I look out my window. The farm is beautiful at night, what with it being so peaceful. I usually get up earlier than everyone else, but I don't think I slept at all. The fact that it's been three months since that alicorn said she would "fix things" is bugging me for some reason. I walk past my mirror as I go to my closet - I'm reminded of the fact that even as a grown mare I still don't have a cutie mark. I get on my work clothes and pace downstairs to fetch my hairnet. I make my way to the crates of apples and start hauling them into the factory.
I hear hoofsteps and immediately suspect the little one's up.
"Applebloom, go back to bed. It's too early in the morning for you to be helping me," I say sternly.
"But Applejack, I wanna be helpful! Maybe I can get my cutie mark in... in helping you moving crates!!!" She says. I chuckle at the silly filly's thoughts, knowing she's probably gonna end up as a blank flank like me. She yawns, obviously still tired.
"Now, you tucker off to bed. I don't want you being all too tired to work in the morning 'cause you got up so early." I nudge her back toward the farmhouse.
"But big sis--"
"C'mon now, I need to get my work done before Granny and Big Mac get up. You know how important the schedule is so that we get the food to the front line in time." Applebloom moans and starts heading back to her bedroom. I look to the entrance to our Sweet Apple Factory and wonder what's happening on that front line in the war.
~~~~~Rainbow Dash~~~~~
"Derpy Hooves, thank you for coming to speak with me." The young pegasus seemed to be paying no attention and was instead looking around the tent. She may be one of the best fighters and strategists, but she her mind can sometimes wander. "Derpy." I say suddenly and firmly. She snaps to attention.
"Why'd you call me here, Commander Dash?" She says, sounding puzzled.
"I want you out on the front line. You're an excellent fighter and you've shown immense loyalty to your fellow fighters."
"Oh wow, a promotion?"
"Consider it one."
She smiles, her wings fluttering slightly, though it's not enough to get her off of the ground. I try to hide how happy I feel for her, seeing her tiny smile and dimples. She was cute, but I could never admit that. She's my wing-pony, not a potential mate.
"Dismissed."
She starts to head out of the tent. "Thanks, Commander Dash!" I smile when her back is turned. Singling out one of my best soldiers would make me seem like I favor her over others, making others think that I'm not a fair commander. I can't risk that.
After Derpy leaves, I sink back into my seat and look out of the office window. Rotations have been in my favor - I needed this break. I needed time to think about the war and how we're fending off. I look towards the recruit applications on my desk.
None of them are gonna make it out there. I sadly push them all into the trash can. I see an old photo of Fluttershy and I at flight camp that was previously buried under all of the files. I look at my blank flank in the picture, then lift my shirt on my metal wing's side to see the blank space of the flank still empty. I will never get my cutie mark.
I shake my head. It's no good focusing on that now - I have ponies to command and a war to fight. I need a strategy by tomorrow at dawn or we're gonna be smashed to pieces like a rock against Rock Troopers. I start to head toward the strategy tent, where the Air Cavalry and Rock Troopers are waiting for me.
~~~~~Fluttershy~~~~~
I've always loved animals. For the second that I spent with those animals after I fell down at Summer Flight Camp, it felt like fate. It felt like destiny. But then they looked up at the sky and seemingly for no reason ran away. I didn't hear a noise or see anything that could've alarmed them, so why they ran away is still a mystery to me. Maybe they just didn't like me. That's fine with me. But ever since then, I've felt like something was missing from my life.
At least now I'm working with animals, but it's not exactly the sort of position I've dreamed of. I have to deliver materials to efficient war-clothes caterer Rarity, who is also mark-less but extremely talented in clothes producing. I feel so sorry for the poor sheep I have to shave every day. I'm getting so tired from lack of sleep and I just feel so isolated from society. I'm not one for talking, but social interaction with other ponies feels good every once in a while. Some days, after I turn off my alarm, I lie in my bed for a few more minutes. I wonder about whether I should keep going or not. Whether I could keep going or not. If I stopped, I'm sure some other willing pony would take my place for earning their fares. Maybe... I could just give up. But I can't.
I knock on the door to the Air Cavalry Uniform Providers and patiently wait for somebody to open the door. Grey Bow's voice rings throughout the building.
"Oi Rarity, get that for me, will ya? I'm right in the middle of doin' this here uniform." Her heavy accent isn't one to miss. It was her, alright. I hear hoofsteps from behind the door. I get my cart full of wool at the ready. The door opens quite suddenly, almost grazing my nose. Rarity's worn out face greets me with a friendly smile, hiding her restless nights behind a happy tone.
