Operation:Eclipse

  Flash awoke slowly, his head throbbing dismally. He rubbed his temple and stretched, his entire body protesting with discomfort. Rubbing his eyes groggily, he took notice of his surroundings. He lay in a stark white bed, and wore a gray hospital gown.  A ray of light shining through the small crevice of a bent-down window blind slightly illuminated the room, showing the dark outline of a pony gazing out.

  Flash leered at the pony. "Who's there?" he asked nervously. The pony glanced over at him and lowered her hoof from the blind, the room returning once more into darkness.

  The pony approached his bed, and pulled the cord to the desk-lamp to his right. Flash's eyes shut quickly as the area around his bed flooded with light. Opening his eyes slowly to get used to the illumination, he recognized his shadowy visitor to be Rainbow Dash. Although her raised eyebrows projected concern, her scarred mouth appeared to be cocked into a half-smile; giving her the appearance of slight enjoyment towards his suffering.

  "How are you feeling, Flash?" she asked quietly, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

  He coughed dryly, realized for the first time that his mouth was bone-dry. Her eyes widened, and she got up from the bed to get him water from the sink in the room. She handed him a paper cup filled with water, and he gulped down the cool liquid in one swallow, his mouth moistening in pure ecstasy.

  He extended the cup back towards her. "Can I have some more?" he asked. The water he'd drank had only made his thirst worse, and his entire body begged for the cool refreshment.

  Rainbow shook her head. "If you drink too much right after waking up you might get sick," she explained to his begging eyes. "Especially since you've been out for a week."

  Flash's eyes widened. "A week? What happened to me?"

  Rainbow sighed heavily, rubbing the back of her head. "Well, after I got you to the hospital, the docs ran a few tests—"

  "I remember that much," he interrupted quietly. The doctors had ran tests to check his brain in case it had been damaged in some way.

  She raised an eyebrow. "Anyway," she continued,"as soon as they were finished, you hit the pillow and was out like a light. After a few days passed, I asked the doctors if you were all right, and they said 'Yeah, he's fine. His body's just resting up from that crash!'"

  Flash frowned. "What did the tests say?"

  She rolled her eyes, waving her hoof aloofly. "You're fine. Other than a few bumps and bruises, there's nothing wrong with you."

  He sighed in relief, the worry for his mental health dissipating. His head snapped towards the door at the sound of a slight rapping, followed by the doctor showing himself in.

  "Ah, you're awake!" the doctor exclaimed, his mouth curving into a smile. He seemed to be a kind pony, but held the appearance of one who hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long while. There were shadows under his eyes; the whites of which were slightly blood-shot, and he blinked noticeably often to keep himself awake.

   Flash glanced towards the doctor, his eyes pleading. "Could I have a glass of water?"

  The doctor rang out in a deep laugh. "You can have all the water you want when you get out!"

  "I'm getting out now?" Flash asked in surprise.

  "Of course! I'll check you out right this instant. Just wait here, and when I get back, you'll be free to go." The doctor exited the room, leaving Rainbow and Flash alone once more.

Able to speak freely with Flash once again, Rainbow's face grew deadly serious, her eyes cold. "What were you thinking, Flash? We had to shoot that helicopter down to save your life! Who knows what it could have hit!" she reprimanded, causing Flash to wince with every word. She sighed. "Thankfully, the only pony that was killed was Pipsqueak's wife, DInky. It's a shame, ya' know; her mother, Derpy, and I were friends."

  "Ma'am, I-I'm so sorry!" Flash sputtered, hoping desperately his leader would forgive him.

  Her eyes lit up in fury. "Sorry?" she shrieked. "That's it? What if more ponies had been hurt? What if someone you actually cared about had died? Would sorry be enough then?"

  Flash's breathing hitched as he teetered on the edge of bursting into tears. For most, the thought of being the root cause of somepony's demise would be the memory that constantly gnawed at their soul; eventually causing extreme mental trauma. Flash, however, had long since come to terms with the crimes against nature he'd taken part in. What drew terror within his being the most was the disappointed gaze of Rainbow Dash.

