Wings

by Silent Bob

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Human, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Rainbow Dash, Sad, Princess Luna, Original Character
Length: 47439

Rainbow Dash makes friends with a future human pilot through her dreams.

When Rainbow Dash was a young filly, she enjoyed a strange, but powerful connection to a supposedly legendary being from a distant land, one only achieved in slumber. Unfortunately, as time marched on and the two grew into stronger individuals, the link, in turn, began to grow weaker, eventually disappearing entirely. Of course though, nothing like that is truly lost forever. Now, with both fully grown and fighting on distant battlefields, the connection is reemerging when both need it most. With it, Rainbow Dash will soon learn of a dark conspiracy that will put her element to the test and the fate of everything in her hooves.

Published 2012-08-15 10:24:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-04-27 23:57:22 UTC

I'd Like to Make Myself Believe

I'd Like to Make Myself Believe

I used to be a much different person than I am now. In fact, I think I've gone through four different ways of living so far, my third one being the most terrible. However, I won't get into that right now. The first one I don't hold anything against myself for, though. I was just a kid. However, I sometimes think without the little.... push I got I'd never be out of it.

After my cheesy little motivational speech I gave Rainbow, we began to talk a bit about this and that. Her life, my life, the works. My ma poked a curious head into the living room occasionally. Oddly, I honestly didn't know she thought Rainbow was just an imaginary friend to me at the time. Truth be told, both me n' Rainbow thought that she was as visible to her as she was to me. Bit funny looking back at it that I didn't pay any mind to her not reactin' to a talking pony bein in the kitchen, but I was just a kid. For all I knew, maybe my ma had already known about Rainbow's kind as far-fetched as that seems to me now.

Anyway, a good fifteen minutes of that later, I decided to go ahead and show Rainbow the pride of every nine year old kid: his room, and honestly I don't think there's anyone else who would have reacted to it with such interest.

The door to it creaked open, kicking up a bit of small dust particles that shined like tiny orbs in the beam of light emanating from his lone window.

"Woah, you have a lot of books!" was Rainbow's immediate reaction, her walking over to gaze upon a small bookshelf across from Tom's bed.

Tom raised an eyebrow at this. He really only had about nine or so.

"Does Equestria not have many of em' or something?" he asked her.

"Well, most books are in libraries. Cloudsdale has a pretty huge one, actually, but I think you can only check out so many at a time. Is your library different or something?"

Tom smiled pridefully at that. "Nope, these are all mine. Dad's been keepin' em in shape for years and passed em' down to me for my fifth birthday."

Rainbow raised her eyebrows. "Weird. Not many people actually own books in Equestria. I think it's because of the trouble it takes to make them. My family definitely doesn't have enough money to buy many. Doesn't really matter that much to me, though, I don't really read often." Tom held back a disappointed look as the pony leaned in to gaze at their titles a little more closely. "Jules Verne?"

He brightened at that. "He wrote a bunch of good novels bout thirty years passed. People are already calling em' classics." With that, he reached over and grabbed one of them. "This one's called Fifty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. It's bout' a man who takes a trip with a crazy guy called Captain Nemo in his big ole submarine."

"Where to?" Rainbow asked.

"To a bunch of places, I think, I haven't actually finished it yet." He chuckled slightly. "Still workin' on the War of the Worlds. Now that there is a good book. It's about a bunch of aliens comin' down and Great Britain, another country, tryin' to fight em' off, and it's got plenty of action."

Rainbow smirked at him slightly. "You sound like such an egg-head, no offense."

"Heh, none taken. It keeps me busy after school n' work on the farm. I dun mind it one bit."

The pony's attention was then caught by another object in the room.

"What's that? It looks sort of familiar."

"Oh, that's mah violin."

Rainbow raised her eyebrows. "Hey, we have those!"

"Say wah?" Tom chuckled. "How in the hey do you play it with those hooves of yours?"

The pony shrugged. "We manage. It's weird, actually, your family has a lot of stuff we do back home."

A moment of silence followed before Thomas gazed at her curiously. "Say Rainbow... do you still think you're in a dream or dead or somethin'?"

A beat.

Rainbow sighed at that, rubbing a hoof across Tom's wooden floor. "I'm not even sure what to think anymore. I guess I'll find out soon enough, though. No point in fretting about what might be."

The young farm boy smiled at her. "Don't worry, Rainbow, I'm sure you'll be back home in a jiffy."

The pony nodded at that, though Tom could tell she wasn't entirely convinced. "So, do you know how to play anything?" Rainbow asked.

"Well... not really," Tom said in a somewhat shameful tone. "I started takin' lessons when I was four, though my teacher mainly just had me playin' what she called rudiments; scales and arpeggios, that kind of thing. She says I've got 'creative spirit', whatever that is, and that I should focus on my coordination. I dun take lessons with her no more, though... when money became tight for her she moved away to New York City, the biggest in the country, to live in a place called Hooverville."

"Hooverville?"

Tom glanced away from her. "It's where the really poor folk go..."

"Oh..." Rainbow said, eagerly looking for a way to change the subject. "Well, how about you play me what was cool to her, then."

The young boy raised an eyebrow. "Cool?"

"Oh, it uh... means 'good'," she then grinned slightly. "Or awesome, like I'm sure you are at it." Her grin then turned mischievous. "Now go ahead and play, or are you too shy?"

Tom narrowed his eyes. "Ya callin' me yellow?"

Rainbow smirked. "Only if you don't play me something."

"Hmph, well I aint' no coward. I'll play ya somethin'," he then smiled somewhat sweetly. "But only cus I like ya, Dashie."

The young filly's face sagged at that, her eyes widening with a hint of disbelief. "Dashie?"

Tom threw her a worried glance. "Don't ya like it?"

"Of course I like it!" she beamed, though her expression was becoming even more solemn. "It's just... it's the first nickname I've gotten that's actually... nice."

Tom nodded at that with a determined smile. "Then it's stickin'." With that, he put on a voice of mock royal authority. "From hence forth I dub thee, Dashie!"

Rainbow giggled at that before glancing at Tom's violin once again. "Hey, I see what you did there...."

The young boy threw her a look of genuine confusion. "Wah? What did I do?"

"You tried to change the subject so you'd get out of playing for me. You that scared?"

"Heck no I aint scared!" He declared.

Rainbow grinned in anticipation as Tom donned his bow and violin, him strumming the strings lightly to make sure it was in tune. Luckily, he had just done so yesterday. "Well, here goes nothin'."

And so he began to play, neurons and synapses firing away to bring forth sparks of creativity. He started with something simple, a brief melody he had written the other day before building off of it. Soon enough, he was playing an intricate tune in a fast tempo completely off the top of his head. He could see his pony friend's eyes widen in awe at it, bringing a smile across Tom's lips. He continued to play for minute or so before finishing off with the most complex maneuver he could muster, eager to impress his new friend. He pulled it off somewhat decently before taking a deep breath and glancing Dashie's way.

A moment of silence followed as Rainbow remained silent. Tom began to grow a bit worried at that, though it was soon relieved when Rainbow began to pound her hooves on the floor in what he guessed was the Equestrian equivalent of applauding.

"That was awesome, Tom!" she beamed, forcing a grin on him. "Seriously, that was so cool!"

Tom blushed slightly. "Shucks, it weren't nething'."

She then chuckled. "You 'persons' must have a weird way of defining 'nething', then."

The young lad rolled his eyes, though he sat down his violin with an accomplished smile.

"So, are you going to become a musician when you're older or something?" she asked.

Tom glanced to the side. "Well... maybe, but well... that'd take so much work.... I think I'd rather just work on the farm."

"Oh come on! You're just going to let that go to waste!?"

The farm boy rolled his eyes. "You sound just like ma pa'."

As if fate had tugged a few of the universe's strings, a knock soon came to his door at that as well as a deep, but warm voice. "Tom, mind if ah' come in?"

With that, the boy turned to Rainbow. "It's him! Wait til ya meet him, he's the greatest in the world!"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "And yet you don't listen to his advice about your talent."

Tom ignored the comment, turning back to the door. "Come on in, dad."

With that, the door creaked open to reveal the boy's father, his eyes calculating yet loving, and his body soaked with the sweat of labor. Immediately, he let loose a heart-felt smile at the sight of his son.

"Hey kid," he said, glancing at the violin lying at the boy's feet. "I heard ya playin' a second ago."

Tom sighed inwardly, immediately trying to avoid a topic he knew was coming. "How'd work go today, dad? Did them niggers give you trouble, again?"

His father gave him stern expression at those words, his voice somehow deepening even more. "I told ya not to call em' that. They're good hard workers, they're just facing hard times cus of the depression, worse then everyone else."

"But my teacher says-"

His father held up a finger. "Your teacher is a smart lady, but her mind's been twisted by her husband. Don't be listenin' to her bout nething to do with races and all that."

"What's a nigger?" Rainbow whispered.

Tom shook his head her way, trying his best to avoid that sort of conversation before turning it back to his dad and reluctantly saying, "alright then, pa." He then turned to Dashie. "By the way, this is my new friend, Rainbow Dash!"

His dad smiled slightly at that. "Ah, your mother told me bout her. So she's a pony, huh?"

Tom shook his head. "Not just a pony, a pegasus pony! And she's the.... the...." he then smirked. "The coolest pony in the world!"

His father chuckled, "You kids and this new slang of yours."

Rainbow Dash smiled at that. "Nice to meet ya, Mr. Thomas!"

To Tom's confusion, his father ignored the pony's introduction. He grew a bit worried at that. Did his father not approve of him having a pony friend or something? He turned towards Rainbow Dash, her expression a mix between offended and dissapointed.

"Uh... pa... aren't ya goin' to say hello?"

His father raised his eyebrows before sighing slightly. "Son.... I can't really hear her. That's the thing about... that kind of friend. They're only visible and can talk only ta' you."

With that, Rainbow and Tom both glanced at each other with perplexed and slightly worried expressions.

"B-But, your mom could see me!" Rainbow cried.

Tom shook his head. "I don't get it either... but... I still know you're not a ghost! You are as real as day!" He then turned back towards his father. "You're sure you don't hear her... a little bit?"

His father shook his head. "Sorry son, that aint how it works." He then leaned down on one knee. "But I will tell ya this, if ya can see and hear her then she's real enough."

The boy sighed at that, turning back to Rainbow. "Don't worry, if my pa' says you're real then you're real."

"I'm sure she is, son. Anyway, have you finished your homework for the day?"

Tom's eyes widened slightly, a nervous smile coming upon his face. "Uhhhh... yeah, pa!"

His father narrowed his eyebrows. "Mind letting me take a look at it?"

The boy glanced to the side at that. "Well... I would... but...." he quickly snapped his head towards Rainbow Dash. "Dashie got uh... really hungry and... ate it!"

"Hey, no I didn't!" Rainbow objected.

Tom glanced at her with a pleading expression for some reason, despite the fact his father couldn't hear her. He then turned back towards his father, a skeptical, but slightly bemused expression coming on the weary worker's face.

"Oh, she did, did she?" he said with a slight smile.

Tom shook his head 'yes' rapidly.

His father nodded towards underneath his bed. "Mind if I see your work folder, then?"

"Uhhhhh...." He said, his brain trying desperately to think of a way to get out of this situation. "Can I show you it.... after dinner?" he asked with a sheepish smile.

"Tom...."

The boy sighed, kicking at the floor slightly.

"Alright... I didn't do it."

Upon his father's face came the one thing Tom hated to see, disappointment. "Son, you do this nearly three times every week. Your mother and I are getting worried about your grades."

The boy frowned solemnly. "But... I don't see the point of it. It aint no fun."

With that, a smile came upon the man's wrinkled face. "It's alright, kid. I know school must be tough, but you shouldn't take it for granted. When I was growin' up I couldn't even go to school, and you're very lucky we can afford it now." He then placed a dirt-caked single hand on his son's shoulder. "Don't waste this opportunity, kid. You've got so much potential, and I don't want these hard times to get you down. Things will get better, and they'll get better soon. If you work hard now you'll have a better shot at getting into secondary school, and there's a few government programs Roosovelt is setting up that can help pay for it if ya do well."

He then gazed at him sternly. Hopeful eyes of a weary old soldier pleading with his offspring to take the road he couldn't ever have traveled.

"I don't want you to end up like me. I want to see you fly, son."

"Listen to him, Tom!" Rainbow encouraged. "I don't know if we'll see each other again soon, but how about we make each other a promise, right here, right now? One day, I'll be the fastest flier in Equestria, and you'll be the best violin player in America!" She paused a second before shaking her head. "No, your whole freakin' world!"

Tom shook his head, glancing at both Dashie and his father. "I don't know..."

"You can do it, Tom," Rainbow encouraged.

With that, Tom sighed in defeat and looked directly into his father's eyes. "Alright, I promise I'll try harder."

His father couldn't smile prouder at that.

And so I was on course to entering my second way of living. Of course, one little motivational speech wouldn't set me on in just like that. It wasn't going to be a fun road, but it seemed to be a good one to take... for the time. However, now though, I sort of wish I had taken the road not traveled... but enough about that. There's still a pretty big story to tell, the story nobody will ever read. This whole typin thing seems to be calmin me a bit, so I might as well keep doin it til I start feelin' really sleepy.

Alright fingers, here we go!

That Planet Earth Turns Slowly

That Planet Earth Turns Slowly

I decided to go to the kitchen a second ago. Chef Brown made some good fish n' chips the other day and there was supposed to be leftovers. There, I ran into Arty. It wasn't a surprise, he's the biggest night owl I've ever met, threat of impending death or no threat of impending death. Of course, he couldn't ever hope to do that alone. There he was, making a batch of coffee, and bein a nice fellah he offered me a bit. Now normally I would like a cup of that beautiful stuff but getting one at this hour wouldn't be such a bright idea.

"I'm just going to say screw it and stay up all night. There's no way I'm getting any sleep," he says.

"You're crazy," I says. "A little sleep is better than none."

"Oh just hush up and get back to writing about your imaginary friend."

Nope. I didn't just make that up.

I don't think there's any feasible way I could have been more shocked at that. Seriously? What the hell, Arty?

"How did you-"

He smirked at me. "I'm a bloody Wiccan, remember? I have eyes... everywhere!"

Alright, now that I think of it he was probably just joking, and he probably just peeked through the rec room's window to see what I was typing the other day, the nosey little hawk-eyed redcoat, but just in case.... I'm never messing with Arty. Ever. I just hope somebody doesn't take him seriously one of these days, though. There's still a lot of crazies in Cardiff who might throw him into Loch Treestone to see if he'll float. Honestly, I can't even remember how that whole joke got started now.

I do know one thing though: Arty is one crazy bastard.

Anyway, maybe I should just say screw it as well. I tried to sleep after the kitchen visit but my mind refuses to rest. Every time I think I'm about to stop depriving myself of REMs some new horrible idea about what could go wrong tomorrow pops up. I know we're going to be flying, too. The Germans bomb Cardiff's industrial zones nearly daily, there's no way I'm getting out of a sortie unless god smiles upon me and tries to keep the Germans at bay with one hell of a massive storm, and the weather forecast contradicts that hope.

Still, I won't be going alone. My flight and I are really good friends, especially since I've risked my redneck ass coming over here to fight for most of em', and Captain Harkness definitely respects me, too. We'll have each other's backs through thick and thin, and we'll always be there to encourage each other until the Reaper comes knocking on our cockpits.

However...

I still wish Dashie was here. I really do. I haven't seen her in years, though...

My memories of her will have to be enough for now, I suppose. However, there was a time when I thought that the universe's strange entanglement of our lives would only be briefly. It'd have to wait til after dinner, though.

Everything can always wait til after dinner.

"Ewwww, what are you eating?" Rainbow asked, gazing upon his plate loaded with fresh potatoes, steak, and green beans.

"What? It's steak!" Tom said, cutting off another chunk of it and gobbling it up, his face oozing with pleasure. He then chuckled slightly. "Oh that's right, ponies are vegetarians."

"You bet we are!" she said. "I don't know how you can eat that stuff." She then stuck a tongue out in disgust.

Tom smirked. "Well, I would say 'have you ever even tried some before?' but I think your stomach might disagree with your mind."

"Hey! My stomach can handle anything yours can!" Rainbow argued.

"But that's not how it works, though. Ponies are herb-.... herba-"

"Herbivores," Tom's father finished for him with a bemused smile, munching on a piece of steak of his own.

"What he said," the boy chuckled. "It's just how god made it. If you eat meat you might get sick er' something. Unless your kind of ponies are different..."

"Hmph," Rainbow grumbled. Her eyes then widened in horror. "Wait, what if I really am stuck here and can't eat!" she cried. Her stomach then growled slightly. "I'm already feeling kind of hungry..."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you're not stuck here permanently," Tom reassured her.

Rainbow nodded, though she was still visibly worried. She then glanced over his father's way curiously. He was digging into his food in a rather odd way. He used only one hand to do it, picking up his entire steak with a fork and taking a chunk off it instead of cutting pieces off with a knife. The reason for this was quite clear, however. One of his hands was flesh and blood, but the other was lost long ago. In place of it was nothing but a hook.

"Tom..." she whispered. "I don't want to be impolite but... your father..."

The boy sighed at that. "It's alright. But... I'd rather not talk bout it for now."

Rainbow nodded.

"Talk about what?" Tom's mother asked.

"Nothin' ma'." The boy said with a fake smile.

"Well, alright," she said. She then smiled slightly herself. "Your sure your friend doesn't want any green beans? Ponies can eat them."

Rainbow nodded eagerly at that, her eyes open wide in anticipation for the quelling of her stomach's demand. However, her face soon sagged after a brief second.

Tom sighed again slightly, gaining a somewhat confused glance from his mother. "Thanks, ma', but she can't nething right now unfortunately. She'll eat when she gets home."

"Ugggggggh," Rainbow groaned, rubbing a hoof on the floor in annoyance. "When I get back I'm going to have the biggest breakfast of my life. Watermelon, hay... more hay. Lots and lots of hay."

"So I hear you like hay," Tom said with a slight grin.

Dashie threw him an annoyed glance. "Smartbutt."

"Sorry, couldn't help it," he said.

"Way to make fun of a starving pegasus!" she snarked.

"I said I was sorry!" he replied, stiffening a laugh.

"What in the world are you two talking about?" his mom asked.

"Oh I was bein a wise guy and Rainbow got back at me."

"Ahhhh, I see." His mother then chuckled. "That is a very unique name she has, by the way."

Tom narrowed his eyebrows slightly. "What, don't you like it?"

"Of course I like it," his mother replied. "It's very... creative."

"Hey! My name is awesome!" Rainbow grumbled. "You persons are the ones with weird names."

Tom turned towards Rainbow. "She said it was creative, though!" He then threw her a slightly offended expression. "And what's wrong with 'Thomas', anyway? It's mah great granddad's name."

Rainbow gave him an apologetic glance. "It's nothing, it's just different from our names. Your names are...." her eyes shot upwards, her entering a mode of thought. She shrugged after a second, apparently unable to find the way to describe them she was looking for. "They're just not like ours. Our names are made of words that are already things or... or can be used to describe things."

"Adjectimitives," Tom said, nodding slightly.

"Adjectives," his father corrected.

