20 minutes later

NLRAF Base Nocturnal 1

Hanger 2

Scootaloo finally managed to disconnect the feather engines pack from her wings. She sighed in relief, stretching her wings proper and buzzing their short frame for a moment. She kept finding it strange that the technology used to give her the gift of flight had become the trump card that the airforce used. She put her pack in her wing crate, placed the almost empty Synthetic Magical (SM) energy containers that powered the pack beside them, then shut the lid to the metal container.

Next, she pulled off her ammunition belts, placing them to the side. The remaining arrows could still be used and recycled. She detached her AMCs next and put them in the bottom of her supply locker. She stored a fresh roll of ammunition in the compartment above where she contained her AMCs. It was always a good idea to have one as close as possible in case the base fell under attack. A lesson she had learned just last week.

She then took off her flight suit, folded it and placed it on the bottom of the locker. She then took off her goggles from her head, and looked down at them. The goggles the Shadowbolts used were very different from the ones the Wonderbolts used. They were enchanted, the lenses could bend and flex with the eye; it was designed to make them as comfortable as possible while they were being worn. This also gave them their fierce appearance while they are being worn. Another advantage, and perhaps the best one, is that they have an enchantment. The enchantment is designed to take in more moon light, allowing them to see like an owl at night in almost total darkness.

Scootaloo placed them back around her head, but not over her eyes. She let out an audible sigh, before she turned back out the door.

As Scootaloo walked out, she saw a crater that had been caused by a Solar air-dropped Exploding shell that intelligence was calling a bomb. Scootaloo closed her eyes, recalling the last time the base had been under attack.

…

Day: 36

NLRAF Base Nocturnal 1

Aviator Sleeping Quarters

Room 116

Her eyes shot open, the ground and building shook all around her. For a brief second she thought it was an earthquake, that was until she saw the flashes of light originating outside of her window. They were almost impossible to miss, anyone could notice the fires as they clashed against the midnight atmosphere.

The siren went off, raising and lowering in pitch. Scootaloo didn't need it to understand the situation at hoof. She could hear ground based AMCS shooting at whatever was flying above them. The rapid fire clicks and twangs, accompanied by the whizzing of arrows was plain to hear.

She charged out of her room, climbing over the railing and using her small wings to slow her descent. She still hit pretty hard and the floor, but it didn't hurt too bad, so she charged out the door. She saw her target, Hanger 2, and ran for it. One or more bombs exploded around her along the way.

She stumbled from many of the blasts, but she managed to stay on her hooves. When she got to the hanger, she practically dove into the building as one exploded some distance behind her. She got off the ground, shook her head for a moment, then charged over to her locker before opening it. Grabbing her AMCs before attaching them to her flight suit, grabbing the ammunition belts in the compartment above.

For the briefest of moments, Scootaloo thought about how she just so happened to have put a fresh belt right there. If she hadn't, she would have to go back out to grab a belt from the armory. She didn't have time for that, she needed to get into the air now.

On that note, she galloped back out into the night. At the edge of the runway, she reached up and charged her Feather Engines Pack (FEP). For a brief moment, there was a burst of energy. Then Scootaloo ran as fast as her hooves could carry her until she pulled back with her wings.

She pushed her goggles down over her eyes, and finally got a good look at what was attacking them. There were at least a half dozen blimps in the sky, dropping as many bombs as they could carry. She could hear ponies screaming below, and she could see the fires spread across the ground.

She suddenly felt an unbearable anger at those blimps. In rage, she flew straight at the nearest target, and fired an unrelenting spray of arrows into the blimp. Five seconds, eight seconds, at twelve seconds she screamed a war cry of pure rage.

And the arrows kept flying.

…

Present Day

Scootaloo reopened her eyes, not wanting to recall the rest of the memory.

“Hey Scoot!”

From the sounds of it, she wouldn't have to. She turned toward the pony who called her name. Jogging at her was a colt a bit older than herself, his coat, wings, mane, and tail were all a jet black, flowing behind him as he moved toward her. The only exception to the color was a few streaks of bright yellow in his mane and tail, and along the leading edge of his feathered wings. A pair of perfectly round glasses were standing at the edge of his nose. Scootaloo’s eyebrow rose.

“Nightwatch? What are you doing here?”

“I just got out of training, this is where I was assigned,” he said

Scootaloo chuckled. Nightwatch returned the smile, a white reflected off the lenses of his glasses, surrounded by a blue hue. Scootaloo’s head tilted to the side.

“What’s up with your glasses?”

“I got them enchanted, it’s the same stuff our goggles use except that they don’t flex. I can see clearly at night time now too.”

“Cool. How has the Shadowbolt Academy been?”

“Barely holding together without you,” Nightwatch said sarcastically. Scootaloo just rolled her eyes.

“I heard you managed to get a rear-gunner today,” the colt complimented.

Scootaloo shook her head.

“Na, he got away. Probably made it back to base.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” Scootaloo and Nightwatch turned their heads to the new voice. It was commander Black Knight, now approaching the two.

“I just got the report, a Solar rear-gunner crash landed about ten kilometers away from here.” Nightwatch smiled.

“Come on Scoot, let’s go confirm your kill!”

…

The small transport carriage came to a halt at the edge of the field. Scootaloo, Nightwatch, and a few medics piled out. They walked up to where the pony had crashed, and pulled him out of the ground. They got him back to the transport, and treated him for his wounds.

As they were riding back, Scootaloo took out a knife, and cut a circle of cloth on the pony’s flank, being careful to not injure the pony further. She pulled the cloth off, and smiled at it. This was the one.

They came to a stop inside the base’s gates. Upon which Scootaloo got out, and returned to room 116. Her room in the aviator sleeping quarters. The room was filled with posters, articles, and various other things of her life before the war. The majority of them were all based around one topic.

Rainbow Dash.

Despite being on opposite sides of the war, she still looked up to her. Rainbow Dash had been an inspiration to her, and still was. At the back of her mind, she realized there was the possibility that she could run into Rainbow in the sky, but she always pushed it back down.

Rainbow would never want to hurt her. Right?

She hung the piece of cloth up on a string that stretched across her room. It was almost time for the sun to drop beneath the horizon, and Scootaloo decided to turn in early. She could never know when she could be called to action.

She closed her eyes, and thought about Rainbow Dash. Her breathing calmed, and she slipped into a blissful sleep.

Author's Note

Sorry it took so long guys.
Please comment below! I will update quicker when people comment, it motivates me to work faster.