"Oh Fluttershy, I almost thought something happened to you! I'm so glad you're here, we're running out quickly with all of the new recruits just rushing in and those... careless soldiers just tearing through their uniforms." She grabs the cart quickly. I nod to her, understanding she has no time for me to respond. "Well, I need to get back to work. See you again soon, precious." She hugs me with one arm for what felt like a blissful eternity.
I return to the farm and sigh, ready to delve deep into the covers of my warm, safe bed. But I can't yet - I still have to organize all of the sheep and goats for shaving tomorrow. I wonder if this life will ever end.
~~~~~Rarity~~~~~
Every day I work. I work without any sleep on my side. I work with no break to give me peace. I just work. There was a sudden outburst lately with new recruits for the war and soldiers have been tearing their uniforms more than ever. Coming up with new fibres and materials to make uniforms better was hard, but manufacturing them quickly is even harder. Grey Bow is a lot of help, especially since her specialty is with war uniforms, but even with her it's been hard to keep up. I'm reminded of my blank flank - it has been proved that all ponies with cutie marks are slightly stronger and are especially stronger in their area. This mostly applies to unicorns. I've always had a thing with clothes, but it seems I never got my cutie mark, no matter how hard I tried. The clothes were never... perfect. They were never good enough for me. Applejack said that I should honestly quit the business and pursue something that's more suited to my trait of generosity, but I couldn't just give up clothes-making. It was... part of me. When the war came, despite being so devastating, it was the chance for a lot of ponies - especially ones like me - to get a job and earn money. If only I got my cutie mark. If only this war didn't happen. Maybe then I'd be living a much better life. But I can't be thinking about "ifs".
I can only think about work.
~~~~~Pinkie Pie~~~~~
"Pinkamena Diane Pie." I bow down to my Princess when she addresses me. "I may have discovered a way to defeat King Sombra."
"How does that relate to us, Princess? Shouldn't you be talking about this with the Royal Guard or Air Cavalry?" I ask her, confused. When the Princess arrived at the Rock Trooper tent, Maud and I were quite confused at what Princess Celestia had in store for us, but we never quite expected this. "The meeting's almost about to begin anyway--"
"I wanted to specifically talk to you and Maud." At the mention of her name, Maud looks from her rock studies over to the Princess. "You're experts on rocks and have worked with them, studied them for years. A specific rock in history has come to my attention when trying to find a way to defeat King Sombra - the Crystal Heart. Its power, with my niece's power of love, would be able to defeat King Sombra and deactivate the helmets. Somehow, love defeating darkness is 'scientific' and is actual magic." She adds the last part with a bit of sass.
Maud raises an eyebrow. "Wasn't Princess Mi Amore Cadenza taken prisoner by King Sombra?"
"I want you to lead a rescue mission with some of my Royal Guards at your disposal. You must also steal the Crystal Heart." Princess Celestia raises her wings and begins to step outside of the tent. "I expect you to be ready to pick up the selected Royal Guards by tomorrow." At that, the Princess stepped outside and flew off into the distance. I walk to the entrance of the tent.
"Come on, Maud. If we don't go to the meeting now, we'll be late." I say, urging Maud to hurry up with her rock studying.
"We'll mention what Princess Celestia said to the Air Cavalry, right?" My sister asks me as she follows me to the meeting tent.
"Of course, sis'. We won't be able to rescue Princess Mi Amore Cadenza from the Crystal Empire with just a few soldiers from the Royal Guard."
We enter the tent, with all of the Air Cavalry already sitting at the table. Commander Dash is standing up looking slightly annoyed, arms crossed.
"Why are you late?" She asks us, raising an eyebrow. "I'd like to hear your excuse. If we're not ready by tomorrow morning, we're gonna get crushed, do you understand?"
Maud and I nod. "Princess Celestia had something urgent to tell us," I explain.
"Princess Celestia, huh?" Dash scoffs. "You Rock Troopers are important, but if what she had to say was really that important, she'd be telling me."
"She asked us to lead a rescue mission to save Princess Mi Amore Cadenza from the dungeons of King Sombra."
Commander Dash's eyes widen. She falls back slightly. "That's a suicide mission, Pinkamena. If we go into there, countless lives will be lost. In any other circumstances, I will not question my Princess. But a mission to rescue her niece for no reason at all? Now that's bullshit!" Her mood quickly changes from being taken aback to anger.