"What he said."

Dashie nodded at that. "Yeah, and sometimes they can be used to describe the pony. My name's Rainbow Dash cus I'm gonna be super fast one day!" she said proudly. "And well..." She brushed her mane slightly. "You know," she smiled with rosy cheeks. "I also know another filly named Ditzy who's... kind of ditsy. Her eyes are all like widdly widdly woo too." She demonstrated this by rolling her eyes in two sepperate directions somehow, earning a giggle from Tom.

"I think I see what you mean," Tom said. "Our names used to be like that too, sort of. Though they weren't as...." He grinned slightly. "Cute sounding."

Rainbow huffed at that. "Hey, my name isn't cute! It's super cool and awesome and... and... really cool!"

Tom laughed at that. He was really starting to learn the art of 'annoying the crap out of his new friend' down pat.

Alright... alright. I know I said earlier I didn't like making fun of people, but this is different! Everyone knows there's a line between hurting someone's feelings and just pushing their buttons slightly. Besides, Dashie was just too easy!

"You see, they'd have names like David Baker or Elizabeth Hunter, the first just being a word and the second describing what they did."

His father shook his head incredulously with a proud smile at him.

Rainbow tilted her head slightly in curiosity. "Why didn't you persons keep it that way? It seems like a neat way of figurin' out who somepony is easily."

Tom shrugged. "I'm not sure why we changed it. Now day names are just somethin' used to separate ourselves from others." A slightly saddened expression crossed his face at that. "I guess all they are are something used when you want to grab someone's attention..."

Dashie gave him a sympathetic glance. "What's in a name, anyway? My teacher always says it's our actions who describe who we are."

"Maybe... but couldn't other things define us, though?" Tom said. "My teacher always says that..."

His father lowered his eyebrows. "Tom..."

"I never said I believed her! At least not about that..." he objected. "What about the huns, though? Can't you say that they're all evil? Look what they did to your hand and lung, and that's the least of it!"

The dinner table grew silent at that, the conversation having strolled into an awkward territory rather quickly. His father sighed slightly, glancing directly into his son's eyes. "I've told you this many times, kid. Evil, stupidity, good, and intelligence are about equally spread round the world and all its races and nationalities," he then glanced at his hook, narrowing his eyes slightly. "That even counts for the Germans..." he then glanced back at Tom, a slight smile forming on his lips to break the tension. "Your old man's been round a lot of parts. I aint just quoting a book, I know it as a fact. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either lying or needs to open their eyes a bit more."

Tom's mother nodded in agreement,

The boy glanced to the side, however. "Well... I'm not sure if I'll truly believe it til I meet a few, but I'll trust your word for now, pap."

His mother's eyes then gazed upon his father with admiration before she chuckled slightly. "You and your cheesy speeches."

He threw her an annoyed look. "Yeah, yeah... better eat that before it gets cold," he said, glancing at her nearly uneaten steak.

With that, she smiled warmly and leaned over to peck him on the cheek, causing him to blush slightly.

"Awwwwww...." Rainbow and Tom cooed in unison before forcing disgusted looks. "I mean... ewwwwwwww!"

Both then looked at each other with rosy smiles before giggling.

With that, the dinner table returned to its usual jolly tone as if nothing had ever happened, everyone drawing near to the end of their meals. Afterwards, both him and Dashie made their way to his room. They began to chat for a bit, each sitting on Tom's bed, his lights off to save electricity leaving only the moon to shine upon the two through the child's lonely window.

"Are you still feeling really hungry?" Tom asked her, worried eyes fixated upon the pony.

Rainbow nodded her head at that, a slight frown on her face. "It's alright though. Ponies can last a long time without food."

Tom nodded, before a moment of silence passed as he entered a brief stint of contemplation.

After a moment, he broke it.

"I'm sorry...." Tom said, glancing away from her slightly with a light frown.

She narrowed her eyebrows. "For what?"

"I think I might have had something to do with you coming here..." he said, his face saturated in guilt.

"How do you think that?" Dashie asked.

"Cus...cus I wished for it!" he lamented. "I wished for a friend to play with." He then sighed. "People live so far away from each other in the country... and with gas prices so high these days... it's just really hard to get to know people."

He then gulped.

"Do you hate me?"

He half expected Rainbow to throw him a disainful look, but to his surprise, she actually smiled.

"Wanna know a secret?" she asked.

Tom nodded, his look of surprise not fading.

"I think we both made wishes. You for a friend to spend time with and me for just... well... just a good friend." She then glanced away from him and rubbing a hoof on his bed. "I mean sure.. I have friends but... they're mainly that out of..."

Her eyes began to grow moist.

"W-Wah?" Tom said, not knowing what to do. "What's wrong, Dashie?"

"It's... It's..."

Her eyes then widened.

"Dashie?"

She remained silent.

"Rainbow?"

A beat.

"I... think it's time for me to go," she finally said, her tone blank.

"N-No," Tom stuttered, his eyes joining hers. "Can't you stay for just a bit longer?"

"I can't... I'm waking up. I can hear a voice.... it's my mom."

Tom's eyes widened at that. "I can... hear it too," he said, his voice stunned.

With that, Tom noticed that his violin, it previously blocked by a solid pony head, was now visible. Rainbow Dash was becoming transparent.

"R-Rainbow!" he cried, attempting to wrap his arms around her in a hug, not only to try to keep her there, but out of friendship. However, his arms went right through her.

He growled in frustration.

"I'm sorry Tom..." she said, gulping. A look that could break the heart of Hitler came upon her. "I'll.... I'll...."

Before she could finish, she vanished right before his eyes. However, her voice still carried over from across the void for one last message.

"See you later."

The young boy then began to shake slightly, him taking a large, painful breath of air. A second later, his frustration caught up with his sorrow.

"Damnit!" Tom shouted, sending a fist into his mattress, his voice a mix between a growl and a sob. With that, he collapsed, bracing himself for loneliness once again.

I wasn't usually the kind of kid to cry, though my dad always said it was alright. I guess it was just my dumb guy pride. However, after that I truly thought I would never see her again, and I had no evidence to the contrary.

To Infinity and Beyond

To Infinity and Beyond

I wept for a good few minutes after that. Yes, I know I had only known her for about six hours but... she was literally the first real friend I've ever had. I'm not sure if that makes me crazy or what, but I don't care. After that, I began to mope around the house, sleep, like it is now, eluding me. I didn't want to concern my parents none, so I kept a straight face round em', though my ma, her naturally being keen to detail, seemed to notice a change in my attitude. She asked what's wrong, and I told her that Rainbow Dash had to go. I'm still not sure why she didn't think I was crazy for mopin' about a supposedly 'imaginary friend' disappearing, but I guess she just blamed it on my overactive imagination. She told me that it's normal for friends to have to go eventually, and that she'll probably be back tomorrow.

Then it hit me. If Rainbow had come to me today when she went asleep by wishin' to see me, maybe it could work again the next time she... oh lord forgive me for the pun... hit the hay.

Or maybe it could even work in the reverse direction. The tales she had told me of her homeland had intruiged me. An entire nation, or world, I wasn't quite sure, populated by ponies, ruled by ponies, and cared for by ponies. Maybe I'd be able to see it? At that thought, my mood took a one-eighty and I decided to try my hand at sleeping.

It was best idea I've ever had. That night I would see it all in more ways than one.

Tom lay in his bed and counted sheep. It wasn't an easy task trying to sleep with the carrot that was the prospect of seeing Rainbow complete with her homeland dangling in front of him. He was beginning to think it might actually have happened easier if he was sad and not excited. However, after an hour and a warm glass of milk later, he eventually began to snooze. He nodded off once, woke up at a thought, and then nodded off again, and this time it was a little more lasting.

However, after an hour or so he guessed of sleeping, he woke up with a startle, though he soon realized he wasn't awake at all. An odd, bright beam of light was shining threw his ceiling somehow and encasing him within it. He then began to float upwards. Now he had had dreams where he was flying before but it wasn't usually like this. Still though, he wasn't startled at it for some reason. Instead, he felt nothing but neutrality, even when he floated through the ceiling as if he were a ghost.

At that, he began ripping through the sky, his house, barn, and cornfields soon becoming nothing but distant specks after a moment. The beam of light seemed to be of an infinite length, it shining further then he could see into the darkness of space.

And still, despite the fact he had never had a dream like this before, he didn't feel frightened.

He began to fly away from Earth, him now on an intercept path with the moon that had kept him company through so many nights, the beam extending to its surface and disappearing. It didn't matter though, if he went right through his ceiling unharmed then the moon was probably the same deal. He then began to descend to its surface, and there he was beginning to realize that it was not made of cheese. He flew the sphere, and was somehow able to see inside of what he thought would be a dark interior. He flew through its outer rocky layers, its inner dense minerals, and finally an icy core.

Apparently, the moon wasn't hollow as one of his books proclaimed.

He then flew out of the other side and into the darkness of space. Mars came into view in the distance, first a small white speck that gradually turned red before finally growing in size. Naturally, that one piece by Holst was playing through his head at the time. He ripped through its upper atmosphere and descended towards its surface, apparantely on a projectile path that would take him close to it but not crash into it like the moon. He half-expected to see his imagination's version of the War of the Worlds tripods on its surface with a number of strange, evil aliens about them, but alas, there was nothing but barren red rock and dust. Mars, at least according to his mind, was a totally empty place.

Not that he was sad about that, though. The War of the Worlds aliens were bastards anyway.

He then flew out of its atmosphere and towards the edge of the Solar System. He sailed through a large disk of small, icy objects on its edge, apparently something science had never reported before, (or at least nothing he had heard about in any of his books or classes before), before beholding the emptiness of interstellar space.

The beam continued to shine far into the cosmos.

The sun became a speck of light in the distance, and it was soon joined by more specks of light. They soon formed together into a massive, shining disk of millions of them with great spiral arms that licked out into space hanging off of it,. In all its glory, it was the Milky Way. However, after a time that too became nothing but a dot, a dot among many other dots but a dot nonetheless.

He continued to fly deep into the universe, eventually growing so far that even the specks of light that were galaxies in the distance faded into nothingness. Still, he only felt a mild apprehension at this, not fear. He had once had a dream where his mother turned into some sort of squid-monster that tried to eat him, after all. This one at least seemed to be grounded in reality.... well, sort of.

Maybe that wasn't the best way to describe it.

Eventually, he spotted something in the vast expanses of nothingness, the beam taking him right to it. It seemed to be two, massive double doors of gray with strange symbols upon it, dwarfing him many times. It was a gate, and as soon as he grew close enough it opened for him. Inside, he saw rolling planes of green and a distant blue skies hanging over them. Was this Equestria?

He grinned in anticipation as he entered this strange, new world. A little visit wouldn't be anything, anyway. He would only be here until he woke up. He flew over said brilliant, shimmering green fields as well as massive blue mountains, his mouth gaping open in awe at the sights. The whole world just seemed to have so much more color then his own. Eventually, he approached a large city, it hanging somewhat perilously off the side of a mountain and composed of a number of old-style buildings. In the center of it was a large, extravagant castle with brilliant towers that challenged the heavens. Was this where Rainbow Dash lived?

He supposed he would find out soon, as the beam of light, now much less visible, was taking him right through the city. There, he got his confirmation that he was where he wanted to be, his eyes widening at the sight. Down below in the city's busy streets were ponies. Oh so many ponies. However, many seemed to be much different from Rainbow Dash. Some had horns instead of wings, and some had neither. Apparently there were more than just pegasi living in this distant land. Also, many seemed to actually be wearing clothes. The clothes were all fancy-like like the ones he had seen on his trip to Montgomery, and some of the horned ponies actually seemed to be wearing monocols.

There were unicorns wearing monocols.

If he wasn't so sure this place was real he would have liked to get his head checked after waking up.

There were a multitude of buildings of sort of the same style he had back on Earth. Many sported shop-signs, ones he could read surprisingly, though it made sense that if Rainbow Dash and him spoke the same language then he could probably read its writing as well. The shops seemed to be the same kind you'd find on Earth, except ponified. Instead of shoe shops there were horse-shoe shops, and instead of hair salons and barbershops you'd find mane-care stores. In addition, he saw something labeled 'Starswirl Spellbook Emporium.'

Spellbooks? Were there witches living in Equestria or something?

He shivered at the thought.

Eventually, the castle came into plain view once again, and he sailed right through its outer walls and into what he guessed was some sort of throne. It was an extravagant place, with a large red carpet stretching from two ornate doors all the way to a massive throne (one that strangely enough seemed to be fit for a human, not a pony.) Upon it sat a larger pony that what he had seen before, who had the distinct feature of sporting both wings and a horn. This must have been the immortal princess who Rainbow had spoken of.

Though he couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, she seemed to be in a heated conversation with another pony who stood before her, both struggling to keep their tones in what he guessed was a normally calm and practiced demeanor. The other pony sported a short mane of the same color as his fur, brown, and a strange marking upon his flank, one looking of an hour glass. Unfortunately, he only caught a brief glimpse of this before he flew through another series of walls, out of the castle, and out of the city.

He flew over massive forests and farmlands before eventually sailing over a somewhat large town with a somewhat bell-shaped building in its center he supposed was their town hall. He swooped low over it, spotting a significantly higher number of the non-winged and non-horned ponies here than in their capital city. However, he only had a brief amount of time to gaze upon this place. He gazed upon where the beam of light was taking him, and it appeared to be a large city made entirely out of clouds that bore a somewhat Greek style architecture. It was extravagant and massive, obviously reflecting a culture of a long and expansive history.

And it was beautiful.

He ripped through the skies towards it, feeling no wind against him. Apparently, he was as hollow as Rainbow Dash was on his own planet. It was the reason no ponies had gazed upon his flying figure before. That didn't matter, he would be satisfied with only one pony being able to see him.

And then it struck him.

"Your house is really weird. Nothing is made of clouds and there are these weird thingies everywhere..."

Made of clouds....

His eyes widened. So this was Dashie's home.

Giddy with excitement, he wished the beam would carry him faster, and so it did. His eyes widened in surprise as his progress sped up by at least a factor of three. He entered cloud city and immediately had his confirmation that this was where his new friend actually spent her days. There were winged ponies everywhere, and the adult ones and some of the fillies were even flying with them.

First monocol-sporting ponies, now flying ponies. This was getting kind of weird.

And he freakin' loved it.

The city didn't seem to be that much different from the capital, though there were a few additional shops here including a place that sold potions that a sign on the front proclaimed 'will increase your wing-strength to a Wonderbolt level.' He raised an eyebrow. What in the world was a Wonderbolt? And potions? Were there witches here as well? Apparantely, they seemed to be accepted into this society as well. With that, he struggled to fight against the idea that ponies were in league with Satan, eventually shoving the idea to the back of his mind. There was no way in heck that was true.

In addition to the weird shops, he saw something labeled 'Kingdom of Gryphonia Embassy.' He had heard of gryphons before, them being of Greek mythology. Apparantely, Equestria was just one nation it seemed. He wondered how many other nations were out there, as well as other mythological creatures. At this point, he was beginning to have trouble taking everything in. Not only were there talking ponies, but talking gryphons as well? Was this whole world created by the mind of some Greek scholar? It was insane....

He then began to think. Was it possible that the connection had had with Rainbow Dash wasn't the only one that ever existed? Was it possible that in the past other connections were made that eventually led to stories of mythological creatures on Earth?

The implications of this were astronomical.

Still though, he wasn't here to study pony culture like some sort of scientist. He was here for one thing and one thing only, and he supposed that something was within a large house made of clouds that he was heading right towards.

The Conquerors of the Skies

The Conquerors of the Skies

"Woah," was all Tom could say after he crashed through what he thought was Rainbow Dash's cloudhouse's walls and skidded to a stop. This 'woah' was due to many things, the least being that he just flown half-way across his universe, through a land essentially filled with aliens, and through a wall. The first and foremost was actually the fact he was standing on a cloud. A light, fluffy, cumulus he had only previously seen flying high above in the sky. The next was the furniture. He was in a living room of sorts, and there was nothing particular odd about it except for the fact the couch seemed to be made for human use and not pony and that it was also sitting atop clouds. He shook his head, baffled at this before glancing about a bit more.

He spotted a photo in the far side of the room sitting upon a side table next to the couch. Gingerly, nervously he took his first step towards it, sighing in relief when he didn't plummet through the floor. Now more confident, he made his way over and examined it. In it were two adult pegasi, a stallion wearing what seemed to be a pony version of a military-style blue suit and a mare with a sparkling golden mane and dazzling white fur.

They smiled proudly down upon what the male cradled in his arms, a tiny foal with Dashie's unmistakable rainbow mane. It would have been an adorable sight if they were human, but them being ponies upped the factor by eleven. He smiled warmly at the photo and at the fact he now had confirmation this was where his new friend lived. Still, it was funny that whatever had brought him here had dragged him half-way across the universe but couldn't seem to give him the courtesy of planting him right next to her.

He had barely had time to take in that portion of the trip at this point. It was almost as stunning as seeing Equestria, though nowhere near as interesting. Astronomy wasn't really ever his deal. Still, he began to wonder if Dashie had gone through the same trip, though he quickly shrugged it off.

Yeah, oddly enough I never really had some sort of existential meltdown after seeing how large the universe was compared to myself and my tiny little planet. I guess it never really bothered me that much, because why should it? Mah life can still be glorious and epic since it's all I'll ever know. It's from mah perspective and my perspective alone. There's no need to look at everything from such a large point of view, that'd just drive ya crazy. Besides, I'm not even sure if it was real or something my mind made up to help me handle the crossing between two worlds. I'll never know. I suppose I should be lucky that the whole universal road trip only happened once to me, though. Oh and great, here I am philosiphising again. That kind of crap makes my head hurt. Back to the talking ponies!

Glancing about the room again, he wondered where Dashie could possibly be. He eventually found the entranceway to the house's kitchen, but it was vacant as well. Like the living room, it had a lot of things his own house had, save for a lack of modern technology. The Dashes didn't seem to have a gas stove, instead of it was a cloud-made fireplace with a single pot hanging off a bar that ran from one top-end to the other. They did have a sink, so it wasn't all medieval, but it still seemed to be a much less technologically advanced society as his own so far. They were ruled by a princess after all, though that made him wonder where their queen was.

There were no other rooms downstairs aside from a small bathroom, so he supposed Dashie may have been upstairs. He went back to the living room and took the flight of stairs he had seen to make his way up. A hallway stretched before him with two doors on the right and one door on the left. He tried to tug on the handle to the one on the right, though he found his hand simply phased through it. Sighing, he then simply walked through it instead. It seemed to be Rainbow's parents' room, it with a double bed and fancy furniture. There was also a large glass case that contained a strange uniform in it. It was a mostly blue full ponybody spandex ordained with streaks of lightning near the 'heels' of it as well as a pair of goggles that hung on the 'face' of it.

Next to it hung the same military-like uniform he had seen Dashie's dad wearing. There were a large number of medals and ribbons upon it he hadn't noticed in the family photo. Her father must have had a pretty high rank, or so it seemed. Near the case was a large photo of a number of pegasi wearing the same blue spandex that hung in the case, all in a large group photo. They crowded around one pony in particular who Tom guessed was Rainbow's father, one holding a piece of paper that had an arrow pointing towards the military pony with words below it that read, 'Property of the Wonderbolts'.