  Although he'd enlisted in the Royal Guard long before Rainbow Dash became a Wonderbolt, Flash never saw combat until the Griffon-Pony War had broken out. Taking lives, even if the ones he stole were those of the Griffon invaders, tore his mind nearly apart. When he voiced his anguish, his superiors pegged him as lazy. Once, he'd had a mental breakdown; his squad proceeding to beat him until he snapped out of it. Again, his fear was dubbed as insubordination.

  When the Battle of Manehatten broke out, Flash's platoon was sent in, only to be completely decimated. It seemed as if roles were reversed, for the remaining ponies in the squad were near-catatonic at the horrors they'd witnessed. Flash, on the other hand, finally became a leader. He was able to keep the squad alive, and completed the objective; not only ending the battle, but bringing a conclusion to the entire war. This final act of war proved to be extremely controversial,  eventually causing the split between the two princesses.

  After the war's end, Flash found himself plagued again by what he'd seen during combat. He couldn't get used to civilian life, and as soon as the War of Snow broke out, he enlisted once again. Due to his relationship with Princess Twilight Sparkle, Flash found himself the second-in-command to the commander of the Solar Empire's armed forces: Shining Armor. During the opening stages of the war, resolutions other than full-fledged combat were searched for. The New Lunar Republic and the Solar Empire both sent the leaders of their respective forces to a meeting, where a peaceful solution would hopefully be found.

  During those meetings, Flash encountered Rainbow Dash, who led the NLR's armed forces, and considered the meetings to be idiotic in nature. In her opinion, the Solar Empire had no justifications for the actions taken during the final days of the Griffon-Pony War, and deserved to be eradicated. Flash, Shining, and Rainbow's second-in-command, Applejack,  tried to dissuade the prismatic-maned mare from declaring war, but the her decision was final.

  However, the points Rainbow had made plagued Flash's mind. Over time, he became disillusioned by the Solar Empire. Taking notice of his wavering loyalty, Rainbow called onto him to join her in creating a new country; one that would protect the soldiers and orphans who'd been abandoned by their so-called leaders. And so, the Rainbow Dynasty was born from the ashes of two ponies who'd betrayed their countries.

  Since then, Flash had grown an immense respect and love for Rainbow Dash. To have her feel anger and disappointment towards him tore his soul to shreds. He'd disappointed his leader, his friend, and his savior. Without her, he would've died a long time ago. In Flash's eyes, Rainbow's acceptance mattered more than life itself.

  She sighed at the quivering stallion, and patted his shoulder consolingly. "It wasn't just ponies' lives I was worried about, Flash. I was worried about you," she leaned over the bed and hugged him tightly. "You're my best friend, Flash. I couldn't lose you."

  The two broke away from their embrace at sound of the door-handle turning. The doctor walked into the room, levitating a small bottle and a glass of water. Setting them on the table next to Flash's bed, the doctor instructed: "Take one of these every six hours. It'll help your aches and pains."

  Flash popped one of the pills in his mouth, and eased it down with a gulp of water. Setting the glass down again, he thanked the doctor, who told him that he was free to leave. As was mandatory, he was rolled out of the hospital in a wheelchair; Rainbow Dash smirking at the visibly annoyed stallion the entire trip down.

  When the hospital doors opened, a gust of icy wind blew into their faces. Flash hugged himself tightly, a shiver running down his spine. With every exhale, his breath steamed up into the air, drifting away to the atmosphere; inevitably becoming part of the next onslaught of snow.

  The wheelchair unable to move any further in the snow, Flash was required to get to his hooves. Wobbling, he got up from the chair, using Rainbow Dash for support. She let go, only to immediately have to catch him from falling to his face. He brushed her off, a look of fiery determination in his eyes. Slowly, he made a stiff step, shivering as his hoof sunk into the undisturbed snow.

  The nurse wheeled the wheelchair back into the hospital, leaving Flash and Rainbow alone in the blizzard outside. The wind blew the thick sheets of snow through the air diagonally, making a loud wail as if nature itself was dying. Flash squinted into the flurry, trying to make out any of Ponyville's landmarks. "When did this start?" he yelled over the wind.

  A mist rose from the corner of Rainbow's scarred mouth as she sighed. "It started a few hours after we got you to the hospital, and it's only gotten worse," she muttered dejectedly. She began walking forward, looking off to the side to avoid the snow blowing towards her. She motioned for Flash to follow with a halfhearted wave of her hoof, and the two set off.