"But Commander, she's key to defeating King Sombra and finally finishing this war," Maud states. Dash considers this for a moment.
"You'd be risking both your lives and the lives of the Air Cavalry on this mission," she says after a few moments that seemed to last forever. I look at her metal wing for a split second and gulp.
I step forward, confidence rushing through me as I think about finally ending this war. "Princess Celestia enlisted the help of a few members of the Royal Guard. This rescue mission, if it succeeds, will serve as an integral key to finishing all of this bloodshed with us as the winners." My commander looks me up and down.
"Alright. Tomorrow, Derpy Hooves, Lightning Dust and I will join you on the rescue mission." She turns to the table. "The rest of you are still going to be fighting on the front line. Now..."
As Rainbow Dash goes on about war strategies, Maud and I step out of the tent and return to ours. As we prepare for the battle, I wonder if tomorrow will be the day I finally get my cutie mark. But I know what tomorrow will be if we succeed - one of the biggest days in pony history.
Author's Note
This chapter will be somewhat focusing on all of the Mane Six from the other universe, with the exception of Twilight Sparkle (thus the name "Blank Flanks Forever"). Other chapters will only be focusing on the main characters of the series (refer to tags).
Today is the day of the rescue mission. Travelling to Canterlot so early in the morning so quickly has worn our group out quite a lot, but we know we must push on. We glance at the large shield surrounding the castle as we walk toward the entrance guard.
"Commander Dash here for the promised troops for our mission," I state formerly. The guard raises an eyebrow but doesn't move another muscle. Pinkamena steps forward.
"Princess Celestia is expecting us," she says quite sternly. The guard nods and signals another guard behind the barrier, who signals the castle, where Princess Celestia would be looking from her window. An entrance forms in the shield. My team and I move through, the entrance smoothly shutting behind us as soon as we're all through. We enter the castle, the guards nodding to me as I pass by. I'm famous for my winning strategies, combat skills and sacrifices. A guard glances at my mechanic wing. Another takes a look at the scar on my left eye. I think I saw one looking at my torn ear. I'd like to look around the castle myself, but we had no time for sightseeing.
We finally finish navigating the large castle and enter the throne room. We bow down to our Princess, me at the front. The Princess looks at us and I notice her tired eyes. I've never thought about how tired she looked on the battlefield, but then again she has to work harder than all of the rest of us.
She nods to acknowledge us and begins to speak. "Pinkamena, you've arrived... with a few others." She says the last few words as she takes a look at Lightning Dust, Derpy Hooves and I. "The more the merrier," she says, lifting her tone slightly. "I promised you guards, so here they are."
As if on cue, ten guards walk through the door and stand in line in front of me. We bow once again. Pinkamena steps in front of me.
"Thank you, my Princess. We promise not to fail you on this mission." At that, the guards join our now much larger party and we leave the throne room, Pinkamena now leading. I look behind me to see Derpy, who smiles softly, making me blush.
I look back in front of me at Pinkamena, who was suddenly... more important than me. Me, the famous Commander Rainbow Dash of the Air Cavalry. The commander that had saved so many lives, won so many battles and made so many sacrifices! But no, Pinkamena Diane Pie, a Rock Trooper, gets more recognition than I do. She gets to lead the rescue mission. But I can't spend all of my time fussing over my jealousy - I have to do the best I can in this mission. I can't just mess it up for the whole of Equestria because I don't like one person.
We step outside of the barrier with the Royal Guards now by our side.
"Ten guards was a little bit more than I was expecting, but I'm sure my strategy will still ensure a win," I claim confidently as we trek down the hill on the old, overgrown path that leads out of Canterlot. Derpy taps me on the shoulder.
"Shouldn't we explain the strategy to the guards since they weren't there when we came up with it?" She asks. I smile, frustrated. Of course I have to - then we'll be able to go straight to the Crystal Empire's dungeons to rescue Princess Cadenza. I sigh. I go to the front and stop, facing back at everyone.
"Alright everypony, sit down and listen up! I'm gonna go over the strategy for the newcomers. That means you, Royal Guards, so you better pay extra attention." Everyone sits down at my command. I hear the rushing of water of the river below break the silence that I have created. "We're gonna hit at night. The heavy snow will both cover our tracks and make it difficult for others to see us coming. We're going to go around to the back, where the back of the castle is open. There will be at least two guards covering the entrance of the dungeon." As I go over the strategy, I draw out a diagram in the dirt with a stick and use a few rocks nearby to symbolize the guards. "Royal Guards." They look up to me. "You'll take out the guards blocking the dungeons entrance. While they're fighting, Derpy, Pinkamena, Maud, Lightning, you Royal Guards and I will enter the dungeons. Princess Cadenza is most likely being kept in the deepest, innermost chamber, so that is where we'll go. Rock Troopers - since there will be likely a lot of falling rocks, watch the ceilings. Any questions?"