What in the world was a Wonderbolt?

With that question in mind, he exited the room and took the door across from him. Inside was a single bed. He smiled at the sight. So this must have been her room.. He then began to glance around. On the floor were a small number of light dumbbells, five pounders it seemed. On the fluffy cloud walls were a series of fliers and posters, some including those of 'Wonderbolts'.

His heart warmed upon seeing this. Dashie seemed to be as close to her father as he was to his. Maybe he was like a hero to her? Still, it quickly cooled when he realized there was still no Rainbow to be seen....

And then it hit him, and he nearly facepalmed for not thinking of it earlier. Rainbow was probably at school. Well, that was great, except for the fact he had no idea how to navigate around the crazy city in the clouds he was in nor any way to ask for directions. His only options were to try to find the place on his own or wait for Dashie to come home.

Yeah, like a nine year old kid is going to wait around?

Smirking, he left Dashie's room and made his way downstairs. Not wanting to risk walking through a wall and falling to the ground, he opted to find the front door. It wasn't that hard, it being in the living room, and with that he made his way outside. His eyes widened once again at the sight.

Sure, he had seen a bit of city while flying over it, but now here he was; in the thick of it. All around him pegasi of all shapes and sizes made their way to and fro place to place via both wings and hooves. Tom glanced at the sky curiously at this. The sun hung in the East, and if it worked the same way it did on his world then it was probably the early morning rush hour. The boy had never stayed all day in a city before, but he had heard tales of the hustle and bustle of places like New York. It was like that, but with traffic in the skies as well.

There were no fillies or colts to be seen, though, so it seemed his assumption about them all being in school was correct. He took a look around. He seemed to be in a residential area with houses like Rainbow's lining a cloudy 'street' as well as a number of shops. Doughnut shops, hay shops.... Tom raised an eyebrow. Coffee shops? Ponies drank coffee? Anyway, lots of shops. In the distance stretched the 'higher' portions of cloud city, them almost like cloudy hills, with larger, greek-style buildings atop. He also saw something that looked like a stadium, with multi-colored flags sitting atop its rimmed, pillared' walls. It was almost Roman looking.

Not knowing what to do next, he began to walk down the cloudy 'road'. After a minute or so, his eyes widened when a large object obscured his vision. After a second, it revealed itself to be the behind of a male pegasus who continued to trot forward. Dazed, it took him a second to figure out what had happened, and then it hit him; the pegasus had walked through him.

Oh that's right, he was in ghost mode.

Shivering a bit at the oddity of what had just happened, he began to move forward once again.

Eventually, he reached the end of the long road, it diverging into two perpendicular new roads that ran in opposite directions. The one on the right seemed to only lead to more houses, but the one on the left....

Bingo. That was his ticket.

Smiling at his luck, he began to make his way towards a larger, one story cloud building with a sign in front that read, 'CD-12 Elementary'.

The Bane of Two Worlds

The Bane of Two Worlds

CD-12 wasn't anything remarkable. In fact, it was about the same size as Tom's school, that being a building about the size of a small warehouse. However, if the number '12' meant anything, apparently the city was littered with schools. Judging by the city's size, that meant there were probably five schools per square mile. His whole county only had one.

He shook his head in slight disbelief with a smile before 'entering' the front of the school, entering meaning phasing through the oddly solid door to the cloudy building. With that, he made is way through a small lobby before peering into its classroom. It, like the school itself wasn't that much different from his own. There was a chalkboard, a ton of desks, and most importantly; a teacher.

She was a somewhat elderly looking mare pegasus with old-style glasses, the kind of sweet old lady who would be someone's favorite grandmother. The only difference about this classroom and his was the fact the desks were made of clouds. He shrugged at this. It must have saved the pegasi cost to build them out of cloud instead of having them made out of regular materials like some of the other furniture he had seen.

There must have been about thirty students in all, all looking very, very bored. He looked around, trying to spot Dashie. Eventually, with his eyes widening with delight, he found her sitting in the back of the class, her cheek against a hoof. He chuckled to himself at that. School wasn't fun on any planet it seemed. Silently, he began creeping towards her.

"Alright class. Today's lesson will be about our neighbors to the East, the Kingdom of Gyphonia," the teacher said, her voice as sweet as he imagined it would be. Apparently, every... pony(?), that's how Rainbow Dash usually said it, had just gotten to school. "Does anybody know anything about the gryphons?"

"Yeah! Equestria kicked their lion flanks in the Crimson Islands War!" an overly gungho pegasus called from the middle row that earned a disapproving look from the teacher.

A number of other pegasi, both male and female chuckled at that, one even giving the pony equivalent of a high-five, a hoof-bump to the colt in question. Dashie, however, seemed to go alert upon this. Her eyes widened as her hoof moved away from her cheek. Tom could detect a hint of... sadness upon her. His heart sank upon seeing it.

"Now Stormfront, let's try to keep the topic of conversation away from more modern times," the teacher said, trying to keep her voice as civil as possible.

"Blah, who wants to hear about the stinkin gryphons other than stories about them getting stuck!" another pegasus yelled, this one a filly.

"Them getting stuck, eh? Check it out, then. My daddy killed like three in the last war!" another pegasus said proudly.

"No way!"

"Haha! That's awesome."

"Class!" The teacher said, her voice rising in volume. "Keep it civil! This is a very sensitive topic."

The boy could sense a hint of regret in her voice at that as he caught her giving a worried glance towards Rainbow Dash. Apparently this wasn't really the best topic to cover. And this was the attitude of kids in the same city with an embassy to that nation?

At that, Rainbow sunk her head into her arms. Though he wasn't exactly sure why Rainbow was so bothered by this conversation (other than the fact these kids seemed to be very racist), he was now determined to cheer her up. He couldn't judge the colts and fillies, though, for he held the same views on the Germans on his homeworld. They were one of the same. Still though, the fact that there were racist, hateful adorable little ponies and pony wars was really, really strange to him.

He was now ever-so close to Rainbow, him passing in front of a yellow-coated pegasi whose eyes held the same concern as the teacher's as she gazed upon her more gung-ho classmates. Ignoring her for the moment, a second later, he stood by Dashie's desk. At this point, her face was still in her arms. He was trying to think of some cool first-words to say to her, though there was nothing his mind could conjure that didn't sound cheesy. Sighing to himself in defeat, he eventually settled with:

"Hey Rainbow! You have a neat house!"

With that, Dashie's face shot up from her arms, her eyes widened in disbelief.

"T-Tom?!" She nearly spat.

Tom grinned at that, not only out of amusement from her reaction but at the fact that she could still see him. It did truly work two ways. If it would continue that way, he'd have the most interesting 'imaginary' friend a kid could have.

"Haha! You should see the look on your face."

"Rainbow?" her teacher asked, raising an eyebrow her way. "Who's Tom?"

Dashie threw her an embarrassed look. "Uhhhh.... nothing Ms. Sweetsong, just woke up from a...." she smirked slightly. "A very weird dream."

"Oh, alright dear," Sweetsong replied, her smiling Rainbow's way slightly. "Try not to sleep in class though, please."

Rainbow then looked back towards Tom, her face riddled in disbelief. "How in the.... how did you get here?!" she whispered.

"The same way you got to my place, a big universal road trip!" Tom beamed.

"Wah?" Rainbow said, raising an eyebrow.

Tom gazed at her curiously. "You know... flying through space, seeing the galaxies melt away to nothing... or in your case I guess the galaxies would be..."

Dashie furrowed her brow in confusion. "Tom, I have no idea what you're talking about...'

"Y-You don't?" Tom said. "Wait a minute... do you remember how you got to my house? What was the first thing you saw when you went to bed?"

Rainbow thought for a second before saying, "all I remember was waking up in your corn field and seeing that weird gas masked imaginary trooper attacking you." She then grinned deviously. "And you know what that means? Since I could see your imaginary creations in your universe that means.... well, turn around...."

Tom cocked an eyebrow at this. His trap senses were tingling, but nonetheless he complied only to be faced with...

His eyes widened in horror.

There, standing before him was a clown... A PONY CLOWN.

"OH SWEET JESUS!" he shrieked before stumbling backwards and through Rainbow's desk. He caught himself right before he toppled over. Dashie could barely contain her laughter at that, holding an arm to her mouth in an attempt to muffle it as Tom performed a vain attempt to compose himself.

"That was just cruel," he said, shooting her a glare. "I told you I hated clowns!"

Seriously, there should have been a Geneva Convention for both human and pony comedians and pranksters that forebode that kind of thing.

"Oh relax, it was all in good fun," Rainbow said, sticking a tongue out and evaporating the evil thing. Eventually though, her face morphed into a smile. "Still, it's really good to see you."

"Minus the horrible abomination you just produced..." Tom returned the smile. "Likewise."

"But yeah, so you got here by sleeping too?" she asked, her voice still a whisper.

Tom nodded at that. "Yeah, when I was falling asleep I wished really hard to see you again and well... here I am." he then glanced around the room, chuckling slightly. "And you thought my planet was weird...."

"Heh, well, it's really only like this in Cloudsdale."

"I know," Tom nodded.

Rainbow quirked her head. "Huh, how did you know? I never told you."

"Well.. I kind of flew here. I saw a lot of Equestria, including that princess person you were talking about... at least I think it was her."

Dashie's eyes widened. "You saw Princess Celestia?!"

"Bout three feet tall, wears a golden crown and has wings and a horn?"

Rainbow nodded rapidly.

"Yep, I saw her then, though it was only for a second when I flew right through her throne room."

"Wow, that's so cool!" Dashie beamed. She then narrowed her eyebrows. "But wait, you can't fly!"

"Not on my own," Tom said. "Have you ever flown in your dreams before? It was kind of like that... only twenty-times crazier. I wasn't in control of where I was goin' though."

Dashie shook her head in disbelief. "That is so weird..." she then pouted slightly, "I wish I got to fly when I visited you..."

Tom glanced at her sympathetically. "Maybe you'll be able to do it next time you fall asleep?"

Her face perked up at that. "That'd be cool! I kind of want to see a little bit more of your world..."

As the two conversed, they failed to realize that the yellow-coated pegasi was gazing at them. "Um... Rainbow... if you don't mind me asking.... who are you talking to?" she said, her voice almost like a mouse's squeak. Tom smiled brightly at it. It was so adorable.

"Ummmmm...." Rainbow said, her mind desperately trying to come up with an excuse. Eventually though, she sighed and leaned towards the pony. "Can you keep a secret, Fluttershy?" she whispered.

The petite yellow pony nodded lightly.

"I'm talking with a creature called a person who I met on another planet during my dreams that only I can see. He's really afraid of clowns."

Tom nodded at that. Indeed, clowns were the bane of existence. He then waved at her with a smile.

Fluttershy merely gazed at Dashie blankly, though.

"Oh... uh...."

A beat.

"Ummmm..."

She narrowed her eyebrows, unable to think of what to say.

"Neat?"

Tom nearly burst into laughter.

Rainbow chuckled. "Yeah, it's weird."

Fluttershy then smiled slightly. "He's afraid of clowns?"

Rainbow and Tom nodded. "Mhmmm, and I don't know why; clowns are hilarious!" Rainbow beamed.

The yellow pony shivered at that. "I wouldn't say that..."

Tom smiled her way. Clowns didn't just suck to him, it seemed.

Rainbow rolled her eyes incredulously. "I'll never get the two of you. Especially you, Tom. How can you not be afraid of creepy gas-masked soldiers but when clowns come calling you go into rabbit mode?"

"It's just...." he paused, shaking his head. "Clowns...." he shivered.

"Fluttershy, Rainbow! I hope you're talking about gryphon history back there," the teacher said sternly.

Both of their eyes widened before they turned towards the teacher. "Uhhhh.... Sorry Ms. Sweetsong."

They then sweat-dropped.

Sweetsong sighed slightly, a hint of a smile forming on her face. "Just try to pay attention, alright?" she said, her voice still stern but taking on a sweeter tone.

"Yes Ms. Sweetsong..." the two reluctantly replied.

The two pegasi continued to gaze forward as the teacher rekindled her lesson. She was currently talking about ancient gryphon history, or so Tom thought. Something about how an ancient, evil mage of a species... or people called Teranids once fused lions and eagles together in order to make the world's first chimeras. Apparently, they were to be used to conquer some place called Algaria, home of the Arctic Vættir and... yeah...Tom's head was about to burst. She was making so many references to things and places he had no clue about. This lesson was going to be impossible for him to follow unless he really payed attention, and his curious side really wanted him to. This world was just so much less boring than his own.

With that, he heard Dashie whisper, "We can talk about it a bit more after class..."

Tom twirled around to see her leaning towards Fluttershy again, apparently confident the teacher's gaze was averted.

"Hey Dashie, is this lesson important or something? I mean... we'll probably have all day to spend time together and stuff," Tom said, simpering.

Dashie shook her head with a cocky smirk. "Na, it's nothing, and it's so freakin' boring anyway..." she whispered.

Tom furrowed his brow. "I don't think it's boring."

Dashie rolled her eyes. "You would, ya egghead!"

Tom smirked. "And you're saying you wouldn't be curious about a whole nother' world's history?"

Dashie made a 'hmph' sound before folding her arms. "Nope!" she said.

The boy folded his arms as well. "I'll hold you to that if you pay me a visit while I'm at school, then."

Rainbow's eyes widened at that, but nontheless she quickly re-forced her apathetic glance. Tom's smirk widened at it, forcing an eventual sigh from Dashie.

"Oh alright!" she finally groaned. "Though only a little..."

"I have an idea, then," Tom said. "We both pay attention and then later I can help you with your homework or something."

Rainbow threw him a look that could warm the heart of a banshee. "You'd seriously do that for me?"

Tom merely smiled. "What are friends for?"

Huh....

Mmmmm....

Hermmm....

Mehhhhh....

Yeah, that was pretty cliche.

To Be a Pegasus

To Be a Pegasus

"So then I got to know Tom's family a little better at dinner. Can you believe this though, they actually eat meat! It's so gross!"

"M-Meat?" Fluttershy asked as her. "You mean... they eat other animals?!"

Rainbow Dash nodded, her face as firm with disbelief as Fluttershy's.

Tom rolled his eyes at that. "We have to eat meat, though. Without it we wouldn't be as strong and healthy."

"Still though, bleh!" Dashie said, sticking out a tongue.

The three of them sat in a rather large playground outside of CD-12 during their version of recess. Tom's school had been one of the few lucky ones to still have playground equipment that was bought before the depression. It was rusty, but still usable at least. The ponies had similar things to them; swings, slides, that kind of thing, though they were completely made out of clouds. The pegasi used the former in what must have been a much more fun manner than humans, though. Even the ones without the ability to fly (and there were quite a few who could, some, to Tom's chagrin, even Dashie's age) could get a lot of air-time by fluttering their tiny wings after leaping off the swings when they were high enough. Their swings were also much higher than the ones on Earth, the pegasi using their wings to propel themselves to incredible heights. Tom had to admit he was feeling a little envious at their natural gift.

"W-What'd your friend say?" Fluttershy peeped.

"That he needs to eat meat," Dashie replied. She then grunted in annoyance. "Mph, if there was only some way for you two to talk and stuff..." she mused.

"I'm sorry, I'll leave if I'm being a bother..." The yellow pony said softly.

"Oh it's no sweat, Fluttershy," Dashie said.

"Yeah, it's no problem," Tom agreed. "Gosh... I feel bad for her; she just seems so timid," Tom whispered Dashie's way despite the fact that was completely unnecessary.

Dashie nodded at that.

"What'd he just say?" Fluttershy asked curiously before sulking her head slightly. "I mean... if it's alright for me to know and all."

Rainbow grinned her way. "Tom just wants you to know he thinks you're a really cool pony and wants you to stick around."

Tom nodded in vigorous agreement despite the fact he had never said such a thing. He wished he had, though.

"R-Really?" Fluttershy said, a small smile creeping on her face as her wings swung open. Tom gazed at this curiously. It was one of the things he had noticed about these ponies; whenever they became excited their wings would spread and stick up. He found it to be kind of funny, actually.

"Oh... thank you, Tom," Fluttershy said, glancing towards him. She must have noticed where Dashie was turning her head when Tom spoke.

Dashie then explained to Fluttershy how she had gotten home, and like she said earlier, she didn't have any sort of experience of flying through space. Tom shook his head in disbelief at that. He couldn't have simply imagined it, could he? Or did it simply work different for him? He supposed he'd find out when he got back home, he supposed.

"So you can enter each other's worlds by sleeping?" Fluttershy asked, her face riddled with disbelief.

"Yep! We don't know if it's a permanent thing though."

At that, their bonding time was cut short when Sweetsong's whistle blew.

"Ah shoot. Back to boring old lectures on gryphons...." Dashie said, a hint of spite in her voice.

Tom perked an eyebrow at this. "You don't like gryphons? I think they're kind of cool. They have a really interesting history. A group of animals who were created for the sole purpose of warfare becoming a civilized society-"

"They're anything but civilized" Dashie spat, taking Tom by surprise. He had never expected any sort of hatred to come out of his cyan friend's mouth. Sure she was fairly aggressive but never spiteful. "They're a bunch of nasty, angry birds is what they are. Nothing else."

"Come on, they can't all be like that..." Tom reasoned.

"You said yourself, they were made for the purpose of war by that Teranid mage. They're like our version of the 'huns' you keep mentioning." Dashie's eyes narrowed in a glare, though it didn't seem to be at Tom.

That was enough to shut Tom up. Thinking quickly, he found a way to change the subject. "What's a Teranid anyway?"

Dashie shrugged at that. "We had a lesson on them one day but..." she grinned sheepishly. "I kind of fell asleep during it."

The farm boy shot her a smirk.

"What?!" She said defensively. "I was up late the night before trying to get these stupid things to work..." She glanced at her wings, her mood dropping once again. "I never really did..."

Tom shot a reassuring smile her way. "Hey, no sweat. You've got to be the most driven person.. pony I know. One of these days..."

A sliver of a smile came on her face. "Thanks Tom, but I say that every day and nothing ever comes of it," she sighed.

Fluttershy, who had been listening quietly to the conversation, apparently not feeling that joining in would be prudent, finally spoke up, "you know, I can't fly either," she said.

Dashie gazed at her in disbelief. "But your wings... they seem so strong."

Fluttershy drew a hoof against the cloudy ground at that. "They aren't that strong... and it doesn't bother me that much anyway..."

"How can you not want to fly, though?!" Dashie asked.

"Well... earth ponies and unicorns do fine without it... I figure even if I never learn to fly I can just move to the ground..."

"B-But we're pegasi!" Dashie complained. "The skies belong to us! Every pegasus needs to fly..."

"Maybe..." Fluttershy squeaked. "But sometimes I don't think it matters what everybody else is doing as long as we... well... enjoy what we're doing ourselves."

"But what about the jerks who make fun of us!?"

"It's not like everypony cares that much," she said. "Would you look down on me if you could fly and I couldn't?"

Tom couldn't help but smile her way. While she was shy, it seemed to hide a smart interior. She seemed brighter than him, at least.