  They struggled through the blistering cold, their hooves painfully numb. Flash cried out breathlessly through the furious storm,"Where are we going?"

  She glanced back at him, her usually cyan lips darkened purple. "To a place way colder than this," she chuckled darkly, her eyes growing distant. Flash frowned at the frost-covered mare as she continued trudging forward through the soft blankets of snow.

  Although half-blinded, Flash knew what the black wall in front of them was. When the walls around Ponyville were being built, it was decided that their protective barrier would only be three-sided. Acting as the fourth shield to invaders was the Everfree Forest; ironically the most impenetrable of them all.

  "Why are we going out there?" Flash asked with trepidation. Ignoring him, Rainbow approached the large hole cut out of the vines and branches that served as an entrance to the wild forest. She stood silently, staring forward into the wall of black, her eyes filled with sorrow. Shaking off her emotions, she rushed forward into the forest. Flash rushed after her, tripping on several branches and vines, unable to see which direction he was heading.

  Following the rustling noises made by Rainbow, Flash finally tripped forward into a snow-covered clearing. The weather, at least there, had cleared off, and the the light of the moon shimmered beautifully upon the peaceful blankets of ice. In the middle of the clearing was a ravine, a ragged bridge the only passage across. Behind the bridge sat a decrepit formation of stones resembling the foundations of a building.

  Rainbow sighed at the ancient formation, her face finally showing the toll that years of fighting had taken from her. "The Castle of the Two Sisters," she said, her voice only at a whisper. He caught the words, however, and registered surprise at the revelation.

  "You mean this is where...?" he trailed off, his eyes widening at the ruins.

  She nodded. "This is where it all began, Flash. Luna betrayed Celestia when she turned into Nightmare Moon, and Celestia in turn betrayed Luna when she didn't read the tell-tale signs of envy, and banished her for a millennium. This is where my friends and I joined forces as the Elements of Harmony for the first time, and where we took our sides in the War of Snow." She stared the bridge she'd fixed, remembering the attempt made by the "Shadowbolts" to get her to abandon her friends. In the end, she'd done exactly what they had wanted her to do, only several years later. "The Elements of Harmony," she began, her voice breaking slightly,"are a group of relics from a bygone era of peace. Every single one of us has betrayed our element during these wars, and... Now, we all hate each other with a passion. This place represents the fall of our friendship."

  Flash frowned. "What do you mean?"

  She motioned for him to follow her as she opened the rotted wooden door into the ruins. The door groaned loudly, its rusty hinges moving for the first time in many years. The interior was visibly lit due to the lack of a roof, and the floor was covered in a thick layer of snow. In the back of the large hall sat two thrones, both weathered heavily. One throne was a faded gold, the back encrusted with a sun. The other was sapphire, its back adorned with a moon. Each throne was a representation of the princess that once rested upon them.

  "My friends and I once attempted to put this place back together," she reminisced sadly. "In the end, we realized that it was a lost cause. Just like the sisters' relationship, their castle couldn't be repaired. We abandoned it just like we abandoned each other." As she spoke, she leaned her head into a side-room, gasping at the sight of a dusty purple book with a horse-shoe on the cover. She approached the book, her breathing quickening with every step taken.

  Flash eyed Rainbow with concern. "Are you okay, Rainbow?" he asked nervously as a tear slid down one of her cheeks. She nodded hesitantly, flipping the book open, the thick layer of dust flying off into the air.

  "Our friendship journal," she breathed. "After Twilight became a princess, we all began writing friendship lessons in here, hoping someday somepony would read them and learn something, too." She turned to a page,"This one's from Fluttershy!" she exclaimed, acting like a filly who'd just gotten what she wanted for her birthday. "Dear Diary, my instinct is always to nurture those in need. I feel the urge to help others when they are in a bad situation, especially the creatures. Telling somepony no seems so mean, goes against my nature, and feels like it's the opposite of my Element of Kindness.My experiences with the Breezies have helped me to see that kindness can take many forms. Sometimes being too kind can actually keep a friend from doing what they need to do. Pushing them away may seem cruel, but it is sometimes the kindest thing you can do."