Lightning Dust's head perks up.
"Which of the Royal Guards will fight the entrance guards?" She asks. I study all of the Royal Guards up and down. I point to the strongest-looking ones.
"You - you'll be with us," I say, slightly startling the colts.
Lightning Dust speaks up again. "Are you absolutely sure this plan will work? I'm not sure it's exactly the best plan. I should be in a bigger role... Not to be rude or anything, Commander." She adds the last bit with a hint of cockiness.
"Lightning Dust, cut your crap. If you had any problems with the strategy you could've brought it up this morning when we went over it. Look, if you want a bigger role, you're not getting one, because there are only two roles - the group going in the dungeon and the group staying back to fight the guards."
At that, she shut up. Lightning Dust was a great soldier, but she had a great disregard for others and sometimes refused to even listen to authority. Once, she almost had us fail an entire mission. If she fucks up like that again, I will personally banish her from the Air Cavalry in front of the whole army. She has issues she needs to sort out, but she needs to do that for herself, because I'm not a therapist.
We start off again on the path out of Canterlot territory.
~~~~~Derpy Hooves~~~~~
We eventually get down the mountain. As we walk, Commander Dash looks East toward the Crystal Empire. I rest my hoove on her shoulder.
"It'll be okay, Commander. With your strategy, we're sure to succeed!" She smiles and blushes slightly.
"Thanks, Derpy. Come on ponies, hurry up! We don't have time to rest." At that, our pace quickened.
We turn East and head toward the lion's den. I don't know what it was, but I just felt like something was bound to go wrong. I look behind me and notice how, despite how determined everypony is, some of them look tired. The sun was still only just a hoof above the horizon in the East.
"Hey Commander, we still have a lot of time before moonrise. Maybe we could stop for a quick rest just before we enter Empire territory..." I'm slightly nervous, because I know the Commander has her plans and can be quite snappy. She turns her head to face me.
"That sounds like an idea, but it depends on how long it takes us to get to the border," she answers. Commander looks around at all of the ponies behind us. "I don't want tired ponies messing up this important mission, because then we'd all be in the shit." She turns her head back around and starts marching quicker than before. I look behind me once again and notice that some of the Guards at the back are struggling to keep up, but I knew it was so we had time to rest at the border.
We've finally arrived at the border.
"Dash, it's noon," Lightning Dust says, somewhat arrogantly. "I think we should keep going if we want to make it in t--"
"That's my judgement to make, Dust." Commander Dash looks angrily at the soldier. "I'm warning you, Dust - stop giving me shit." Dash looks up at the sky, her right hoof shading her eyes from its blinding light. "I think we should stop and rest. We'll still have plenty of time to reach the Empire by moonrise."
At that, most of the Royal Guards fell to the ground from exhaustion. Maud sighs, but like usual, she shows no emotion. I smile at my Commander and sit down behind a large, black, crystal boulder with the rest of the crew. I look toward Lightning Dust, who had decided to separate herself from the group and sit alone. Just as I start to feel sorry for her, I'm reminded of the times she beat me up because of my eyes. It's not my fault that they look different from other ponies' eyes. I remember that day when Lightning Dust said I would probably fail my flight test and Rainbow Dash stood up for me. It was stuck there in my brain, a special day that I will never forget - the first time anyone stood up for me, other than Fluttershy. I start to think about Fluttershy and what she might be doing.
"Hey cuckoo eyes! Stop staring into the distance like a retard and maybe fucking communicate with people who are smarter than you about the mission." I find Lightning Dust in my face with a smug smile fixed onto her muzzle. I must have been daydreaming again. That was still no reason for her to lash out at me like that - Commander must have pissed her off.
"Dust!" Her head flashes to the left to meet Commander's fiery eyes. "You don't fucking speak to your superior like that, alright? I said we had time to rest so she fucking has time to rest! Now go do push-ups with your wingtips until I tell you to stop." Commander points toward where Dust was sitting earlier. Commander begins to walk away. "Also, when we get back, you're off of the Air Cavalry." As Dust angrily walks toward where she was directed to, she gives the Commander a feisty look. As she does her push-ups, she stares at me, mouthing the words repetitively with each push: "I will get my revenge."