"Well...no..." Dashie grunted. "It still doesn't mean I'm not going to give it my all, though. One day I'm going to show all the pricks who make fun of us for being stunted what it means to be a true pegasus, just like my father before me. Noble, strong, brave, and ready to take on anything thrown at Equestria! I'm not going to be some pansy bully who puts down others for their own kicks."

"Wait, the pegasi do the fighting for Equestria?" Tom asked.

"Yep!" Dashie said proudly. "We make up the bulk of the military. Even most of Celestia's guards are sporting a pair of these babies," she said, glancing at her wings. "A long time ago before the three races came together, we were a mighty tribe of warriors. While the other two races were interested in politics, magic weaving, and farming, we were busy keeping the murderous Eastern Naga and Wolves out of pony lands!"

"So your history is boring, huh?" Tom chuckled.

Dashie huffed in annoyance. "Well... no... the cool history isn't boring. Anyway, nowdays we defend Equestria from not only the gryphons to the east, but the southern Badland Wolves, rogue dragons, the remaining vættir and void shadows to the north, and the changeling threat within."

Tom's eyes widened. "D-Did you just say dragons?"

Fluttershy eeped at that as well, shivering slightly upon the mention of them.

Rainbow nodded at that. "Yeah, they aren't anything to mess with either. Most of them can grow as big as Celestia's palace, some even bigger."

Both Tom and Fluttershy gulped. "I think I'm glad I'm stuck in ghost-mode while here..."

Fluttershy glanced at Rainbow pleadingly. "Can we please change the subject... if that's alright," she squeaked.

Dashie rolled her eyes with a chuckle. "Don't worry, you two. They rarely show up anymore."

"The key word there is rarely," Tom noted. He then composed himself slightly. "What about the Naga, though. What happened to them?"

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "We wiped them out. All of them."

The farm boy's eyes widened in horror. "Equestria did?! They weren't smart like you and I, right?"

"Oh, they were plenty smart alright. But no, the Pegasi Tribe did under the rule of Commander Hurricane right before the Great White Winter." She tilted her head in thought. "It's not really the most... liked thing in our history.."

Tom shook his head, befuzzled. "One that's going to take me forever to learn..."

Rainbow chuckled before sticking out her tongue. "What are you, a historian now? You should be focusing on that music of yours..." she then cocked a grin. "And hanging out with me. Bet you can't beat me in a race back to the school!"

"Dashie, I've got legs of steel!" Tom bragged. "You forget I work on a farm."

"Well, let's put them to the test cowboy!" Dashie challenged with a friendly smirk.

Tom laughed at that. "Oooooh you are so going down now. Ya may have four legs but my two can keep up with em' all the same."

"W-What are you two doing?" Fluttershy asked.

"Racing," Rainbow said, her cocky smirk not fading. "Wanna join in?"

"Oh... no... how about I play referee?" she eeped.

"Sure, not like we're going to need one though. Tom isn't going to see the finish line behind my dust trail!"

Tom glanced at the cloudy ground with a quirked eyebrow. "But there's no-"

"On your mark!" Dashie called.

Tom lined up by her, gazing ahead at the schoolhouse with feigned confidence. Despite the fact they'd been walking towards it, it was still about a good thirty yards away, them having been on the far end of the rather large playground. Tom was a decent sprinter, and his work on the farm had raised stamina by a ton. However, despite what he said, he still wasn't that confident he could beat a four-legged creature in a race with his measily two, especially if Dashie used her wings to propel her like he had seen the fillies and colts do on their swings. Nevertheless, it'd hurt his pride more to deny a challenge than to fail in one.

It was on.

"Get set!"

To the side, he could see Dashie running a hoof across the cloudy surface; a pony preparing to gallop. Tom gulped slightly, but nonetheless quickly recomposed himself.

"GO!"

They were off. Tom had put his all into an initial burst of speed, hoping to gain a quick advantage over Dashie to demoralize her. He had achieved this, but only slightly. When he glanced back Rainbow was gaining on him, her eyes narrowed in resolve and still joined by her smirk. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.

"You know, you're going to look silly running for no apparent reason!" Tom huffed, gazing at the small amount of but still numerable students who had yet to make it inside the school.

"Oh now that's a cheap trick. Trying to make me give up?!"

The farm boy shook his head. That truly was only his... secondary intention. "No, I'm just-"

"Hah!" Dashie said, gaining a lead on him, her tail swishing furiously in the wind. Surprisingly though, she wasn't using her wings at all.

Tom grunted at this before putting his all into making his legs move as quickly as possible. With an extra boost of energy he had no idea he still had, he quickly pulled neck and neck with Rainbow. Glancing forwards, he saw they were now closing in on the school house, and to his disbelief, it actually seemed like it was going to be a draw.

That was until Tom was forced to a screeching halt, his eyes widening in terror for the second time today.

Standing at the side of the school was that same damned pony clown. It wasn't doing anything in particular, it was just standing there.... menacingly. However, that was still enough to send his mind into a panic.

"CLOWN AT 12 O'CLOCK!" Tom shrieked, actually backing away from the school now. In the meantime, Rainbow had touched the side of the cloudy building and was now laughing hysterically. It then hit him what had happened.

"RAINBOW!"

He had been bamboozled for the second time today! With that, Tom facepalmed himself, him sighing in shameful defeat.

I solemnly swear...

Once I'm done with the Germans... I will begin my war against...

Dramatic pause...

More of a dramatic pause....

The clowns!

Anyway, after that me n' Dashie sat through a very, very boring lesson on pony economics. Apparently their system is even more medieval than their houses. You see, they use coins called 'bits.' There aren't nickel and dime-like bits, you know, worth different amounts, just golden one-bit bits. I suppose they have other ways of making payments, maybe bit-checks or something like that for the larger ones, but I never saw em'. I wish I had been paying a bit more attention during it so maybe I would know now. Unfortunately (or fortunately), me n' Dashie had just spent the entire lesson imagining funny-lookin versions of ourselves.

Yeah, as it turns out the whole imagination thing worked two ways. We could see each other's creations in both worlds, and that would turn out to be a pretty darn sweet deal. One of the renditions of Rainbow Dash I conjured up, this one called 'Sweet Home Alabama Dashie', her having two large buck teeth and a dumb-lookin grin on her face, was something that needed to be seen by somebod- somepony, at least. It was darn good work of imaginary art. However, she got back at me by making a version of myself with overly large arms and a big nose. Even I had to laugh out loud at it.

The class started going by more quickly after that, and soon enough we were out the door and walking towards Dashie's house. Despite the fact I had already seen it, she seemed more than excited to show me it all over again.

Unfortunately though, we ran into a bit of trouble on the way in the form of three trotting cliches...

Three colts with brown fur blocked Dashie and Tom's path on the cloudy road that led to her house, each with wicked looking smiles on their faces.

"Hey guys, look! It's the little bird who never could!" one of them laughed, pointing at a red-faced Dashie.

The cyan pony growled his way. "Go eat manure, Stormfront."

"Yeah, seriously. 'The little bird who never could?' That's the best insult they could come up with?" Tom chided.

"Ooooooh, look who's got more attitude today," a brown colt next to Stormfront cackled.

Stormfront then took a threatening step forward, inching closer to Dashie's face, her glaring daggers at him as he did so.

"We saw ya runnin' back to the schoolhouse today after recess," Stormfront said. "Good thinking. Gotta train up on those legs if you can't ever use your wings!"

"Ignore em', Dashie. We both know they're already full of what you told em' to eat," Tom said. "Let's just walk around." He gestured to the side.

Rainbow, however, would hear none of it. She took a step forward towards Stormfront, her face now inches from his. He seemed slightly taken aback by this; apparently Dashie sticking up for herself wasn't something they were used to. "I will too be able to use them, and one day I'll be faster than the three of you combined!" she growled.

Stormfront quickly composed himself and laughed in her face. "Yeah right! All you do is slack off all day in class. I doubt you've got the ambition to train your wings, either!" His nasty little smirk then returned to his face.

"This coming from the clowns who wouldn't shut up about the gryphons and let your teacher talk... definite signs of ambition there," Tom snarked.

"I just don't care about stupid stuff like pony history, and neither do you three! I see you three sleeping in class all day too, you know!" she said angrily.

Stormfront and his two cronies seemed to be taken aback by that. He inched slightly away from her face. "Well... uh... it's cus we're so smart we don't need to!"

The other two nodded in agreement.

"Yeah right. A Changeling Drone has more brainpower than you three, now get out of my freakin' face!"

The three stood there somewhat dumbstruck, not budging, their tiny brains desperately trying to think of new ways to come back at the mare who had stood up for herself. It was then that Tom had an idea. Concentrating hard, the world became a canvas to him. With a mental brush he quickly modified the three colt's faces, giving them overly large snouts and bucked-teeth. They were now even dumber looking than before.

Dashie realized what had happened immediately, and with that she turned her head towards Tom with an appreciative smile. Soon, she began to chuckle at the trio of bullies, their faces becoming riddled with confusion. They didn't seem to know how to respond to that, either.

"What's so funny, dodo?!" Stormfront asked.

"It's your faces!" Dashie giggled.

The three glanced at each other. Somewhat self-consciously, the one who hadn't spoken before asked, "what's wrong with my face?"

Stormfront then cleared his throat. "Whatever, let her laugh, she's probably crazy in the head!" he then tilted his head to the side. "Let's just get out of here..."

With that, the trio of bullies cleared the street, Dashie still giggling. She then turned towards Tom, another warm, appreciative smile coming his way. "I hate to sound cheesy for the fifth time today, but you seriously are the best friend anypony could have, you know that, right?"

Tom returned the warm smile. "Those three definitely had it coming, and it definitely felt good. I come from a place where it's seen well for everyone to stick together, the times being tough and all. 'Putting people down to prop themselves up don't do anyone good', my pap always says, 'because in the end we're all equally in the hole, and no amount of name calling will ever boost you out of it'. Cus of that, I can't stand bullies... pony or human, especially if they're messing with you."

Dashie quirked an eyebrow, her smile not fading. "So that's what you're called? Humans?"

Tom blushed slightly, rubbing a hand on the back of his head. "Yeah, it's silly. I don't know why I said we were called 'persons' before."

"Humans...." Dashie said, sounding it out, her entering a mode of deep thought. "Kind of a neat word... Why does it ring a bell, though?" Her eyes then widened. "Wait a minute..." With a gasp, she suddenly began to dart back towards her house.

"Woah, wait up Dashie! My legs still hurt from earlier!" Tom called.

"But I have something I want to show you! Come on!"

To Be Human

To Be Human

Rainbow skidded to a halt right outside her door before eagerly opening it, Tom quickly running up to join her side. He planted his hands on his knees upon reaching her, panting furiously.

"OK... you definitely have me beat in the stamina department," he huffed. "What's in that hay you eat? Ground coffee?!"

Dashie rolled her eyes at that, leading Tom into her familiar living room. She took a quick gaze at the photo of her trio of a family at the couch's side.

"Hey Mom! Ya home!?" she called.

No reply.

"Awesome. We have the house to ourselves," Dashie grinned, before leading Tom up to her room and opening the door. "Tada!" she said proudly.

Tom glanced her way. "Rainbow... I told you I already saw it."

She shot him an annoyed look. "Oh just give me this," she grunted, before putting on puppy-dog eyes that would make god himself smile pridefully at his adorable creations.

"Can't. Resist. Cuteness," Tom gasped.

Dashie grinned at that, obviously amused at the fact she now had a little power over Tom that didn't involve the use of clowns, the devious little devil. A second later though, the tour began.

"That's where I work out!" she said, pointing towards her small light-weight dumbbell collection.

Tom smirked slightly. "About those, I was sort of wondering how you lift them..."

"Duh!" Dashie said, rolling her eyes and flickering her wings.

Tom caught on at that. "Oooooh... wing training. Gotcha."

Rainbow nodded before making her way over to the large poster on her wall. "And this is the totally awesome and super cool Wonderbolt poster my dad got for me!" she beamed, a small hesitation in her voice upon mentioning the word 'dad.' She soon shrugged it off before quickly gesturing towards the bottom. Signatures Tom hadn't noticed before appeared to be there. "It was autographed by every member of the current team!" She then paused a second. "Well... the ones who weren't..."

A beat.

Tom cocked an eyebrow. "Weren't what?"

She dismissed his question with a wave of her hoof. "Nothin'. I'm guessing you have no idea what a Wonderbolt is, huh?"

"Sounds like the name of some new fancy car or somethin'," Tom said.

Rainbow threw him a confused look. "A wah?"

"Nevermind," Tom chuckled. "Tell me about the Wonderbolts."

Dashie grinned at that before beginning a speech that almost sounded rehearsed. "The Wonderbolts are the elite flying force of Equestria. They double as both a stunt team during peace times and a special operations unit during war time. They also help deal with internal threats. This team alone subdued three dragons with no magic whatsoever."

Tom shook his head in disbelief. "How in the world did they manage to get rid of something three stories tall?"

Dashie put on a smirk. "With crossbows."

"Crossbows?!"

"Crossbows," Dashie repeated in a badass tone. "My dad never really liked to talk about his dealings with them, but the few times I got him to he always said the trick was to 'shoot them where they don't have scales'."

Tom squinted in thought at that, not only about what Dashie just said but by the fact she kept referring to her father in past tense. A horrible thought quickly came to mind, though he quickly shrugged it off with a shudder before forcing his mind back on topic. "You mean..."

Dashie pointed at a single wide eye, causing Tom to wince. "Ouch." He then thought for a second, quickly coming to a realization. "That'd only blind them though. How did they finish em' off?"

"Oh, they never killed them, just subdued them or 'neutralized' them. Some dragons would back down after you blinded em, the ones who haven't really experienced.... pain before, however others would need to be lured out of Equestria. The Wonderbolts would use themselves as bait, the dragon having their scent and everything, and lure them back to the badlands." Her face soon turned grim. "If that didn't work, though, they'd have to bring in the army with a bunch of siege equipment and unicorns... and that could get messy from what he said."

Tom shook his head incredulously once again. "This whole world is nuts." He then gazed at her curiously. "Anyway, you keep mentioning magic... and then there was something about a mage.... and the spellbook shops I saw.. and well... you're not going to try to turn me into a toad or something if I make you angry, right?"

Rainbow burst out laughing at that. "Of course not, silly! Only unicorns can use magic."

"Oooooooooooohhhh, so that's what their thing is," Tom said.

"Their what?"

"You know, their thing. You gotta respect the thing. Pegasi can fly, unicorns can do magic and stuff, but what do those other ponies I saw do? The ones without horns or wings."

"They farm," Dashie said blankly.

"They farm?"

Rainbow nodded. "Yep."

"Oh."

The two burst out laughing.

After a second, Tom calmed himself and said, "well, I guess I can't really say much about that." He gestured towards his farmboy suspenders before composing himself further. "Anyway, you said you wanted to show me something?"

"Oh yeah!" Dashie said, face-hoofing herself for her forgetfulness. With that, she scooched down and began to dig under her bed. After a second, she procured a book titled Fourth Grade History - A Guide to Equestria.

"Oooooohhh..." Tom said, practically drooling.

Dashie rolled her eyes. "I only want to look up one thing, ya egghead."

"B-But-" Tom said.

"If you stick around I'm sure you'll be able to pick up our history as you go," Dashie noted.

"Fine..."

Dashie then cleared her throat. "A long time ago I once heard my dad saying how he wished the humans had finished off the vættir in the Frozen North...."

"Wait a minute, you're telling me humans live here?!" Tom said, wide-eyed. He was now growing more confused and curious by the second.

"Seems that way," Dashie said, flipping open her book and turning towards the index.

Tom moved to her side, scanning it for 'humans'. After a second, Dashie announced, "there we are."

He squinted to see where she was reading and saw but three words. Humans - See Teranids

"So humans are the Teranids...." Tom mused.

"Seems so." With that, Dashie quickly flipped through the pages of the index, eventually arriving at 'T'. "Teranids, page 36," she announced.

"Not a lot of love for us, it seems," Tom said. "Only one page?"

"Yeah, that's pretty weird," Dashie admitted. "The changelings had like ten pages about them alone..." She groaned in annoyance. "By Celestia, that homework assignment should have a section itself for being the most boring history assignment in history." With that, she finally reached the page she was looking for. She then rolled her eyes. "Duh, that's why they don't have much mention. The Teranids were around before Equestria. This book doesn't really cover pre-Equestrian history that much."

Nodding, Tom glanced down at page 36, the curiosity within so fervent it felt like it was about to boil his brain. After skimming it for a second, he finally found what he was looking for, though not what he hoped for, a section called, The Fall of the Teranids.

"Fall of the Teranids..." he whispered. "I suppose that means we're no longer round these parts."

Dashie shook he head. "It could just mean that their civilization fell," she said, showing her astute side.

"Score one for us humans," Tom said sarcastically before beginning to read aloud, "around the same era as the settling of the Great Central Planes, a curious happening came in the north near the Crystal Mountains. The Teranid, or human civilization as it was sometimes called came to an abrupt end. Not much is known about this event, as given the strife of the time it's likely that many things were left unrecorded. However, what is known is that a war between the humans and vættir was initiated some thirty years before.

While originally seen as a somewhat just, though vengeful war, the humans seeking retribution for the vættir...." Tom raised his eyebrows. "Harvesting of hundreds of thousands of their population." He then turned to Dashie, his eyes widening in horror. "Harvesting?! What the heck does that mean?"

Dashie shook her head. "I'm not completely sure... but I do know the vættir still do that to this day. They've been known to abduct ponies right out of their homes on the Crystal Mountains and drag them back to the Frozen North. It was what my dad was so angry about. He said that only unicorn magic could do them in."

"So he wasn't just angry about the abductions... he was angry about not being able to do anything about it."

Dashie nodded solemly. "He said he wished Celestia would just give the order to go in and 'neutralize' them." She then winced at that. "He was pretty angry that day." After a second of silent, solemn contemplation she said, "anyway, go ahead and read on."

Tom nodded before complying. "Sympathy for this war was lost when the humans began to kill off large amounts of Arctic Ponies, this people being peaceful, but believed, by the Teranids at least, to be used by the vættir as a form of cattle... their life-energy being used in order to widen the Northern Rift in order to allow the vættir to draw more magical power from the void."

With that, the farm boy slumped onto the floor. "I can't believe it... I can't believe we'd just kill off innocents like that...." He sighed, composing himself. "It explains what the harvesting is for, though... but what's the Northern Rift?"

Dashie shrugged with a 'you tell me expression.'

"We definitely need to hit your library one of these days," Tom said, gaining an annoyed grunt from Rainbow.

Tom then chuckled before reading on, "With outside support for the war ceasing, the vættir closing in, and their numbers dwindling the Teranids hatched a desperate plan. Their leader, one of the most powerful mages in history and of an unknown name fused lion and eagle together to form the first chimeras, the gryphons. These creatures were given the special ability to be able to harm the vættir directly without the use of magic. How the archmage did this is still unknown." The farm boy shook his head at that. "Why can't you harm em' without magic, anyway?"

"They're kind of like ghosts," Dashie answered. "You can't really stab a ghost with a spear."