  Flash smiled at how giddy Rainbow was, her youthful joy seeming to return to her in front of his eyes. She flipped through the book again, reading from another entry. "It's good to be proud of what you do. Like, I'm really proud of making everypony smile and laugh and planning the best parties ever! But when my pride got in the way of hearing Rainbow Dash laugh at her own birth-aversary, I knew it was time to retire the old party cannon. 'Cause if it was a choice between forfeiting a competition to be the bestest party planner ever or getting to hear my friend laugh again, I choose hearing my friend laugh again, hooves down! Fortunately, I didn't have to choose! Together, Cheese Sandwich and I threw a totally epic party for Rainbow's tenth's birth-aversary! And I've never been more proud!"

   "Who said that?" he asked.

  Rainbow answered without thinking. "Pinkie Pie."

   Flash's thoughts flashed back to the explosion, Pinkie's legs flying off in different directions. He was shaken from the horrific imagery by Rainbow reading another page. "This one's by me," she explained, before starting. "Training with Spitfire and Fleetfoot for the Equestria Games was totally awesome. I mean, they're Wonderbolts and really know their stuff when it comes to flying. And when they asked me to fly with them as part of Team Cloudsdale, I gotta say, I was totally tempted. But there's Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps from Team Ponyville. They may not be the strongest flyers—well, let's face it, they're not the strongest flyers—but they sure get an A for effort! And they represent the home team of Ponyville. And as Pinkie says, "Pee for Ponyville."Still, I can't deny it. I LOVE to win...really, really love it! But if I ever gotta choose between winning and being loyal to my friends...I'm always gonna choose my friends. 'Cause as much as I love winning, I love them..." her voice trailed off as her eyes began to swim with tears. "Waaay more," she finished, her voice breaking as she began to sob.

  Flash patted her on the back, trying to console her. Sniffing, she muttered,"I miss them, Flash."

  "I know, Rainbow. That battle must have been hell for you."

  She sighed, a deep frown furrowing on her brow. "While I fought Applejack, I could see in her eyes that she didn't want us to fight anymore than I did."

  Flash's eyes expressed deep concern for his friend. "Are you going to be all right?"

  She nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Come on, Flash. There's something  else I want to show you." She led him from the room and headed towards the two thrones. Behind the royal chairs was a passageway, the contents of which were pitch black. "Keep close to me, Flash," she glanced back at him,"so you won't run into anything."

  Slowly, the two began descending down a spiraling staircase, Flash squinting to see Rainbow's black mass in front of him. "How can you see where you're going?" Flash asked curiously, stepping on the back of her hoof again.

  "I've been down this staircase so many times throughout my life that going down it is almost second nature," she replied. As they continued down, the staircase began to grow brighter, Flash finally able to see the path they were taking. "We're almost there," Rainbow told him, her voice straining slightly.

  The darkness faded almost completely, and the two stepped from the staircase into a large circular room illuminated by the moon. In the middle of the room stood a circle of large rocks resembling gravestones. Brushing between two of them, Rainbow stood in the middle of the circle, examining the boulders closely.

  "They're all blank!" she gasped, her eyes widening in horror. "So, she's alive..."

  Flash raised an eyebrow curiously. "What are you talking about?" he asked reluctantly.

  Rainbow released a deep breath, attempting to calm herself. "Pinkie Pie is still alive," she admitted, albeit reluctantly.

  "What?" he asked, his mouth agape. "How do you know?"

   Rainbow motioned to the stones around her. "Look at them. They're blank."

  "Why does that matter?"

  Sighing heavily, she sat back on her haunches, and began to explain. "The room we're standing in is known as the Vault of the Bearers. This is where the Elements of Harmony will rest forever in the afterlife. When one of us dies, her Cutie Mark will be engraved into one of these stones. When we all die, the elements will be reincarnated into other ponies. When the reincarnated elements grow old and die themselves, their Cutie Marks will join ours upon these forgotten boulders."

  Flash narrowed his eyes in thought. "So," he began slowly, putting the pieces together,"since the stones are blank, that means all of you are alive. Including Pinkie?"

  She nodded. "Exactly. I don't know how, but she was able to survive that blast."

