...what's your name?"

The pegasus was caught off guard. "...huh...oh...my name is...uh...Rainbow Dash. I'm new."

The unicorn smiled, "Nice to meet ya! I'm Clockwork. I work here as a mechanic, repairing vehicles and stuff whenever they need me. Wait! So you're Rainbow Dash, huh? I've heard of your sonic rainboom, though of course I didn't get to see it myself."

Rainbow's self-esteem suddenly spiked. "Yeah well it's nothing TOO special, just you know breaking the sound barrier and all." Modesty was not one of the pegasus' defining characteristics. In her boasting she accidently spilled a bit of cider on her new uniform.

"Uh-oh...your sergeant is gonna have your flank if he catches you with that stain."

"Oh man...let's see if I can't..." Rainbow dabbed the stain frantically, but the cider would not cooperate. Sighing she said, "I don't think I'm cut out for this. Maybe I should just quit..."

"Aw come on. You think any of us thought we could make it? My sergeant made me cry everyday my first week. He was relentless, but I stuck with it, and now I'm an important part of this army. Don't get discouraged."

Clockwork looked at the pegasus with the most sincere expression, and Dash realized how petty she was acting. She was a soldier now! It was time she started acting like it.

After lunch Rainbow began to explore the fort she would call home from now on. For the past two days she was not allowed to leave her bed, but now that her wing had healed, Rainbow was free to explore the outpost on her off duty time. All over, uniformed ponies shouted as they moved crates and unloaded trucks. The air was filled with hustle and bustle, and sounds of gun shots by the practice range. She occasionally spotted an artillery piece being hauled to who knows where.

It was not long since she had started walking around before it was time to return to her barracks. Rainbow was going to face the sergeant head on about the stain.

The ponies stood in a line as the terrifying earth-pony walked slowly, eyeing each recruit. When he got to Rainbow, a grimace overtook his face as he glared at the cyan pony.

"Dash! Looks like you've got a little trigger happy with your beverage! Do you know what this uniform represents? I'm means you got the backs of all others who wear it! Do you respect that, Dash? Apparently not! You cannot be bothered to keep it clean! do you hear me? You might as well have spit on it! You make me sick! What do you have to say for yourself?"

Taking all the reprimanding, Rainbow Dash stood up straight, chin turned upwards, "I am sorry, Drill Sergeant! The spill was an accident, and I'll make sure it doesn't happen again. I apologize for letting down my unit, sir!"

Then, something unheard of happened; the Drill Sergeant started to smile as he bellowed to the recruits, "You see? This is how a soldier responds to adversity! Learn from your mistakes!" the smiled faded back to a frown as he turned his head back to Rainbow Dash, "But remember, a dead pony cannot correct their mistake." He said in an uncharacteristically quiet voice.

Dash's punishment was to clean the barracks while the other soldiers were off eating dinner. By the time she was done, the sergeant recalled everypony to the line. Soon the unit was running laps around the walls of the fort.

"How much longer are we gonna do this, sir?" Rainbow Dash said panting.

"Every damn soldier will run ten miles every day! Keeps you all in shape! And no flying, Dash, or i'll personally see to it that those things are nailed to your sides!"

"...Yes sir"

After her ten miles were done, Rainbow retired to her bunk. She had only felt so tired once before, when she first arrived at this place. Now she plopped herself on the springy matress and closed her eyes. Rainbow drifted off to sleep...so peaceful...

It lasted not for three minutes. Her drill sergeant came in, and ordered the barracks' occupants to stand at attention. He slowly walked forward, before stopping once again at the cyan pegasus. In a calm voice, he addressed Dash, "You, Rainbow. The General wishes to speak to you. The rest of you, get some sleep. We rise bright and early in the morning." Without another word, the other ponies climbed back into bed, as the sergeant left.

Rainbow Dash cursed as she walked to the General's office. She was wide awake however, anxious at what the large pony had called her for. Knocking on his door with her hoof, a gruff voice replied "Come in." Dash slowly stepped inside the small building, and stood in front of the officer's desk, standing up straight. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

Cloudrunner leaned forward, looking at the pegasus. "Yes, miss Dash. If it's not too much trouble, why don't you let me know how your first day was, hm?" His question was oddly parental.

"Um...yes sir, well we did some drills, we ran, I got in trouble for a stain and had to clean..."

"And your sergeant?"

"He's..uh...well he's doing his job, though it seems he's got it in for me...uh..sir."

"You feel he is being overly harsh on you, and just you?"

"Yes sir."

"Haha! Good." Rainbow looked perplexed.

"I...I don't get it. That's not fair, General. I mean he should treat us all the same! so why are you happy with him singling me out?" Her temper was loosening.

"Because, I told him to."

"wha...?" She was even more confused.

"Rainbow Dash, I have plans for you. You have a lot of potential, but we don't have much time to unlock it. A month is all we got. In that time you will be molded into an officer, if you so choose. But! That'll require discipline, perseverance, willpower. You can back out now and be a regular soldier, which there is no shame in, but i know you can do more."

Rainbow’s thoughts raced with apprehension. she hadn't come here expecting this offer. She didn’t think she was special enough. The General saw her face, and began speaking again.

"I understand you're reluctance, but rest assured you are better than you give yourself credit for. Dash, I saw you at the Best Young Fliers Competition. I hadn't seen a pony fly so fast since, well, myself." He chuckled a bit as he said this. "You are the element of loyalty, yes? A natural born leader too, if I might add. You got what it takes. What do you say?"

The mention of the competition tapped her deep ineptitude, that of never getting to be a Wonderbolt. "That’s all very flattering, but I didn't even get into the Won..."

"The Wonderbolts, yes. Showponies, really. Good fliers. They petitioned to have you join them, or at least replace one if they retired. But I intervened." The cyan pony stared blankly as he admitted to killing her dreams. She wanted to wring his neck right there, but knew he could probably pin her down with one hoof if he wanted to. Besides, his next statement alleviated the news.

"Forgive me, I know how much you wanted to join, but i had other plans. I told the air force to consider accepting you into the Royal Air Force Academy. I wanted you as an officer. the paperwork just needed to be processed, but then war broke out and the bureaucrats ground to a halt. When I first saw you laying in the dirt out in front, I suspected it was you, and when you told me your name, I gained some hope. But I was truly overjoyed when you volunteered to join us. Imagine, the fastest pony in the world fighting for us! Suddenly this war became a little easier."

Rainbow Dash calmed down and kick the ground, bashfully looking down. "Thank you sir. I'm honored you wanted me. But I'm still not convinced I’m the pony for the job. I’ve never fired a gun or flown into battle. I’m not made tough stuff." The usually proud pony shied away from the limelight. She acted tough around her friends, but she certainly wasn't soldier material.

"Well then. I think you should come with me. There's somepony I'd like you to meet."

The two walked outside, and walked towards a concrete bunker-like building. The General reached for his keys and opened the door. He gestured Rainbow inside and led her down some stairs, to another locked door. Inside were lamps and food supplies, as well as bookshelves and a couch. Rainbow opened her mouth. "What is this place?"

"You'll see." He smiled, turning his attention to the room. "You have a visitor"

A shape came up off the couch. Walking towards the door was a dark blue pony, with a long flowing mane of a starry blue color. Above her long horn sat a black crown. Her wings flapped as she stretched them. She looked straight at Rainbow, who was astonished by the pony's appearance.

"It's..it's..." The element of loyalty struggled to utter a word.

Cloudrunner bowed slightly. "Princess Luna."