"Dragons.... ghosts... what's next? Werewolves?" He then cleared his throat before reading on, "the chimeras were successful at almost completely exterminating the threat from the Frozen North. Unfortunately, given the time to regroup, the Teranids soon launched a pre-emptive strike against their own creations, fearing that they would breed out of control and turn against them eventually. Vastly underestimating the gryphons, they were all but wiped out. The last known location of human activity was near the Northern Rift, archaeological evidence pointing to it being slightly after the attempted gryphon extermination."

With that, Tom slumped down onto the floor, once again growing silent. Rainbow glanced at him with concern.

"Tom?" she said quietly.

The farm boy remained silent, the gears in his head turning rapidly.

"Hey... it's not all bad... your people have an entire world to themselves from what you told me!" she said.

"It's not that..." Tom whispered, glancing away from her.

Dashie lowered her eyebrows. "What is it, then?"

"Something I should have seen before...." Tom said, shaking his head incredulously before turning his head her way. He paused for another moment before uttering:

"We're monsters."

Rainbow gazed at him, dumbstruck.

"How are you monsters?" Dashie asked, her voice laced with an almost sisterly concern.

"We wiped out those Northern Ponies... innocents... and then we tried to do the same thing to the gryphons without even giving them a chance to prove themselves...."

"But that was them, not you!" Rainbow argued.

"Not just them... the huns too... how they left my father to rot..." Tom gulped. "If what my pap says is true, and that all people are the same deep down... then deep down we're all monsters."

With that, Dashie threw him a stern expression. "Come on," she said.

"Huh? Where are we going?"

"To the..." she paused, sighing slightly. "Library... I'll be an egghead just this once. There has to be more about you humans than meets the eye."

"No there isn't..." Tom said mournfully.

"Yes there is!" Dashie proclaimed. "Humans aren't all monsters, because you're not a monster, now come on!"

I can't write anymore... I can barely move my damned fingers. I wish I could though. I want to replay what happened after that in my mind... I want to remember. I need.. something to drag my head out of the fire when things get rough up there, because I know they're going to be... I know they're going to-

With that, Tom Mayflower's head slammed onto the keys of the typewriter within the common room of his aerodrome. Within a minute, he began to snore ever so faintly. Nightmares filled his mind, both made of his past and possible future. Waking would give him no reprieve, for the next time his eyes fluttered open he would see fire in the skies of Britain.

First Flight

First Flight

Tom continued to rest, and as he did so images continued to come to mind. He dreamed of parts of his past, though not the ones he would have wished for. Instead of warm memories of his times spent with Dashie and his parents, all he could think about was what led him to Britain, and it pained him ever so. He hadn't come for honor or to protect the motherland of America, he came to quell a clenched throat and a mind filled with fire.

A voice called to him from the heavens, the last voice he thought he'd want to hear, though getting out of the particular dream he was having would have been worth it for anything. "Hey Tom!"

"I will make them pay. I'll shoot down every last plane! I'll burn every last tank! I'll run down every last soldier!"

"Listen to yourself, Tom. You're not making any sense. You don't belong in any war.."

"And you do?!"

"If I followed in his footsteps, it wouldn't be for revenge.... that's not the way of my people."

"I don't care! I deserve this, and they deserve what they're gonna get!"

A beat. Moist eyes of an old friend shimmered before him.

"Where the hell did Tom Mayflower go? What happened to my friend?!""

"TOM!"

"Huh?! Wah?!" Tom gasped, lifting himself up from a drool-covered typewriter and shaking his head in a daze. He quickly looked around, taking in his bearings before turning to face the origin of what had woken him.

"I really hate to wake you, ya know. You look really cute when you're sleeping like that, but we just got the call," his fight Captain, Jack Harkness said, and Tom could tell he was serious about the middle part.

"Bombers..." Tom said groggily.

Captain Jack nodded solemnly. "Coming in over the channel from western France. Unless they're faking us out, they're definitely heading towards Cardiff."

"How many are we up against?" he asked, yawning heavily, his eyelids feeling like they were going to fall off his face. Fortunately though, his adrenaline seemed to be kicking in. He sighed inwardly. If anything was going to save him from sleep-deprevation, it'd be that.

"Ten to twenty, but that's coming from that crappy old radar they have stationed at Plymouth. They really need to get it replaced." With that, Jack reached into his flight jacket to pull out a morning CRAM bar and tossed it Tom's way, him barely able to catch it. "Here, eat up. There really isn't time for a proper breakfast. Get your gear on and head out to the airfield, I'll be doing the briefing there."

The farm boy nodded as Captain Harkness left the room, still groggy as all get-out, before peeling open the CRAM bar's wrapper and taking a bite of its dense materials. He winced at its taste, but nonetheless swallowed it. It was the start of what was going to be a very long day.

With that, he began the arduous task of lifting himself off the chair he sat at, gazing down at his last night's work as he did so. About six pieces of paper littered the floor, all filled with poorly-written text. He grunted in annoyance, reached down to gather it up, and began to do. With that, intrusive memories continued to flood his mind.

"We wiped out the Northern Ponies without even giving them a chance... we're monsters...."

"I know not all humans are monsters, because you're not a monster!"

"I will make them pay. I'll shoot down every last plane! I'll burn every last tank! I'll run down every last soldier!"

He shook his head at this in defiance, gathering his senses, before exiting the lounge. He then walked down a long, narrow hall of dimly lit lights and RAF aerodrome staff and servicemen all hurrying about, though he could barely concentrate on where he was.

A recruitment station. A Scottish man. Fan blades twirl overhead as a clock ticked on and and on and on...

"Well, your flight record and immigration papers check out. Forty hours of air time in a crop duster? Not bloody bad. However, we do have a few personal questions for you...."

"Shoot," his cold voice said.

"Well, forgive me for being blunt, but why exactly does a farm boy from Alabama want to risk his ass by joining the Royal Airforce?"

A beat.

"My eyes should give you the answer."

"I'm not a bloomin' poet, lad. What does that mean?"

Those eyes narrowed.

"It's personal."

Tom winced at this as he entered the store room and began to change his clothes. A fresh shirt was placed over him, followed by fresh, heavy wool trousers and then his RAF flight jacket. Finally, he hung a pair of flight goggles around his neck.

"Oi! glad to see you up and about, mate," a familiar perky voice said as Tom heard someone enter the storeroom. It was Arthur 'Arty' McMallard.

"Hey Arty..." Tom practically yawned, turning to face the red-haired, red-eyed flyer. "You manage to catch any REMs?"

Arthur shook his head in annoyance. "Few hours. Still, I don't feel that tired. You?"

Tom waved his hand in a 'sort-of-maybe' fashion.

"Eh, you'll be alright once we're up high enough. That cold air could make anyone perky from what I hear."

With that, the Australian flyer slipped on a long sleeved shirt, obscuring his right-arm's tattoo of the British flag and his left arm's of a strange symbol that resembled three snakes in a triangle formation trying to nip at each other's tails. After that, he gazed at Arty in a serious manner.

"Say... I hate to get all serious on you but... you're going to be alright up there, right? Got your head cleared and everything?"

Tom nodded at that, more to reassure Arty than anything. He didn't exactly believe it himself entirely. However, he did have to admit he certainly wasn't the man he was a month or so ago.

"Good to hear, mate." At that, he completed clipping his flight jacket. "Well, let's get to that briefing then, I suppose. We don't want to keep the jerries waiting." He winked at that as the two left the room.

It was a misty, cool day outside with heavy cloud cover, something the weather forecast hadn't predicted. However, that wasn't anything unusual for Wales. And besides, even if a hurricane had somehow lost its way and found British shores, if the Germans were flying, so would they.

Lined along the edges of the grassy airstrip were ten fighter aircraft, British Spitfires. They were older models that had been reequipped with the latest weapons and new engines instead of being built entirely from scratch with them integrated, but that didn't mean they weren't perfectly capable of dealing with German HE-111 bombers or ME-109 fighters if given to the right hands.

The question was then: just how well was their squadron trained?

As he caught sight of Captain Jack standing in front of the other seven members of their squadron, he grunted in annoyance at his groggy waking. They were going to be the last ones out. However, he was only loosely aware of this, as upon seeing Captain Jack he was in another memory.

Whiskey. Beer. Ale. A Cardiff bar. RAF pilots partying into the night...

He was alone, though not for long.

"Why hello there," his Captain beamed, shooting him a friendly smile and taking a stool besides them. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"Er... no thanks Captain..."

Chuckling...

"Oh not like that, just as friends. No offense, but I barely know you. You're awfully quiet for a southern boy."

"Stereotyping much, Captain?"

A smile is way. "Sorry, I was just joking. Still, why don't you grab a chair and join us?"

He gestured towards a table filled with the rest of his squadron.

"You play Seven Card Stud?"

A glance away from the Captain.

"I'd rather just be alone. Thank you, though."

"Arty! Tom! Glad to see you two didn't miss brunch," Captain Harkness said in an annoyed, though still light-hearted manner, gaining a series of chuckles from the rest of Squadron 111.

"Sorry, Captain..." the two said.

Captain Harkness gazed at them somewhat warily. "It's your first day, so I'll let it pass, but remember that the Germans wait for nobody. You two need to get up earlier and on your own. I'm not your mothers." He seemed to be glancing at Tom at that, a feeling of guilt rising in his chest.

"Yes sir!"

Harkness nodded, seemingly satisfied that this would be the only time they would be late, before beginning a speech:

"Alright, our orders are to intercept a German bomber group coming from western France. Radar indicates they're coming straight to Cardiff; probably to get another shot at the industrial zones. Naturally, they'll probably have escort at the usual ratio...."

The group of flyers gazed at each other warily at that, some breaking out into hushed whispers.

"Easy, everyone. For one, we won't be on our own; we'll be joined by Squadron 93 out of Brystol and Squadron 24 out of Plymouth. For two, you all have had as much training as anyone; remember it. Keep your heads clear and your wits sharp and you'll all come back in one piece." He then shot them a grin. "And no matter what happens, drinks are on me. Screw the officers bar."

The group murmured in approval at that, Tom among them. Captain Harkness was a decent man in his opinion.

Fire in the distance. Bombs falling on Cardiff from unseen foes. The night illuminated by carnage. He watched from his airfield, sitting on a nearby lonely hill to enjoy a view of hell.

His heart still burned for vengeance, though his mind was beginning to feel something else; regret.

"It was such a beautiful night...." Captain Harkness said, coming to Tom's side and sitting by him, his accent anything but British. He was in fact an American volunteer just like himself.

The farm boy didn't glance at him.

"Hello Captain, what brings you here?" he asked, his voice still cold, not really caring what the answer would be.

"Just reminding myself of something."

"Of what?"

Captain Harkness lowered his eyebrows. "Why I'm here." He then let loose a deep sigh. "For everyone else, it's easy to guess. They're here for king and country or to protect their families. For me and you, though, I'm guessing the reasons are a bit more....complex..." He then glanced at Tom suspiciously. "Or are they?"

"They're not," Thomas said bluntly. "I wish they were, though."

Harkness nodded slowly. "I see... do you want to talk about it?"

Tom raised an eyebrow, glancing Jack's way. "You're a bit more personable than I thought an officer would be."

"Stereotyping much?" he joked.

For the first time in a while, Tom chuckled. "Yeah, sorry..." He then glanced back towards the firebombing of Cardiff.

"So.... yeah..." Jack said, obviously wanting him to go on.

The farm boy let loose a sigh. "Let's just say I lost someone close to me... and it really pissed me off... and then I lost someone else close to me because of it... and it just pissed me off more."

Letting those words out for whatever reason seemed to have lightened the emotional load on him, for after that the fire in his heart began to die down ever so slightly more. However, the feeling of regret was now gaining.

"Are you still pissed off?" the Captain asked.

"Yes... but well..." He threw him a smile. "Thanks for talking with me." He then let loose another sigh. "I just wish I knew who I am...."

It was a question Tom had been asking himself ever since; even as the load of his emotional baggage became lighter and lighter by the healing power of father time.

"I don't care! I deserve this, and they deserve what they're gonna get!"

His desire to meet an eye for an eye had turned him into a monster and had dragged him into a war that was not his own. It was part of the same motivations the Germans had for starting the war, and probably part of the motivation for some of the pilots who were flying with him though Captain Harkness never said it out loud. He had put this in the back of his mind for the last few days, but writing about his past last night had brought the question to the forefront again. He didn't consider himself a deep man, but existential questions still came at him from all angles. Was he a monster for wishing to seek revenge? An animal? Were all people like this? Somewhere, buried in his mind he had evidence to the contrary, though for some reason he couldn't bring it to the forefront...

"I know not all humans are monsters, because you're not a monster!"

He lifted the cockpit window to his Spitfire, who he had recently named 'Maria', and climbed inside. Everything was the same as it had been when he had flown in her for training. It was all so... familiar. He quickly flicked on his engine, and with it the massive four foot in diameter propeller of his plane whirred to life. He smiled at his knowledge of the controls. He could definitely do this. However, even if he were to succeed in the mission his questions would linger on.

"Where are you, Rainbow? I need to talk with you... someone who gets me... someone to open my eyes.... What the hell am I doing here, and do I deserve it? Do we all deserve it? Hell, just someone to laugh with would be nice..." he whispered to himself.

He glanced out his cockpit, half-expecting to see a floating blue Pegasus pony next to his Spitfire throwing him a goofy grin, but there was nothing.

"Dagger-1, you're clear for takeoff!" his radio barked, snapping him out of it. His eyes then narrowed in resolve. This was it, it was go time. He couldn't let anymore distractions get to him. He would have to focus completely on what was at hand and answer his questions later.

"Oi, I thought we were going to be nicknamed Lemming squadron!" Arty squawked over the radio in his Australian accent.

"Because that name is terrible! Lemmings jump of cliffs, you bloody git!" another voice chided in a Cockney accent; Jacob Smith, the squadron's best flier aside from Captain Harkness.

"Sorry Arty," Captain Harkness chuckled. "But the vote was for Dagger. My apologies for the lame rhyme, by the way."

"Bah, you lot have no sense of humor," Arty said.

By the end of the exchange, Captain Harkness had already taxied. After a few more seconds, his plane was half-way in the air as the control tower radioed for Dagger-2 to take off.

"Hurry it up guys, I don't want to fly the unfriendly skies alone," Harkness said.

"Yeah, yeah, keep your pants on Captain. I don't want to end up crashin' on my first takeoff," Dagger-2 radiod, it being flown by Jacob Smith.

He was lucky Captain Harkness was a pretty mellow guy for that remark.

With it, Jacob, Dagger-2 taxied and took off, him flying behind Captain Harkness in a circle around the aerodrome.

"Dagger-3, you're up!" the control tower radioed.

"Roger that, control," Dagger-3 radioed before doing the same as the first two.

"Dagger-4! You're clear for takeoff."

Tom took a deep breath. That was him.

"Heading on up," he said, flicking on and off his radio. With that, he careful nudged his plane onto the runway, it consisting only of grass and dirt, which wasn't as bad as it sounded; it only meant a shaky, but doable takeoff. With that, he carefully turned his plane to face the end of it, him glancing towards Arty in Dagger-6 as he did so, him giving Tom a thumb's up and a cheeky grin that the farm boy quickly returned. By the end of it, his plane was ready for takeoff.

"Lord grant me a proper takeoff," he whispered as he began to move his plane forward, double-checking his gauges as he did so, everything seemingly in a working order. He began to shake rapidly after a second as the Spitfire rolled across the bumpy terrain, increasing in speed by the second. Finally, when he was going about thirty to seventy miles per hour, he gripped the stick and pulled it gently back, sending him into the air. He grinned slightly at this, his worries being temporarily squelched. It didn't matter how many times he had flown, it always gave him an adrenaline rush.

"Four down, six to go! Come and wake yourself up boys!" Harkness radioed as Tom folded up his landing gear.

With that, the rest of Dagger squadron made its way into the air, all flying in circles around the aerodrome. They honestly weren't that high up, only being about maybe three hundred meters from the hilly terrain below.

"Alright, that's everyone. First things first though, I want a check in."

"Roger that. Dagger-2 ready to blast some jerries!"

"Dagger-3 in working order."

"Dagger-4 ready to go," Tom said.

"Dagger-5 responding..."

The names check-in dragged on, the only pilot having trouble being the last, Dagger-10. Apparently there was something wrong with his engine. Apparant being the key word because Tom could see it was smoldering.

"Sorry lads, you'll have to make do without me. Good hunting!" Dagger-10 responded in a Scottish accent, quickly making his way to land.

"Make sure to tell the landing crew to double-check every engine next time," Jack said, his voice growing angrier than usual. "Alright, the rest of you; form up on me!"

With that, the pilots complied, speeding up to catch up with Jack who had propelled ahead to the South.

"Squadron 111, this is Squadron 23 from Plymouth. Where the bloody hell are you? Squadron 93 has already linked up with us. Do take all day now, won't you? We're very glad you were able to get your morning coffee."

"Sorry Squadron 23, we took a little longer taking off than expected. It is our first time," Jack responded. "Have you gotten any reports on the German squadron?"

"We got better than that, we saw the bastards. They flew right over Plymouth as we were taking off."

"How could you see them with this cloud cover?" Jack asked.

It was a good question, Tom couldn't see anything above the thick blanket of them that stretched above him.

"There isn't any cover in Plymouth, though I don't suppose you know how British weather works..." the radio responded in a slightly hostile tone, earning an eyebrow from Tom.

"I'll learn," Jack growled back. "What's the count on bombers and fighters?"

"Twenty bombers and ten fighters. Looks like they haven't learned to send up a heavier escort yet."

"Well, practice makes perfect," Jacob, Dagger-2 said. "Too bad they're not going to get anymore once we run em' through."

"Alright," Jack radioed. "We'll engage them head on, you and 93 take them on from the rear. Hopefully we can make them run."

"Not that we'll let em..." Jacob said. Tom could practically see him grinning wickedly in his mind's eye.

"It's a good plan, Harkness, but remember who's in charge. We'll keep on their bums then until you give the signal. Squadron 23 out."

A beat of silence followed that before Tom's radio squawked again.

"That prick shouldn't have said that kind of thing to ya, Jack," The Scottish accented voice of Dagger-8 said.

"Yeah, you may not be British but you definitely got our grit if ya know what I mean," Arty, Dagger-6 said.

"You're Australian, Arty," Dagger-8 said blankly.

"British at heart, though!"

"Thanks guys, I mean it," Jack said. "Let's just get this mission over with. Follow my lead and I'll see you all get home."

With that, Tom hoped he was as good as everyone said he was.

Captain Jack was a rather mysterious character. From what people said, little to nothing was known of his past other than he was from Chicago. He was always making strange references to things the farm boy had never heard of as well, and he simply had this air of wisdom about him that, despite him looking as if he were in his thirties, seemed to come from a much older man.

Oh, and he was also rumored to 'screw anything that moves', as Arty had put it, meaning he was apparently bisexual. Tom had never really formed an opinion on them before, not many being around where he grew up, though it did make him pretty uneasy. Still, whatever Jack was sexually, he was still a great Captain, and it's not like he had ever tried to hit on him... well except for that one time in the bar a few nights ago... and this morning....

Bah, whatever.