  Flash shivered slightly as a drop of snow landed on the back of his neck. Rainbow looked up, glaring at the falling snowflakes. She looked back to the stones, and muttered:"Someday, all of our Cutie Marks will be here, and a new group of elements will have replaced us. When that day comes, Equestria must be safe from Celestia and Luna." She smiled at Flash. "And I have a plan."

  Flash's eyes widened curiously. "What would that be?"

  She brushed past him, and motioned for him to follow. "I'll explain on the way," she said, approaching the spiraling staircase. Flash took one last glance at the Vault of the Bearers, and went after her. They left the castle, shivering as the wind whipped their faces.

  "We need to train somepony from the time they're born to fight the others; Applejack, Rarity, and the like," Rainbow cried over the blasting wind. "If raised from birth to be a cold-hearted killer, this pony could be strong enough to win the war for us."

  "Where would we find a foal to raise?" Flash asked jokingly.

  Rainbow chuckled. "I have seven lined up."

  Flash choked, coughing heavily. "Wh-what?" he sputtered between heaves. "Seven?"

  She nodded. "Yes, seven. They're the foals that lost their parents during Operation:Homecoming."

  Flash's expression saddened. "Who's going to take care of them?"

  "I've already found homes for five of them," Rainbow explained. "I hoof-picked the last two for us to raise."

  "Us?"

  "Yes," she turned to face him, her expression serious. "Every foal should have two parents. Since we're both here, I feel that it's up to us to fill the role of parents."

  Flash grew silent, deep in thought. "But why do we need seven foals?" he asked curiously.

  Rainbow smiled. "We don't need seven in particular. We do need more than one, though, because someday, these ponies will join together in a special operatives unit. As a team, they'll take Celestia and Luna down, ending this war for good."

  His eyes grew starry as he imagined such a wonderful day. Rainbow Dash would be the leader of the entire world, and he would be her adviser, somepony she relied on. "So, can I see them?" he asked eagerly.

  She laughed at his willingness to serve. "Where did you think we were headed?" she asked, continuing through the snowy town. She turned at a fork in the road, and headed down a path leading to a concrete building with a roof shaped like a house's in the attempt to give Ponyville the appearance of civility. "This," Rainbow pointed at the structure,"is the former site of Carousel Boutique."

  Flash grimaced at the prison-like building. "If your friend Rarity could see this now, she'd be infuriated."

  Rainbow snorted. "Yeah, you're right. But, it doesn't matter what she'd think," she sighed resignedly. "This isn't her home anymore. The only ponies living here now are Sweetie Belle and her wife, Apple Bloom."

  Flash remembered the two mares. Although he'd been repeatedly told that they were indeed a couple, he never saw the two act romantically towards each other in any way. Once, he'd asked Rainbow how they could possibly be lovers, and she informed him that the two got together and joined the Rainbow Dynasty in order to infuriate their sisters. Applejack and Rarity were part of the NLR, which, due to Luna's disconnection to modern-times, had a strict intolerance to homosexuals. Although Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle weren't attracted to ponies of the same sex at all, they played the role of lesbians, breaking one of Luna's most sacred laws. As they were high-ranking in the NLR forces, Applejack and Rarity were forced to publicly disown them. Albeit reluctantly, the two obeyed Luna, and the "couple" abandoned them for the Rainbow Dynasty soon afterwards. Although they no longer had the need to do so, the two retained their marital status, claiming that if they stayed together, the word of their happiness as a same-sex couple would eventually reach their sisters, hopefully angering them, and the entirety of the NLR, further.

  "Why are they living here?" Flash asked, disgusted at the depressing building.

  "After the takeover, I decided that Ponyville would be the new capital of the Rainbow Dynasty. As such, the high-ranking members such as Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and et cetera, would be allowed to take the first pick of their new homes. Sweetie Belle picked this place because she figured it would make Rarity livid if she saw her living in a house owned by the Rainbow Dynasty."

  Flash's eyes widened. "She really hates her sister, doesn't she?" he asked nervously, scuffing his hoof at the ground. He'd never been very good with social interactions, especially not familial issues, and the thought of such a fallout between sisters made him quite anxious.