As we walk past the giant black crystals and through the blizzard that tries constantly to blow us off our hooves, I wonder nervously about what Lightning Dust might do to sabotage me - or possibly even the whole mission. I whimper slightly, but nobody can hear me over the loud bellow of the snow storm. I think of the tale of the Wendigos, who wherever there was fighting and disharmony, they brought the forlorn cold with them. But that was just a filly's tale.
Looking ahead and into the distance, I can see the looming silhouette of the Castle which stood high above the rest of its Empire. Behind the Castle I can see the bright glow of the setting sun, the light that guides our group's way to possible death. As we march closer and closer, I feel the cold harder on my pelt. At least this unforgiving weather gives us the advantage, since nopony would be able to see us.
As we near King Sombra's castle, I gaze at the tall twin pillars of crystal that mark the entrance to the Empire. We turn and start to make our way around to the back. Silence, other than the wind, is a comfort to me.
~~~~~
We soon make it to the back of the Castle. As we hide behind the giant, black crystals and stare toward the entrance of the dungeon, we all know each of us is scared. Scared knowing that one of us is probably going to die tonight. Commander Dash nods to the Royal Guards, signaling the time to take out the entrance guards. They silently creep behind the guards. The Royal Guards put their hooves around Sombra's and snap their necks, all in one swift motion. They fall to the ground in an instant. The rest of us run out from behind the pillar of crystal that served as our cover and break into the dungeon entrance. All but one of the Royal Guards followed, the last one closing the door behind us, being careful not to make a sound. A unicorn guard conducts a light spell to help us see through the forbidding darkness as we make our way down the stone, cold stairs. The deeper we go into the dungeon's depths, the more we feel this looming aura of death and decay.
"Alright everyone," Commander whispers, yet still keeping her voice loud enough for the whole group to hear, "I will get one of the unicorn guards to blow out Cadenza's cage, which will create an opening since this dungeon is directly under the closest mountain to the Crystal Empire. The pegasi will then carry all of the non-pegasi out to a safe landing spot. Got it?" We all nod in unison, having no other idea of how we may escape. But then, of course, Lightning Dust speaks up.
"Commander, Cadenza would be pretty useless to King Sombra. Keeping her would only mean a chance of her escaping with us. You know she's probably dead already, right?" She asks. Silence follows, Commander being smart enough not to waste her breath on Dust. But she had a good point - this mission could be suicide. We could've come all the way here just to find a dead Princess.
We finally find an end to this seemingly infinite staircase, which made us almost feel like we were venturing into an endless void. We find ourselves at the edge of a dimly lit hallway, with cages spread with equal spaces between them along the walls. The cage bars are rusty and the inside of the cages are dark and forlorn. The Commander is about to step into the hallway when she sees a guard up ahead. She mouths to us four words; "We charge, I kill." We brace ourselves, then gallop toward the guard, who is taken by surprise. Commander Dash pounces on the guard and stomps on her neck, crushing it. A pool of blood forms and Dash's hooves are stained with it. Suddenly, a face emerges from the darkness of the cage that the guard was in front of. It's Princess Mi Amore Cadenza's face, though nobody is completely sure since we've only seen her in books. She looks rugged and worn down, bags hanging from her eyes. I notice a sort of plastic covering her horn, which was supposedly stopping her from casting any spells and escaping. I notice that Lightning Dust is missing. Then I hear the sounds of galloping hoofsteps. Why were there only two guards at the entrance? Why was there only one guard watching Princess Cadenza's cage? Suddenly, nothing was making sense and yet everything was making sense.
A unicorn guard frantically shoots out a beam toward Princess Cadenza's cage, creating a gap in the bars and a large gap in the wall, due to stones falling out of place. Unfortunately, Sombra's dungeon guards arrive before we can escape. The guards were everywhere - they had overwhelmed us in such a small amount of time.
Maybe we won't make it out alive after all.
Author's Note
"You don't fucking speak to your superior like that, alright?..."
Derpy Hooves is a superior to Lightning Dust because Derpy is on a higher rank (remember how she got promoted in the last chapter) and Rainbow Dash has put Lightning Dust on multiple warnings already, making her somewhat a very low-ranked soldier. Dust also does not serve 'on the front line' and is rather a backup soldier. Please note that I have no experience in the military.