His squadron continued onward, the cloud cover indeed thinning as they went southward. That was the thing about British weather, it could be cloudy one moment and completely clear the next, clouds here hanging out in small gangs instead of massive armies as in America. They weren't much higher than they had been, still flying only about four-hundred meters off the ground, it consisting of mainly farming fields and villages. Within the latter he could have sworn he saw miniature figures waving at them, though it could have only have been his imagination.

"Did anyone but me see people waving up to us in that last village?" Tom asked over the radio.

"Just that crazy imagination of yours, Tom," Arty said. "By the way, I read a little more of what you wrote."

Tom's eyes widened at that. Damnit... why did he have to bring that up? It wasn't that he was embarrassed or anything, he knew he wasn't crazy, he just didn't want to be reminded of Dashie nor his past right now.

"Haha, what'd he write?" someone asked.

"Ah, it was nothing," Arty said. "He can tell you about it if he wants."

Well, at least he wasn't going to be a prick about it.

"Squadron 111, this is Cardiff radar station Balderdash. You're closing in on the German formation. They should be visible any second now."

"Roger that, Balderdash... I can't see them... wait, there we go!" Jack announced.

Tom's squinted out of his cockpit, and soon enough he saw them too. Small pinpricks on the horizon resembling distant birds, though they were anything but. A lump in is throat began to form as saw them.

"Balderdash, what's your count on them?" Jack radioed.

"Thirty-two aircraft in all. Yes this count is accurate."

Tom could practically see him wince. "It's a little more than we hoped for, but with twenty-nine fighters we can manage."

"Speak for yourself, the more jerries the merrier!" Jacob, Dagger-2 radioed, his voice practically asking for carnage.

Tom took a deep breath at this, memories and questions intrusively starting to flood his mind again, and Jacob's bloodlust wasn't helping. Was he a monster for wanting revenge before, enough that he was willing to kill? Were they all monsters for what they were doing now? The Germans? The British? Arty? Jacob? Captain Harkness?

Most importantly, though. What in god's green Earth was he doing here!? This was not his war. This wasn't how he ever wanted to fly....

Suddenly, something came to mind. The answer he had been looking for last night, the next portion of his story. A certain visit to the library with Dashie that would teach him an important lesson....

True Legacy

True Legacy

Ten Years Earlier
The City in the Clouds

Cloudsdale Library and Cultural Center was truly an impressive sight to behold, even for a city as awe-inspiring as where it sat. While the exterior was beautiful, it looking like a massive, five story tall cloud building with the length and width the size of the White House, the interior was even more jaw-dropping. It consisted of a large cylindrical room that took up probably one-fourth of the building, it extending all five stories up to the cloudy ceiling. Wrapped around the edges of this cylinder were a flight of stairs, leading to five floors completely filled with shelves upon shelves of books. The pegasi were not without their knowledge, that was for sure.

Rainbow led Tom along the busy floor of the cylinder, pegasi and the occasional unicorn flooding it while some of the former flew high in the air.

"Weird, what are unicorns doing up here?" Rainbow said, almost to herself, gazing upon one of the odd horned equines.

Tom quirked an eyebrow. "Huh? What do you mean?"

She turned towards him. "They're not supposed to be able to walk on clouds. It must be some sort of spell..."

Tom shivered at that idea. He was still getting used to the concept of magic, something he was taught was... well, not for the good of heart. Ignoring his pestering thoughts though, he continued to follow Dashie to a a large circular desk in the middle of the cylinder manned by a number of pegasi who he assumed were librarians. It was probably some sort of information center.

"Wait, how can I stand on clouds then?" Tom asked as he walked.

Dashie shrugged. "I'm not sure. Then again, both of us seem to be connected somehow... maybe my awesomeness is rubbing off onto you?"

Tom chuckled at that. "Probably."

With that, they had finally arrived at the large circular desk.

"Hi," Dashie said, putting on her best adorable smile she could for an elderly looking librarian. "Can you tell me where I can find stuff on pre-Equestrian history?"

The librarian narrowed his eyebrows in confusion before bringing up what looked like an ancient hearing-'horn' to his pointy ear. "Hmph? You want to learn about Princess Celestia?!" he said in an overly-loud voice. The poor old pony must have been having hearing problems.

"No, I need to find information on pre-Equestrian history!" Rainbow said, a bit louder this time.

"Oh! Why didn't you say so?!" The elder said, a bemused smile etching across his face. "Heh, it isn't often I see fillies looking for that kind of thing."

Rainbow grinned. "Well, history is sort of my thing."

"You dirty liar," Tom chuckled.

"Shut up..." Dashie said out of the corner of her mouth before smiling back towards the librarian.

"You can find pre-Equestrian history on floor three. The help desk up there can help you a little more if you need it."

"Thanks!" Rainbow said.

Tom turned towards her with a smirk. "Rainbow Dash. Professor of History in training," he chided.

"Oh you hush before I go and make another clown."

Tom's eyes narrowed, though he couldn't but help to chuckle on the inside. Despite the fact that he had pretty much just realized his entire species was made up of monsters, his Rainbow-maned friend just had this way of cheering him up. She truly didn't believe he was what he thought he was, what all evidence was pointing to. He shook his head in confusion at that. Was it possible she was right and he was wrong? No... No that didn't make much sense, for how could a pegasus know a human better than a human? Then again, he was very young... and he didn't feel any darkness inside... not most of the time.

At those thoughts, the duo began climbing the long flight of stairs to the third floor, though Tom was too occupied with his inner thoughts and the sights around him to notice his aching feet.

"Ugh, that annoys me so much..." Rainbow groaned, glancing at one of the flying pegasus heading towards the fifth floor who needn't use stairs any longer. They really only seemed to exist here for fillies, colts, and visitors' sakes.

"Chin up, Dashie. We're almost there," Tom said as they finally made it to the third floor. Beyond a small breathing space at the top was another information desk. There, an old unicorn was being relieved from duty by another pony who supposedly wasn't supposed to be able to hang out up here, a brown non-winged, non-horned stallion with an hour-glass tattoo and a dazzling suit.

Tom's eyes widened at the sight. He could have swore that was the same one who was talking with Dashie's princess.

"That's so weird..." Tom whispered.

"Huh, what's weird?" Rainbow asked.

"I've definitely seen him before. Only.... it wasn't here," Tom said, pointing towards the brown pony.

Dashie squinted in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Remember when I said I flew through the royal palace and saw your princess? When I did, I saw her arguing with someone." He then pointed at the stallion again. "And that is that someone."

"You mean somepony," Dashie corrected him.

Tom chuckled. "Right, I keep forgetting that."

"Hah. No worries," Dashie smirked. "Are you sure that's the same pony, though?"

Tom shook his head in slight exasperation. "Maybe... I'm not sure." He glanced at the brown pony once again, him now gazing at not Dashie, but Tom, a slightly bemused smile on his face. It was unnerving to say the least.

"Can I help you?" spoke the brown pony in a distinctively British accent, this time gazing at Dashie.

Dashie cleared her throat at that, her jolting in surprise slightly from him speaking all of a sudden. "Oh, hi! We're looking for information on the Teranids. Um... can you tell us where to find it?"

"Teranids? As in.... humans?" he asked, lowering one of his eyebrows as a small smirk crept upon his face.

Dashie nodded with a slight smile. "Yes, the humans! I need to find information about them for a... school project," she lied.

"Ah, I see," he said, giving Tom another, quicker glance which chilled him to the bone. Did this pony somehow know he was here? He chuckled inwardly at that. No, that was impossible! The only pony who could see him was Dashie, and even so, why should he care that much? Why should he-

Another glance came his way, a glance that told him 'you don't belong here.'

Perhaps that's why. At that, the unsettling feeling that was swelling in him increased, and it wasn't helping that talking with the information pony about humans was reminding him of the fact they were here to try to dispute.

"Quite an interesting people, humans. Probably the most misunderstood species there is."

"Why do you say that?" Dashie said, throwing Tom a look that said 'I told you so.' Tom sighed at that. She didn't know. She just didn't know...

"Well, let's just say that if history judged us all the same way it has the Teranids, I hope that my last act is a good one and not a bad one."

Rainbow nodded at that. "You mean to say that they haven't just done bad stuff?"

"Take a look in pages 237 and 563 of Teranids, a History Revealed. There you'll find the answer to that question." With that, he whipped out a small notecard and began to write down something on it via a mouth holding a pen. Tom half-expected the writing to be sloppy, though when the brown pony held the sheet of paper out for Dashie, the writing seemed to be nearly perfect. The ponies must have had some practice in this matter. "Here's where you can find the book."

"Thanks!" Dashie said. "You've been very helpful." She then gestured towards Tom for him to follow her, gaining another bemused smirk from the brown pony. However, the farm boy hesitated in this when he noticed the hour-glass sporting colt was staring at him yet again.

When Dashie was out of ear range, the brown colt opened his mouth.

"Things will get better for all of you, you know. Time will show you," the brown colt said directly to him with his eyes narrowing. It sent another series of shivers down his spine. However, at the same time he couldn't help but feel... reassured. Gazing warily at the colt one last time he turned and ran to catch up with Dashie, them now making their way around the edges of the cylinder, a support rail the only thing between them and a thirty foot fall. After about ten seconds of walking, however, he heard a curious electrical whirring sound coming from behind him. Dashie seemed to hear it too, for she spun around at the same time he did. However, whatever had made that sound was now gone along with the brown colt at the information desk.

"That was... weird," Dashie said.

"Very..."

The pegasus smirked at him. "Forget about it?"

"Yeah, forget about it."

The two then chuckled, continuing along their way. "Alright, were looking for Bi-742."

"Well... we're at Ac through Ak..." Tom shook his head, baffled. "And this is just stuff relating to History, I think. This library is absolutely nuts...."

"Well, Cloudsdale is the second largest city in Equestria," Dashie said proudly.

"I wonder what your capital's like, then..." Tom said, his eyes filled with wonder.

"I'm not sure..." Dashie said. "I've never really been out of Cloudsdale."

"You haven't?"

Dashie shook her head. "Nope, I haven't ever even seen the ground before... well except when I visited you." She then gazed at him curiously. "You mentioned cities... I've seen pictures of Canterlot and stuff before... it's really amazing. But what about on your cities? What do they look like?"

"I've never really been to any except for Alabama's capital, and that isn't really that huge. But I've seen pictures of our bigger ones, too, like New York City for instance... a huge place of concrete and skyscrapers."

"Skyscrapers?"

"Buildings that tear holes in the heavens," Tom explained. "Some might be as high as this place."

Dashie's eyes widened before she grinned slightly. "You're lying."

Tom shook his head. "Nope, it's the truth. My dad always said it's the city where dreams were built.... but I've heard others say it's where dreams go to die...." He sighed at that. "I bet we tear each other apart there like anywhere else... like on the battlefields of the Great War...."

Dashie smiled at him. "You're better than you think you are, Tom," she said, her eyes narrowing in resolve. "Ponies fight wars, too, you know, and some of us have even fought to wipe out an entire people, like Commander Hurricane did against the Naga. Remember that? However, you don't think I'm evil, do you?"

A small smile formed on Tom's face. "No, I don't think you are." He raised a finger, though. "But let me ask you this, have you ever felt so angry at someone before that you wanted to..." He shivered at that. "Wanted to..." He couldn't bring himself to say it.

A beat.

"Yes..." Dashie sighed. "Though I'd never do it. No proper pegasus would. Vengeance isn't our way. My father always said it clogs and dulls the mind. It's something he told me he-"

And she grew silent once again.

"Sorry..."

"For what?"

"It just seems like I'm bringing this whole depressing thing about us humans onto your shoulders..."

She gave him a look like he was crazy. "What kind of crappy friend would I be if I didn't help you with your problems? You help me with mine, after all, and I don't want you to think that your entire species is filled with monsters. You and your family seem fine to me."

"I've heard my dad though... talkin' bout the Great War when he thought I wasn't listenin', some of the things even he had to do...."

Dashie shook her head once again. "Your dad's a wise man, just like my own. One time he told me something that's stuck to me ever since, and that we shouldn't ever judge anything soley by what it is at the worst of times or best of times, we have to weigh the good qualities against the bad." With that, she stopped abruptly, glancing up at the label of this isle of books. "Bi. I think we'll find the truth here."

The Inner Light

The Inner Light

The Great Expanses
East of What Would One Day Become Equestria
Three Thousand One Hundred Years Ago

"T-Three months," an earth pony croaked, his voice hoarse and gruff. Dried by the same wetless air that had haunted their lands all summer. "Three months.. how could a drought last this long? Where are the p-pegasi?"

He toiled and toiled upon fields that would grow no food, that would not shed any evidence of giving life. Yet still, he toiled, out of tired desperation more than the fact he thought he'd actually find one sprout, and the summer sun hovering high above, taunting him, wouldn't help.

"The pegasi aren't coming," another field worker spat. "Didn't you hear? They used up too much of their water reserve last year, and now they're having to seed only pockets with rain... sometimes I wished we lived in an area where mother nature was in charge of mother nature. We ponies have no right to control it."

"My mind says no, but my belly says something else," the first worker croaked. "If we don't get at least two rain falls on this harvest... I don't know what we're going to do-"

And suddenly, as he spoke, the sky began to darken above.

"What in the-"

"Rain!" the first worker cheered, as drop after drop began to cascade downward. "What in the world, where did that storm even come from?"

The first worker's eyes widened as he glanced to the side, motioning to a cloaked figure on the hill, two palms outstretched into the air and glowing an eerie blue.

A humanoid, cloaked figure.

"Is that a-"

The second pony blinked. "It-it is... it's a Teranid. What are they doing out this-"

"Look! In the distance!"

The first pony narrowed his eyes, glancing as storm after storm seemed to form out of think air all over the lands the Earth Pony Tribe gazed upon.

"By the Earth Mother, It's a friggin' miracle!"

The second merely smiled. "No, just a helping hand."

The first shook his head, baffled. "B-But how in the world are they just making water and not moving it?"

"Cus they are in fact makin' water," another voice said, approaching the scene. "Humans know a bit bout' alchemy even the unicorns don't."

The two field workers turned, their eyes widening at the sight of the Tribe's adviser, Smart Cookie.

"Just thought I'd go for a walk n' see what was going on," she smiled. "And I'm glad I did."
'

"With the intervention of a trained group of Teranid mages," Rainbow Dash read. "Without them, it was well believed that the Earth Pony Tribe would have sufferer major losses due to starvation. However, this would not the first time that humans had stepped in to lend a 'hand,' as their primary aperture for moving material was called. Coming out of a stage of isolation, the humans acted as mediators during squabbles between the three pony tribes in the area, and also helped introduce them to the arctic ponies, whom the three had not known of. Their ability to communicate with winter itself allowed them to bring natural storms from the north the pegasi would have taken years to do."

At that, Rainbow Dash closed her book, smiling. "See, not so bad, huh?"

Tom merely stood silent, blinking occasionally as his mind went over the information.

"Your dad's a wise man, just like my own. One time he told me something that's stuck to me ever since, and that we shouldn't ever judge anything soley by what it is at the worst of times or best of times, we have to weigh the good qualities against the bad."

The Teranids... for no apparent reason had seen the tough times the Earth Ponies were going through... and had decided to intervene. They weren't rewarded for it save for a thank you or two. They just... couldn't bare to see them suffering when they could do something about it.

"You see, Tom. We're all capable of great good when our heart's aren't clouded by anger. You know what I'm saying?"

Tom smiled slightly. "I know what you're saying. And if the humans were like this here..."

"It's probably the same on your own world. Think of it, Tom: there's got to be something besides war and depression going on there, right? Not to sound like some cheesy poet, but: a light in the dark, I guess?"

He thought for a second. "Well..."

Dashie put on a cheeky smirk. "Come on..."

Tom gulped. "I-I just... I've seen so much terrible sh-, I mean... crap during the depression. People screwing over others for money, neighbors refusing neighbors food..."

"Good points..." that same voice called from earlier, and into the scene stepped the brown pony with an hour glass for a cutie-mark. "But- let me ask you something, Tom Mayflower."

The two children's eyes widened as they swivelled about to face him.

"Y-You can see me?!" Tom gasped.

The hour glass pony simply nodded.

"B-But nobody else can," Dashie growled. "How can you?! Tom's my friend."

"Indeed," the brown pony smiled. "The friend he needs at the moment. A friend in a better world than his own, but one who he can still relate to."

Tom narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"

"Me?" he said, quirking his head. "I've gong through many names throughout the years. I have been John Smith, I have been Time Turner, I have been the 'Great Enemy', but most simply know me as... the Doctor."

"Just... the Doctor?" Tom asked.

He nodded. "And let me ask you something Tom, something about humans: when do you usually see them doing bad actions?"

Tom squinted in though. "I don't get what you mean..."

"What kind of emotional states are they in."

"I-I don't know," he grunted. "Angry? Afraid? Sad?"

"Exactly. And there is a lot of that going around in your time, isn't it? And soon, there will be much more..."

"So you're saying humans can be considered monsters are the worst of times, but angels at the best?"

"Yeah, just spill what you mean," Rainbow Dash grunted. "Come on, Tom, let's get out of-"

The Doctor shook his head, chuckling slightly. "Hold on a second, you two. Tom: even at the worst of times humans are capable of great things. Even right now, in Alabama, churches are hard at work providing for the needy, even if those needy would have nothing to do with god. That's because, they know, deep down inside that the only way to bring out the inner light in people is to... share a little of your own."

"So spreading good... will help solve the problem?" Tom asked.

"Indeed," the Doctor nodded. "And you're just the type of person needed to do that. You're disturbed by your world and have a desire to fix it. May we speak alone for a second?"

"Nuh-uh! He's staying with me," Rainbow growled defensively, stamping between Tom and the Doctor and narrowing her eyes.

"It will only be a second," the Doctor noted, smiling slightly.

"It's alright, Rainbow," Tom said, nodding. "He seems alright."

Dashie lowered an eyebrow, before taking a deep breath. "Fine, but do anything to hurt him, and filly or not, I'm kicking your flank!"

"By all means: I deserve it more than anyone," the Doctor sighed, before leading Tom to a silent area.

As Tom stood awkwardly, the Doctor glanced about a brief second, before gazing right into his eyes.

"What are you doing here, Tom Mayflower?"

"What is this, an interrogation?! Are you the Equestrian secret service or something? How do you even know my name?"

The Doctor gave a chuckle. "As for your name, I heard you and your blue friend talking, so no, I'm not the secret service. I merely have a... connection with this universe. I can feel when a foreign entity enters it, and you- you are a foreign entity."

"Hmph, I'm still not sure this isn't just my imagination."

"Perhaps it is," the Doctor smiled. "Partially. Nobody knows for sure. I certainly don't. But my question remains: what are you doing here?"

"How am I supposed to answer that?! I have no idea! Dashie just showed up in my fields one day..."

"What were you feeling that day?" the Doctor asked.

Tom looked away from him. "I-I don't know... lonely... a bit confused. Had a few things on my mind."

The Doctor tapped his chin. "And Rainbow Dash... how was she feeling when you met her?"

Tom lowered an eyebrow. "What are you getting at? That somehow because me n' Dashie were looking for a friend that this weird connection was made. If that's true, how come it dun happen every time a pony and a human feel lonely?"

The Doctor's smile widened. "And that... is a question for the ages."