  Rainbow chuckled. "Yeah, she does," she agreed happily, clearly proud of the rift she'd caused. She shook her head quickly. "Anyway, let's go see them." The two approached the porch, Rainbow rapping quickly on the mahogany door. It was opened by a white unicorn whose face lit up at the sight of her leader.

  "Rainbow Dash! It's so good to see you!" she exclaimed, opening the door further to let them in. Noticing Flash, her eyes widened in concern. "Flash," she asked,"are you all right? I heard that you were hurt pretty badly!"

  "No, I'm fine," he assured her, shaking his head. "Just a little banged up, that's all."

  She shut the door behind her, the icy draft halting abruptly, and the cozy warmth of the house bringing feeling back to Rainbow and Flash's numb hooves. She led them into the living room and bade them to sit in one of the soft-looking sofas. She rushed out of the room, calling for Apple Bloom to bring the foals down as she went to make them drinks.

  They heard the thumping of hoofsteps going down stairs as Apple Bloom entered the room with two foals resting in a cloth sling around her neck. Both of the young ponies were unicorns; one with a gray coat and green mane, the other with a pink coat and a yellow mane. The green-maned one had a scar running along the side of its head, as if a bullet had grazed it.

  Eyeing the scarred foal, Flash asked,"What happened to that one?"

  Apple Bloom glowered at him. "Well hello to you, too," she grumbled. She plopped her rear down onto the couch in front of them as Sweetie rushed back in with glasses of water. Flash picked one of them up with his hooves, and brought it too his mouth for a sip.

  Rainbow extended her arms towards Apple Bloom, signalling the desire to hold one of the foals. She reached slowly into the sling and lifted the green-maned one out, cradling it in her arms. Flash set his glass down, staring at the foal's scarred head out of the corner of his eyes. Aside from the eyesore on its cranium, the foal was incredibly adorable. It stretched as it woke up, a high-pitched yawn escaping from its mouth.

  Sweetie smiled adoringly at the foal. "Her name is Near Miss," she cooed as the baby giggled delightfully at Rainbow Dash.

  Flash grinned as the foal began chewing on a lock of Rainbow's prismatic mane. "Why did you name her that?" he asked curiously. The three mares all shared a look, their thoughts in evident synchronization.

  "Well,I'm sure you noticed the scar running through her mane," Sweetie began hesitantly, her voice hardly above a whisper. "You see, the poor filly was in a house being cleared by Dynasty soldiers, and one of the new recruits—"

  "That stupid colt, Lion's Roar, that quivers like a mouse at the slightest movement!" Apple Bloom butted in angrily. "Near Miss opens her mouth in a yawn, and that dumb-flank starts a'firin' his gun everywhere! One of them bullets done grazed her head!"

  Sweetie chuckled nervously. "Anyway, we decided to name her Near Miss because the bullet was a near miss!"

  "He better hope my hoof misses his face," Apple Bloom grumbled under her breath. The yellow-maned foal, still resting in the sling around her neck, wailed in its sleep. She shushed it softly, her expression gentling. "This handsome colt," she breathed,"is named Glowing Embers."

  "He's the one who was so scared of the gunfire, he set his entire house on fire, right?" Rainbow asked, her face gleaming proudly at the colt. She received a nod from Sweetie Belle, who glanced nervously at the magic-blocker over the foal's horn.

  Flash's eyes widened in shock. "A foal burned down a house?" he asked, horrified.

  "Unicorns have uncontrollable bursts of magic when they're younger," Sweetie explained. "Even then, Glowing's bursts do seem a bit... Strong, even for a foal."

  Rainbow got to her hooves, handing Near Miss back to Apple Bloom. "I was going to show Flash the other foals being used in the plan, so we've got to be going," she explained. They all bid their farewells, Sweetie and Apple Bloom thanking them for dropping by.

  Back out in the frozen tundra known as Ponyville, the two began marching against the wind towards the town square. They approached the slate-gray building once known as Sugarcube Corner, which was the new home of the third foal. The area around the building was ravaged by the fallout of Pinkie's explosives, smoke still rising from the craters.

  "This is where Scootaloo is living now," Rainbow explained as she tapped on the door lightly. The door slid open with the slight nudge, and the two were greeted with the sight of Scootaloo chasing an earth foal through her abode. She leaped to the air, nearly hitting the ceiling, landing with a loud thud in front of the rambunctious colt. She bit the scruff of his neck and threw him into the air, catching him in her hooves as he descended. Flash stood mortified at the act of poor parenting he'd just witnessed. Rainbow, on the other hand, acted as if it were an ordinary occurrence.

  "Oh, Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo gasped, her eyes glinting gleefully at the mare. "What are you doing here, ma'am?"

  While Flash had become obsessed with Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo held her in an almost god-like image, declaring her to be the greatest pony who'd ever lived. Flash had always wondered why Rainbow Dash chose him as her second-in-command when she'd known Scootaloo many years longer. He asked Rainbow once, and she responded with,"Scootaloo is so ready to follow my every command that she's unable to make her own decisions without my direct approval. On the battlefield, I need somepony who is willing to make difficult choices when I'm not there; whether I'm dead, injured, or fighting somewhere else. I need a pony I can rely on when things are tough, and that pony is you."

  Scootaloo tilted her front legs up quickly so he would slide closer to her instead of slipping out onto the floor. The foal whined, trying to push himself away from her grasp as she chuckled at his attempts. "Oh, Burnside, you're such a mess!" she cooed, ruffling his mane lovingly. He pooched out his lips in a pout, trying to beg himself out of her hooves.

  "Burnside, huh?" Rainbow asked, her eyes widening. "Are you sure about calling him that?"

  Scootaloo nodded. "Yeah, it'll build character!"

  "What are you two talking about?" Flash asked curiously, eyeing his mentor's strange look.

  "You see," Rainbow dash began, her eyes still focused on the colt,"this little guy was found in a house that a grenade was thrown into. The room was perfectly fine, but..."

  "But what?"

  Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "His mother threw herself onto the grenade to save him. Her entire bottom half had been blown off."

  "I decided that he should have a name honoring his real mother's sacrifice to save him," Scootaloo explained. "I figured that Burnside would be perfect for him, not to mention it'd be really cool! Are you okay with that, Rainbow Dash?" she asked, her face suddenly stricken with worry.

  "Of course, kid," Rainbow Dash assured with a pat on her back. "I was just wondering if that name isn't a bit... Dark?"

  "If you want, I could change it!" Scootaloo sputtered hurriedly. Burnside, noticing her anxiety, pushed himself out of her grip. She cried out in frustration at the runaway foal, and their chase from earlier resumed.

  Rainbow chuckled. "Don't worry about it," she reassured. "Burnside is a perfect name for a colt as crazy as him." She motioned for Flash to follow her, and the two went back out into the cold outdoors, Flash confused at what he'd just seen.

  "So where are we going next?" Flash asked, an eyebrow raised in anticipation. Rainbow ignored him, her thoughts on some other matter. Flash sighed heavily, and continued to trail behind the cyan mare, who led them to Fluttershy's run-down cottage; one of the few places untouched by the war.

  "Fluttershy's been babysitting ours all day," Rainbow admitted sheepishly. "I feel bad, forcing her to take care of four foals at once, but I wanted you to meet the other ones."

  Rainbow knocked on the door, a muffled shriek coming from within. "Just a moment!" a voice rang out nervously. The door cracked open slightly, and an eye peered out at the two ponies. The fearful eyes softened in relief, and Fluttershy motioned them in with a shaky hoof. Although aged and dusty, the interior of the cottage was incredibly welcoming; almost like a flashback of the days gone by.

  "So, Fluttershy, where are Crosshairs and Silent Screams?" Rainbow Dash asked the anxious pony, her eyes narrowed into slits.

  Fluttershy gulped. "C-Crosshairs and Razor's Edge are playing in here," she said, pointing at the floor, where two foals were talking gibberish to each other. One was a Pegasus filly with a red mane and a tan coat, and the other was a Earth colt.

  Rainbow pointed at the filly. "That one is Razor's Edge. Fluttershy adopted her."

  Flash nodded in acknowledgment. "So, the other one is Crosshairs?"

  "That's right."

  "So," Flash smirked,"why did you give them these names?"

  Fluttershy cleared her throat quietly. "Razor's Edge was in a house hit by a bomb. The force threw her to the roof of the building across the street, and she fell," she explained, her voice quivering as she spoke.

  Flash's eyes widened,"What happened?"