"Well, it's gonna have to wait. I need Dashie right now, I really do. I don't feel like trying to figure out how this is all happening: cus I like it."

"It may have wider implications than you-"

"I don't care!" Tom growled, turning his back on the Doctor. "Just leave me alone, OK?"

"But that's easy..." the Doctor said. "You're already alone. Tell me Tom, where are you really, right now?"

He shivered. "In the skies over Britain."

"The year?"

"1940."

"And what are you about to do?"

"Kill huns."

"Why?"

"Because they took my father from me. At least that is why I joined up, that is."

"And what will happen if you take one of their fathers from their sons?"

"The same thing I'd want to do."

"But do you want to do it anymore?"

Tom took a deep breath. "No. I'm not that person, anymore... I don't want to kill them, but what else can I do?"

"There's not much you can do," the Doctor said. "You're part of a circle of hatred that has been going on for many years. You can try to shoot them down and let the pilot escape, but you may inevitably have to kill. The Nazis are currently bombing industrial zones, but soon they will be bombing civilians directly." The Doctor held up a hoof. "However, even with that, the cycle may yet be broken soon.""

Tom shook his head, exasperated. "How the heck do you know all of this stuff?!"

"A Doctor's secrets," he smiled. "But the point is, humanity is at a state where hatred and viciousness are prevalent. Don't judge them too harshly because of it, however, because as you've just seen, they are capable of great kindness. Whether or not the balance leans towards good or evil... well, only god knows that, doesn't he? It doesn't matter though what everyone else is, however, the choice is yours: who do you want to be?"

"I-I... I want to be a good person. I want to be friends with Dashie again... she kept me on the right road for so many years..."

The Doctor gave yet another chuckle. "Time... can bring about some interesting surprises. And your time... may be coming soon. It's time to snap back to reality."

"W-Wait! I don't want it to be over yet-"

And suddenly, the library had vanished. Tom Mayflower was flying towards a formation of German ME-109s, and twenty fingers gripped the triggers to their planes' weaponry.

The Dance of Tom Mayflower

"All forces! This is it!" Captain Harness blared over the radio. "Remember your training, and remember that every Jerry plane we shoot down is one less bomb falling on Cardiff!"

Tom shivered. His plane shivered. And he was pretty sure the rest of his squadron was doing so as well. He glanced over towards his friend Arty next to him, who gave him a wink and a thumbs up, yet even his face seemed to be unnerved.

"Pick a plane closest to your crosshairs! Fighters only! Fire only when I tell you too!" Captain Harkness barked. "No later, and definitely no sooner or you're going to be wasting pepper!"

Harkness' voice was tense as well, but professional, despite the looming wall of spinning blades heading towards him. He saw twelve fighters. Fighters filled with husbands and patriots: fighters who wanted his blood, most likely. It was unfortunate that at this moment he didn't want their own...

However, the Doctor was right. He was no part of this cycle of hatred. He had joined a side, and now it was his responsibility to fight for them, not back down. The British may not have been his people, but he had vowed to protect them. Every fighter he shot down could mean one more bomber shot down which could save countless lives before...

'And remember Tom, if the Nazis get a foothold in Britain... they will control the seas. Imagine the economic repercussions if they were to bother American shipping... do you want to live through another depression?'

Tom slammed a fist against his dashboard.

War. It was the worst answer but sometimes the only one.

He narrowed his eyes, even as he could see the muzzle flashes of the ME-109's blaring, followed by tracer fire that whizzed about them. Immediately, his radio went wild.

"Taking fire!"

"Permission to perform evasive action-"

"Hold steady!" Captain Harkness snapped. "Only fall out if your plane takes a hit. 109 cannons suck at long ranges. Wait for my single... five seconds!"

Tom gritted his teeth. He gulped. He held onto the memories of his father, his mother, and Dashie. She would be proud of him, wouldn't she? He was fighting for a noble cause, not one out of vengeance anymore. To protect the islands of Britain from a menacing juggernaut.

What would Dashie think of him for doing this?!

On the other the gates, in Equestria. Rainbow held her breath as she stood upon the Airship Nocturnal Thunder, the flagship of Princess Luna. She was the pride of the Equestrian sky navy, a brilliant beast of war that was now flying high over the eastern seas.

However, it was not alone.

As Rainbow gulped and shuddered, a formation of two-hundred and fifty griffins flew towards the ship parallel to her decks, their eyes filled with bloodlust.

"All hands!" roared the princess of the night. "By now you can see them, and they can see you! By now you are fearing them, and the same is true for them! Neither of us has that advantage in that regard, but I will tell you how we're better than them!"

Luna then thundered down from the captain's wheel to join the fifty or so pegasi scattered on her deck, including a number of Wonderbolts decked out in slightly sleeker uniforms.

"We are better than them because we are natural! Whether you believe in divine creation or evolution, we were meantt for this world. However, they are merely pawns of a long-dead race. Created by neither gods or the land before us. We have honor! We have beauty! And we are intelligent! Intelligent enough to know..."

She took a deep breath.

"That sometimes, mercy must be put aside for the greater good. Spare the wounded, but take down as many as you can."

"Understood, ma'm!"

"The night smiles upon you!" she beamed. "Equestria smiles upon you! And I smile upon you. Bring swift wrath upon our enemies. No changeling nor griffin nor vaetir shall stand in our way!"

"HOORAH!

"Spitfire, this is your cue."

"Yes ma'm," the stern, now active-duty wonderbolt growled. The combat pegasi gathered around her on deck, and as Rainbow did so, a multitude of Earth Ponies took position alongside mounted crossbows on the side of the deck. Some took the crossbows, others placed rocks into position they intended to buck at the enemy. Applejack was among one of them, looking as if she was struggling to keep her nerve in check.

High above, she spotted Twilight Sparkle preparing a spell for use along with the rest of the unicorn compliment, most of them sitting on the various nests hanging about the ship.

Luna, however, merely took her position at the helm, gazing at the preparations with silent contemplation.

"Alright, mother buckers!" Spitfire shot, her voice wild and uncontrolled. "You heard the lady of the night! The plan is simple: we kill enough Celestia forsaken griffins that they give up the idea of reinforcing their beachhead. Follow me in a tight V formation, above the mounted crossbows in hope it'll give them an easy shot. The unicorns will cover us as we move, but don't rely on those pansies for anything."

"What was that?!" an angry Rarity snarled from above.

"Nothing!" she chuckled, along with the rest of the group, save for Rainbow. Her tone turned serious once again. "One last thing before we fly, however. You bitches remember our motto?"

"The faster the crossbow, the faster the bolt!"

"Damned straight. Let's show these lion wannabes why we are the protectors of Equestria. HOORAH!"

"HOORAH!"

"AND INTO THE BLOODY BLACK YONDER! HOOOOOHAHAHAHA!"

Rainbow cringed. Ever since the start of the war... and the death of someone close to her, Spitfire had become more and more blood fueled. Slowly, but surely, her idol was turning into someone she once knew...

"Tom..." Rainbow whispered.

With that, the maniac Spitfire took off into the night, the rest of the pegasi doing so.

Rainbow gave a gasp. She wasn't ready for this. She held her crossbow to her chest, hugging it as if it would provide a bit of security, though all it did was remind her that she would soon be taking lives.

"Good luck Rainbow, we've got you covered here!" Applejack called as she took took the air.

"Y-Yeah, thanks, Applejack!" she shuddered.

With a few tense flap of her wings, she was off, following the massive pegasi formation as they thundered towards the griffins. Two waves ready to slam into each other, with none looking the same afterward.

"They deserve it, though..." she hissed. "They do... they really do... they're nothing but monsters- she would make them-"

"I will make them pay. I'll shoot down every last plane! I'll burn every last tank! I'll run down every last soldier!"

She winced. A few tears formed in her eyes.

"M-My god..."

"Gilda doesn't seem so bad... she just needs a friend. A stranger in a strange land, ya know?"

"What?! She's a lousy griffin! How could I-"

"And my people once cut out the hearts of each other for religious sacrifices, but am I so bad?"

"Y-You're right, I suppose..."

"Ugh, why is this happening to me now?! Why?!" Rainbow cried. "Right now I figure out I'm a hypocrite?! Why do I have to think about this now?! I'm going to get myself killed!"

"Why can't you just stay out of my mind, Rainbow!" Tom shouted. "Leave me alone!"

"You're just a stupid human! You don't mean anything! You might not have even been real!"

"All forces, enemy volley incoming!" Spitfire shouted.

"A s-stupid human who was my best friend," she whimpered, her ears sagging.

"Why couldn't I have figured this out sooner?! If there was someone I could talk to who could understand me..."

"Mayflower! You've got a ME-109 barreling right for you. Keep him in your sights and get ready to pull up once you strafe em'!"

"Why aren't you here to help me..."

"-A little encouragement... I'm not ready for this..."

"All pegasi! Load bolts!" Spitfire roared.

And fifty crossbows were loaded.

"Dagger squadron, fire in three seconds! This is it! Three! Two! One..."

Tom gripped the firing button, his teeth gritted.

The Germans surged forward, their cannons still ablaze.

"Take aim!"

Fifty crossbows aimed towards a griffin force five times their size.

"Fire!.!.!"

And in two dimensions, two battles began.

Fury

Two hundred lancing, brilliant streaks of like cascaded across the sunny skies of Britain. Two formations locked in a deadly game of chicken. The initial bullrush and 'joisting' with the 109's could barely be processed by Tom's mind. He thought he saw his target's left wing grazed by his own bullets, though the twin cannons of the 109 continued to blare. His radio was filled with chatter, or more appropriately worded: chaos.

"Right wing's hit! Lost cannon two!"

"Banking hard to the left!"

"Holy shit! Holy shit!"

"Keep it together, damnit!"

Still, the frontal assault appeared to be working from Tom's perspective. The superior firepower from the equally matched in numbers Spitfire's seemed to be giving the Germans room for pause. A few seconds into the charge, after what seemed like an eternity to Tom, the enemy flight broke formation and curved in two directions, heading back to their bombers.

"Dogfighting time! Woooooo yeah!"

"You've got it! Keep those fighters off the two teams about to attack the bombers!" Captain Harness cried.

"German corpses are all the same," Jacob radioed. "Let's wipe out this whole god damned squadron!"

Tom shivered in his cockpit. The cycle of hatred... the cycle of hatred...

Yet, he had a job to do, and good people to protect below.

"Forgive me for this, Dashie," he sighed, before increasing his speed and quickly finding a target.

The German was aware of him immediately, and was quickly aware of Tom's machine gun fire. His six cannons roared like a thunderstorm, sending streaks of like towards the enemy. He quickly swerved to the left before performing a downward roll. Tom,his reflexes hardened during training, quickly followed, continuing to fire.

Two planes flew by him at that, Captain Harness was chasing down a German plane marked with white streaks: an Ace.

"I've got this one Tom, keep on yours! You're doing fine!" he radioed.

Don't need to tell me twice.

The German pilot swerved and swerved, occasionally performing sporadic rolls. He was an experienced pilot, and had probably flown a mission before, but Tom was able to keep up for him for the most part. He just hoped he could down this plane before-

"Got someone on my tail!" Arty called over the radio. "I need some help! Quick!"

"Arty, Dive, you bloody fool! You're heading right for the bomber line! They'll cut you to ribbons!" Jacob called.

"D-Dive?! Gotcha!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Tom caught Arty diving, yet that distraction was all the German pilot needed to pull a hard left towards the same damned bomber line.

"Shit!" Tom hissed. "Shit shit shit..."

"Tom! Do not pursue!" Captain Harness cried. "Wait for the backup to arrive! They'll keep the bomber's gunners busy! Do no pursue!"

It would have been the wise thing to do. It would have been the smart thing to do... but...

Ten Years Prior

Both Tom and Rainbow Dash were sitting in one of his school classes, Rainbow observing old film footage of World War 1 with awe.

"Pfffft, you humans can be such pansies sometimes."

"Excuse me?" Tom said, lifting an eyebrow.

She pointed towards the screen. "Look at that! They have the perfect opportunity to charge. The enemy won't expect it... They're just being gutless. If there were pegasi there..."

Tom rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah... I getcha."

Tom took a deep breath. "God damnit, Dashie..."

She had a point though. The gunners of those bombers would not be prepared for a lone fighter to pursue the German one. They were likely bracing themselves for the two squadrons of British planes that were fast approaching on the horizon.

"Alright, here we go! Time to be a pegasus!" Tom cried.

"Every last German plane you take down is one life saved on our side... and you might not even need to kill them to do it."

Tom gritted his teeth, wiped off off the sweat gathering on his forehead, and took a deep breath.

"YEEEEEEHAWWWWWWW!"

He thundered his plane forward, chasing the 109 towards its friendly bombing group. True to Tom's thoughts, the turrets of the bombers were all trained on the approaching British squadrons, those squadrons designated to take out them.

And the least prepared of them of all was the 109.

Tom caught him when he passed between two bombers, lined his sights up with the pilot's wings, and fired. Unable to manuever easily, the German pilot could do nothing except accept the hit.

It wasn't brilliant by any means, just a few quick flashes on the wing Tom has targeted, but it was enough. His wing was gone and he was soon spiraling downward, nearly flying into one of his bombers as he did so. Tom swallowed hard for a moment, wincing at this, before he realized the German had opened his cockpit and was parachuting towards the ground.

"YES!" Tom roared, not even realizing he was broadcasting to all frequency.

"TOM! WATCH THE FUCK OUT!" Arty cried.

Tom's eyes widened. The tail gunners of the two bombers were now trained on him. He was a sitting duck, and they had enough lead to tear him to pieces. Tom gritted his teeth, preparing to perform a desperate maneuver out of the way, but not before...

"SUCK IT, YOU BLOODY WANKERS!"

In screamed Squadron 93, the backup squadron meant to take out the bombers. Before their tail guns could shoot, their sides were completely lit up by over eighteen cannons, desecrating them and turning them into two flaming fireballs.

Sighing in relief, though wincing at the sight of flaming Germans leaping out of the bomber, Tom swerved off course, now flying the opposite way from them. The battle was raging on all sides now. Squadron 93 and 111 were busy tearing at the bombers, while his own squadron was busy engaging the fighters. Tracers and planes flew about in chaotic patterns, and any could meet their fate at a moment's notice.

Just like Tom.

"Tom! On your six!"

He didn't need to be told twice. Immediately, an insurmountable amount of tracer fire was overtaking him. Two 109's were on his tail, apparently angry about their fallen comrade.

His eyes widened.

"Jacob! Break off and help Tom!" Captain Harness barked.

"Negative! Almost got a bloke..."

"Forget him! This is an order!"

"Almost got him..."

And the 109's had almost got Tom.

"God damn you, Jacob! Artie, help him out!"

"Already on it."

Immediately, a few more tracers were flying by Tom's plane, but they were not the same pattern as the German's nor as close.

Tom looked back only to see a burning plane falling out of the sky, Artie's plane screaming behind him. However, the second German fighter was still hot on Tom's tail. Tom brought his plane into a spin, but the German copied with superhuman skill. It was then he noticed that this plane had the same markings as the one he had seen Captain Harness chasing earlier. This was the German Ace. He must have lost the Captain.

"Hang in there, Tom!" Artie screamed.

Yet he could think of no way to evade him... no way except...

Five years prior.

"Check it out, Tom! I've finally got it!"

Dashie grinned widely as she hovered over the beautiful clouds of her home city. A place straight out of a mythical realm that belonged to Tom's dreams.

"Got what?! Did you get the Split-S?"

"Hell yeah I did!" Dashie grinned, before quickly performing the maneuver, her form repelling downward.

"You're not the only one with wings now, Dashie!" Tom cried to himself, the sweat from his hands now dripping onto the cockpit floor. "Can't let ya show me up!"

And so he tried the impossible: performing a Split-S. And at that moment, many things happened at once.

The German plane took a shot, which would have gone straight through Tom's cockpit if he hadn't performed the maneuver. However, instead, it grazed his wing, just as he did to the German earlier, taking out his left wing. However, this wasn't what shocked Tom the most. Though Artie's plane was a bit away, he could see inside the strange 'wiccan's' cockpit. And all he saw were two glowing eyes.

And suddenly, a bolt of lightning shot forth from his plane towards the Ace's, annihilating it.

Tom gasped, unable to comprehend what had just happened, before his plane went into a spiral.

"Going down! Going down!" Tom cried.

"Bail out! Gogogo!" Artie cried.

Tom gritted his teeth, unhooked his cockpit door, and did just that. Soon, he was barelling into the sky, however... somehow, he managed going down headfirst... and swinging about, the wing of his own Spitfire nailed him in the head.

The last thing he heard was the cries of Captain Harness on the radio before things went to black, as well as his own, bleeding last word: "Dashie..."

Reunion

"RAUUUUUUUUUUGHHHHH!"

Spitfire's spear soared into a griffin.

She heard another griffin hiss. She twirled about, her eyes widening as the tip of one of their own spears filled her vision. She quickly darted to the left, with one hoof wiggling out the spear she had just killed the previous griffin with while actually grabbing the spear the griffin had thrusted towards her.

The griffin snarled, trying to get loose of the terrifying, bloodthristy pegasi's grip, but to no avail.

"HOOOHAHAHA!" a

Spitfire grinned, using the griffin's own spear as leverage, dislodging her own spear from the dead griffin behind her, and sending it sailing right between the enemy's eyepiece. A shower of blood flowed from it.

Dashie gasped at this, her eyes widened. Her own hero, her mentor... had been twisted into a monster.

Something she thought pegasi were better than. Something she had thought Tom was better than. But war... war could turn anyone into monsters, even if they had never fought in one battle.

Two Years Prior

"Make no mistake, war is coming!" Princess Luna roared in her royal Canterlot voice, standing among a crowd of awe-struck Ponyville ponies. "With all its glory, and all its horrors, we will bring it to those who attacked our allies, the Crystal Empire!"

The ponies in the crowd glanced at each other, looking particularly wary.

"W-Why did they attack them?" Scootaloo squeaked.

"Unknown," Luna growled. "Though we think they may be trying to grow close to the Northern Rift."

"The wah-?"

"It is a magical rift in space-time that all magical energy is drawn from. However, griffins are inherently without this, but their allies have the capabilities of effecting it... they are working with both the changelings and the veatir!""

There was an outcry among the crowd.

"What?! The changelings?! I thought we had an armstice with them!"

"Rotten deceitful bastards!"

"And that is not all!" Princess Luna announced. "We believe that they wish to grow close to the Northern Rift in order to close it, cutting us off from our magical supply! However, the veatir and changelings will still be able to use their own, due to the nature of their magics. Two armies have been sent to guard the rift, led by Prince Shining Armor, and one of our own led by General Warfield. However, it's likely the griffins, changelings, and their ilk may begin attacking Equestria itself in order to cripple our infrastructure and to distract us from the rift."

"W-What are we going to do without our armies, though?!" Fluttershy squeaked.

"That's what I'm hear for," Spitfire spoke up, her voice filled with hate. All the wonderbolts stood by her, all but one: Soarin. "The Wonderbolts were the first to engage the griffins. And were to first to take casualties. My team member, my friend, Soarin, was killed last week."