  Noticing the tears welling up in Fluttershy's eyes, Rainbow intervened. "The kid flew to safety!"

  "Flew?" he asked, his mouth agape. "I've never heard of a foal flying at such a young age!"

  "Well she did!" Rainbow declared, gleaming at the filly with pride. "She's gonna be an expert, I promise you!"

  "What about him?" Flash asked, pointing at Crosshairs.

  Her excited expression changed into a loving one as she picked the foal up. "This little colt right here was about to be shot by one of our snipers. Luckily, he realized it was just a foal. Otherwise, the poor colt would have died," her voice broke slightly as she explained the foal's story. "He was literally in the crosshairs," she murmured, clutching him closely to her chest.

  Fluttershy lightly tapped Flash on the shoulder. "Silent Screams is upstairs, if you want to meet him," she told him eagerly. He nodded at the canary mare, and she led him up her old wooden staircase, his hooves creaking as he ascended.

  Laying on Fluttershy's bed were two foals. One was a light-blue-coated unicorn with a light pink mane, who snored adorably in her sleep. "Her name is Lilyliver," Fluttershy whispered. "She was found under a large pile of rubble; her legs crushed. She'll never be able to walk."

  Flash stared at the filly in horror. "Fluttershy, I'm so sorry."

  Fluttershy shook her head,"It's okay. Rainbow Dash says that she'll have a place in her team."

  He laughed nervously. "Yeah, I'm sure."

  Fluttershy gently nuzzled the slumbering filly. She smiled,"I named her Lilyliver because she's very shy. I used to be the same way, too, actually."

  Flash chuckled inwardly. Yeah, used to.

  She carefully picked up the other resting foal, an Earth colt, and handed it to him. "This," she whispered softly,"is Silent Screams. The colt Rainbow says will end the War of Snow."

  "End the War of Snow?" Flash asked in surprise, rocking him softly. "What do you mean?"

  "According to Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy began,"this colt was found in the Town Hall wreckage after the crash. He was Pipsqueak and Dinky's foal. When she found him, Rainbow Dash said he looked like he was crying, but there was no noise coming from him."

  "He was screaming silently," Flash finished quietly, gently running his hoof along Silent Screams's cheek.

  "Exactly," Fluttershy agreed. "She says that she found him in that way for a reason. She thinks that one day, he'll be able to use his skills in silence to infiltrate the Solar Empire and the NLR, and kill Celestia, Luna, and the others who are unwilling to join us."

  "But how will she know it'll work?" Flash asked fearfully.

  "She can't," Fluttershy sighed. "But these foals are our only hope. If we want to end this war, we have to train them as best we can."

  Flash frowned. "Are you up for something like that?" he asked. Fluttershy had never been known for her skills in combat, and he worried about how she would react to her own foals being trained to kill.

  She hesitated. "If Rainbow Dash is willing to do it with her foals, then I'm—," her voice broke as she began to sob quietly,"—willing to do it with mine. It's not just them we have to think about, Flash. We have to think about all of Equestria."

  "I know!" Flash exclaimed. "I just don't want anymore ponies to be..." he trailed off, his eyes moistening.

  Fluttershy sighed deeply, dark circles of exhaustion under her eyes suddenly appearing. "I know, Flash," she murmured, glancing out of the window. Outside, the snow continued to fall violently.

  "But this is just the beginning," she finished softly.

  _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone-Call Recording No.2: In Case

  "Fourteen, five, twenty-three, five, seventeen, twenty-one, five, nineteen, twenty, eighteen, nine, one. STOP. Twenty-three, eight, one, twenty, nine, six, nineteen, nine, twelve, five, fourteen, twenty, nineteen, three, eighteen, five, one, thirteen, nineteen, nine, nineteen, fourteen, fifteen, twenty, twenty, eight, five, fifteen, fourteen, five."

  "Nine, six, twenty, eight, one, twenty, eight, one, sixteen, sixteen, five, fourteen, nineteen, eight, five, one, fourteen, four, three, eighteen, fifteen, nineteen, nineteen, eight, one, nine, eighteen, nineteen, twenty-three, nine, twelve, twelve, two, five, nineteen, twenty-three, nine, twenty, three, eight, five, four."