Rainbow Dash gave a gasp. The town gave a gasp. This war... a war that was just all words, was now all too real.

"We're launching a zeppelin blockade that will run all the way along the eastern coast," Spitfire announced. "Our job is to prevent the griffins from forming a beachhead in our lands by any means necessary. Let it be known: this force will be not be composed of volunteers. We don't have time for that. I have a list with me as to who is stationed on which airship. The reading will commence now. Rainbow Dash!"

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened. Her hero... had called her first?

"You'll be stationed on Princess Luna's flagship, the Nocturnal Thunder. Your rank will be Lieutenenant, the highest below us Wonderbolts."

"Y-Yes ma'm!" Rainbow Dash squeaked. "But uh... not that I'm scared or anything, but I'm not prepared for combat..."

"Every crew will be trained thuroughly," Princess Luna announced, her eyes narrowing. "But make no mistake: my sister may not be used to the ways of war, a kind and gentle soul within her, but I... have experience. Do not expect favoritism, do not expect to be pampered, and do not expect me to go easy on you. This is war, and for a war, I need warriors!"

"Hoorah!" Spitfire cheered.

"DASH! CUT THE GOD DAMNED DAY DREAMING!" Spitfire roared, sending drawing a crossbow bolt and nailing a griffin who was just about to tear into the distracted flier.

"S-Sorry ma'm!"

"You won't be saying sorry in a wood box, Dash!" Spitfire snapped. "Eyes on the war!"

"I-I can't do this, though!" Rainbow cried. "I don't want to kill any-"

"I knew your father, god damnit!" Spitfire roared, as spears and crossbow bolts and chaos echoed around her. "He was a good pony. An honorable pony. He died trying to protect Equestria. Just like Soarin. Fight for his honor if nothing else!"

"He always s-said a true pegasus doesn't fight out of vengeance!"

"THIS ISN'T THE TIME TO BE DEBATING PHILOSOPHY!"

"And this isn't the time to be fighting like a human!" Dash snapped.

"What!?"

"A Teranid! A monster!"

Spitfire all but facehoofed. "God damnit Dash, get back the airship if you're not fighting! Go cry in your bunkroom while the rest of us are out here dying!"

"Fine!" Dash snapped. "I once thought you were my hero, Spitfire! But I won't be a hypocrite! You're just like him! You're just like-"

Her eyes widened.

"Tom?"

"What are you babbling about! Who the buck is Tom?!"

Rainbow ignored her, flying towards something... or someone who had caught her eye. A humanoid figure dressed in a flight jacket. A ghost of her past come to visit her again.

He was currently falling through the sky... barreling towards the ground.

"TOM!" Dashie screamed, all but deflating her lungs.

She zipped towards him, faster than she had flown in days. She quickly spotted a cloud nearby, raced towards it, and then towards Tom. She set it underneath him, and he landed on it with a plop, apparently sleeping.

However, suddenly, his eyes snapped open.

"RAINBOW!" he shouted.

"T-Tom? Are you angry at me-"

"No, behind you!" he pointed.

She twirled about, her eyes widening. Two griffins were fast approaching her, apparently viewing her as a straggler and an easy target. She raised her crossbow, shaking. She had time to kill both of them.

"T-Tom... I don't want to do it," she said, tears lacing her eyes.

"I know... I know," Tom whispered to her. "I just got done fighting a battle of my own... and I didn't want to either."

"D-Did you-?"

"I tried not to..."

The griffins continued to close in, snarling, but at the moment nothing existed except for Tom and Rainbow.

"B-But they're not all bad... they could be fathers... they could have been drafted, just like me," Rainbow gulped. "A part of me wants to... for my father. But he wouldn't want that..."

"I know, Rainbow, for a time I wanted to do nothing but avenge him... but then right when I got off to war I decided against it... and I didn't know what to do."

"B-But you said you fought? W-Why?"

"To defend the people I care about. To defend innocents. And to defend my country. Isn't that what your father wanted?"

"Y-Yes..."

"A-And he wouldn't want you to die, would he?"

"N-No..."

Tom took a deep breath. "Then take the shots... just try to disable them... you have the coordination... I was there when you learned to fly... I saw how good you were. Focus...."

Rainbow slowly nodded, and the world suddenly went into slow motion.

"Focus..." Tom whispered.

Rainbow spied the slow flaps of the griffin's wings... if she could hit them...

She took a deep breath, lined up a shot, and took it.

The arrow whizzed across the air... and she closed her eyes.

"RAUUUUUUUGGGGGH!"

The griffin's wing was pierced, and he began to spiral downward. His comrade's eyes widened, and acting with true comradship he quickly gripped his flying partner, making sure he would not fall. The two gave Rainbow two last snarls... before turning back towards their main flight group.

Rainbow sighed harder than she had ever sighed before, a smile quivering on her lips.

"T-Thank you, Tom," she said, not bothering to face him. "For being here for me once again."

However, when she turned around, he was gone.

I See You

"Tom?! Tom?! No!" Rainbow cried. "Nonono. You were falling when I found you... you must be in some sort of trouble!"

She gave a growl. "You were always able to take care of yourself! What happened, Tom Mayflower?!"

"He may be saved yet, you know."

Rainbow's eyes widened. She glanced about for the origin of the deep, composed voice, but found none.

"You share a special link with him. A link that has bound these two worlds together," the voice continued.

"Who the hell are you?!"

It gave a chuckle. "I once called this land my home. I would like to again. But for that, I need your help..."

"All I want to do is save my friend! I don't want anything else!"

"And that is how you will help me."

And suddenly, right before her eyes, a portal opened. It was silent, blue, and twisting about like a snake.

"Y-You want me to go to his world, don't you?" Rainbow asked.

"Yes."

"Will I be able to come back here?"

"In time. And you will not be alone. When you return, the war will end."

"How?!"

"You shall see. Go, Rainbow... save your friend. It isn't his time to face the reaper just yet."

She gulped, weighing her options, before wincing slightly.

"F-Fi-"

"Rainbow, where the hell are you going?!" Spitfire roared, and Rainbow twirled about. Fluttering before her was both Spitfire and Princess Luna.

Luna's eyes widened. "Is that..."

"A portal. To Earth," Rainbow growled. "And there's someone there I care about more than this entire god damned war of yours."

"What?!" Spitfire snarled. "Are you serious?! I aughta shoot you right now for the very idea of-"

"Earth..." Princess Luna said, her eyes blank. "I have not heard of that land in many mellenia."

"Then you know who's there, right?!"

"It is where the Teranids fled, back to their kin, after they came here in the first place."

"W-Why did they come here?" Rainbow asked.

"They didn't wish to be scrutinized for their magical use on Earth. There it was viewed as devilry and evil."

Suddenly, Rainbow gasped.

"I once called this land my home. I would like to again. But for that, I need your help..."

"And I think they want to come back," Rainbow said, utterly flabbergasted.

Luna's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

"And I think they need me and Tom to do this."

"Utter bullshit!" Spitfire spat. "Let's lock this traitor up and get back to-"

"Silence, Spitfire," Luna hissed, before turning to Rainbow Dash. "Dr. Whooves spoke to Celestia and I about your human friend. He did not approve of your connection for some reason."

"Luna, he was one of my closest friends," Rainbow wept. "I need to save him if I can... he's in danger. I have the chance. I'll find my way back."

"Are you sure about this? There is no guarentee..."

"And think about the friends you're leaving behind! Your nation!" Spitfire roared.

Rainbow took a deep breath. "If the Teranids come back..."

"They may wish to help us deal with their own creations..." Luna nodded, before facing Rainbow again. "Go. Save your friend."

"What?! You can't be serious!" Spitfire roared, before snapping towards Rainbow. "You'd be a disgrace to your father if you did so! Betraying your race to save some...human. Didn't you take history? Don't you know what they did!?"

"I learned history thanks to Tom," Rainbow growled, before twirling about, and racing into the portal. "And one of the things I learned about history was: apathy can be just as deadly as war itself. And so can anger."

With no further words, she entered the portal and disappeared with a flash of blue light.

"RAINBOW DASH!" Spitfire spat, racing after her.

"Spitfire! Wait! Don't do it! The portal may be unstable!"

"RAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGHHHH!.!.!"

Before she could enter, however, the portal was gone.

"GOD DAMNED TRAITOR!" she roared, swatting at the air where it once was with her spear.

"Save it for the griffins," Luna said, narrowing her eyes. "It's time I enter the fray... personally."

An evil grin slowly crept over Spitfire's face.

A feeling overcame Rainbow best described as having the air sucked out of her lungs. She gasped for air, before viewing her surroundings.

Her eyes widened in horror.

Great machines of metal danced about the skies around her, aircraft, as Tom has explained to them. Machines of war.

"So... this is how humans fight," Rainbow said, narrowing her eyes.

Suddenly, a roaring sound came from behind her. She twirled about and gasped. A human fighter was about to run her over. She had a brief glance of the pilot's eyes, and he seemed as shocked as her. He performed a roll to the left to avoid her.

Rainbow raised her eyebrows. These machines the humans used weren't too shabby when it came to flying.

She then shook her head, reeling out of the shock of the situation. Tom was out there... somewhere.. and falling. She glanced about, before eyeing a smoking 'Spitfire', she believed they were called, falling towards the ground.

"That must have been his..."

Narrowing her eyes in determination, she flew with all the speed she could muster towards the wreck, and as she grew close, she noticed him: Tom, falling in the winds with no signs of life.

"Please be alive," Rainbow gulped, tears forming in her eyes. "Please be alive!"

As the wind sailed through her air, and as her wings flapped like they had never before, she finally reached her falling friend. And surprising herself, she found she could actually let him land on her back. They had never been able to touch each other before.

"Gotcha," she sighed, closing her eyes in relief, before flying downward towards a grassy farming field below, all the while hanging onto Tom with her two spare hooves.

Finally, she gently lay him down upon the field, looking him over. He was in bad shape. A large gash could be seen on the side of his head, and his breathing was slightly raspy.

"Please... Tom..." Rainbow wept. "Don't die on me... I came all this way. We can finally hang out for real... get away from both of our stupid wars..."

She lay over Tom, and a few tears fell from her eyes... right onto the gash. Immediately, they began to heal.

Rainbow shook her head in disbelief. "W-What? P-Pegasi tears can't do that..."

However, she didn't care. Tom's breathing was becoming normal, and more regular. He was, in all sense and purposes, coming back to life.

"R-Rainbow?" he coughed.

"I'm here Tom, I'm here," Rainbow beamed at him. "Oh my god... you scared the crap out of me you bastard."

"Heh... sorry about that," he wheezed. "Not every day I take a wing to the head. W-Where are we?"

"Earth," Rainbow smiled.

He winced hard.

"How the heck did I... survive?""

Rainbow took a gulp. "It's because... I'm actually here. I'm not just a ghost."

Tom took a deep breath. "Touch me."

"Eewwwww... come on, we're not like that."

Tom rolled his eyes. "On the shoulder or something."

With that, Rainbow nodded, and gently prodded him with a hoof.

A bright smile crossed Tom's face. "So... all these years, it wasn't a dream. You were real."

"And so were you," Rainbow smiled.

"Either that or I'm actually dead... and I'm in heaven."

"Errr...." Rainbow coughed. "Not really... I sort of was able to... heal you."

Tom raised an eyebrow.

"Uh... pegasi tears."

Tom smirked.

"Oh shut up! I got something in my eye. Had to fly pretty fast to save your falling ass, you know."

"Whatever you say..." Tom wheezed. "Though it makes sense... in mythology, pegasi were said to be able to heal wounds with their tears... human wounds."

"That would explain it," Rainbow whispered. "Always the history buff."

Tom gave another cough.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I just took a wing to the head," Tom growled, before sighing heavily. "God... look at that up there."

Rainbow gazed upward, and her mouth parted. The human aircraft were continuing to dance about each other.

"See the gray ones?" Tom said.

Rainbow nodded.

"Those are the Germans..."

"The... 'huns."

"They're just people... just like me and you, caught up in some shitty war because occasionally... the world just needs it."

"Yeah," Rainbow sighed, before raising an eyebrow. "Looks like the bigger German planes are getting away..."

"Yeah," Tom coughed. "Son of a bitch... looks like we've lost a few."

Out of the thirty fighters that had engaged the German force, only ten were left in battle. The rest had either retreated or were shot down.

"Those bombers... house nearly five hundred explosive weapons... they're going to carpet bomb Cardiff's industrial zones. Many civilians could be killed."

Rainbow narrowed her eyes. "This isn't my war, Tom. I'm only here for you."

"You're hiding something," Tom whispered.

"How do you know?"

"I can tell... you're here for something else."

Rainbow sighed. "I might be... my people need help. Equestria needs help. Remember the Teranids? One of them spoke with me... somehow. They said they want to come back to Equestria."

"What's the point," Tom groaned. "In either dimension... there's war. Fucking cycles of hatreds that never end. There's no hope for either of us."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "You've always looked at the bigger picture, Tom. But... look at the smaller one. Me and you are alive... we're friends. And I've made six that I wouldn't give up for anyone. They make my life worth living. They make me forget the cycle of war."

Tom took a deep breath. "I'd like to meet them some day..."

"Did you ever make any friends, Tom?"

Tom chuckled, understanding what she was getting at. "No... once we stopped talking... I was just too pissed. But... maybe you got a point."

And with great effort, Tom rose to his feet, feeling around in his uniform for his radio, before finally pulling it out.

"Is that a radio?" Dashie asked, quirking her head.

"Mhmmm," he said, before clicking it on. "Mayflower to Captain Harkness..."

Static.

"Damn... I hope he's alright. He was a good flight leader."

"I'm sorry..." Dashie sighed.

"For what?"

"For the people you lost..."

"It-it's alright..."

"And I'm sorry for abandoning you. I should have given you a better chance, talked you out of wanting revenge. But... today I found out even us pegasi can... go down that road."

Tom took a deep breath, a few tears inching in his eyes. "My father... could never get over his hatred for the Germans. Volunteering for the French Airforce... it was a lost cause. The Germans rolled through that country like nothing. When I found out he was killed... I... I just snapped. I'm not sure if there was anything you could do to help me."

"It sounds like both of our countries are screwed," Rainbow frowned.

Tom lifted an eyebrow.

"The griffins... they have allies. It seems like every one we kill they have three more... we're being overwhelmed."

"Just like Britain is," Tom sighed.

"What about America? Your home," Rainbow said sadly.

"I don't know... I don't think they can touch it now. But they... they are unstoppable in Europe. Their leadership, Rainbow... is led by the worst kind of human. I'm not talking about the Germans, I'm talking about the Nazis..."

"Nazis?"

"What the more... political Germans call themselves. They believe they're the superior race... and that everyone else should be subjugated. Their leader, Adolf Hitler, is openly racist... deceitful..." Tom closed his eyes. "If people like him can continue to rule in this world... we have no hope. I wish we had a Princess, like yours, to rule over our world."

"We still have wars, Tom... and ours isn't going well," Rainbow sighed. "She united the ponies, but not the rest of the world. The different types of animals on our world could be considered like the different kind of... races, or cultures, they're called right? In your world."

"Yeah..." He gave a chuckle. "And damn... you've gotten smarter, Dashie."

"Well, let's just say a lifetime of two eggheads rubbing off of you can do that." Rainbow then smiled. "I'm glad I got my first back."

"And I've glad I've got my overly cocky jock back," Tom smiled. "Though what now?"

Rainbow gave a smirk. "Well, now that I'm here.... I suppose I could help you out."

"How?"

"By breaking the cycle of hatred," Dashie said, she then glanced towards the bombers, flying off in the distance. "You... jumped out your plane when it went down. If I were to maybe... do something to the Germans planes, would they be able to jump out, too?"

"Y-Yeah but... Dashie, are you sure you want to reveal yourself like that? The government might have a few questions for you..."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Pfffft, I'm Rainbow Dash, remember? Nohuman or pony can hold me for long!"

"Ugh... alright, if you're serious about this," Tom groaned. "Watch their gunners... they're the big sticks sticking out of-"

"I know what gunners are, Tom," Rainbow said, rolling her eyes. "I sat through your history class when they did that thing on bombers."

"Heh, oh right..." Tom said. "Seriously though, Rainbow. Be careful. If you get shot down... I can't fly up there and catch you."

"Sucks to be human, doesn't it," Dashie said, sticking her tongue out.

"Yeah, yeah, at least we have thumbs." He then gave her a smile. "Good luck."

"Who needs it?" Rainbow chirped, before barreling into the sky.

Savior

"No! Oh god no!" Tom cried, tears streaming from his eyes. "You didn't have to do it, Dashie... Jesus Christ! You didn't owe me anything... nor this world..."

In the distance, he saw her continue to fall, a trail of blood streaming in her wake. He wanted to close his eyes, but couldn't bring himself to do it. He would give her that respect.

However, just then, he heard the roar of two familiar engines, and the crackle of his radio.

"Tom, this is Arty," a voice said.

"A-Arty?!" Tom sniffed. "You made it-"

"That I did, mate, but there's little time to chat. I have a lot to explain to you, but first I'm going to save your blue friend."

"How are you going to do that?!" Tom gasped. "And how the hell do you even - oh right."

"Oh, I knew a bit before then, Tom Mayflower. You've been watched for quite a while." He could practically see Arty's cheesy grin. "And an old 'Wiccan' trick, if you're wondering. However, I'm going to need you to be at Rainbow's location soon."

"How am I supposed to-"

"I see a car heading your way, get a lift."

"A-Alright. But who's with you?"

"Jacob."

"Yeah, I'm alive," the bloodthirsty Brit growled. "Took down god damned four 109's too. I don't know what the fuck is going on, but we owe that bloody horse a ton."

"What about Captain Harkness?""

"Took a hit and went down. Didn't see where he landed. I'm sorry Tom, I'm pretty sure he's gone... along with half our squadron, however, as for your friend..."

Suddenly, there was a blue glow around Rainbow, her descent slowing slightly.

"Arty... how the hell are you doing that?!" Tom cried. "Are you really some sort of wizard?!"

"I'll explain later," he grunted. "Get in that car, it should be right on top of you."

Tom blinked his eyes in disbelief, before turning about. Sure enough, driving along the road he was on was a small truck.

"Hey! Hey you! I need a lift!" Tom cried, waving his arms sporadically, grinning all the while at Dashie's apparent survival.

The truck suddenly screeched to a halt beside him, and Tom's eyes widened.

"You realize hitchhiking is dangerous right?" Captain Harkness smiled at him. "You never know who you're going to run into."

"Captain Harkness... how the hell did you-"

"Luck was on my side," he grunted. "Come on, get in. I just saw about seven German parachutes. We need to round them up before they ditch their uniforms. We'll do a sweep for five minutes-"

"Wait - Captain Harkness, listen to me," Tom gasped as he shoveled himself in.

Captain Harkness raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"

"It's a friend - a friend took down that bomber. She's currently being uh... brought to the ground inside Cardiff. Near the Spitfire factory. We have to get to her, she's going to need medical attention!"

The captain took a deep breath, as he swerved around a corner. "We'll get to the pegasus, don't worry."

Tom's eyes widened. "You know about her, too?!"

"Yeah, saw her portal, too. It's what distracted me - what got me shot down."

Tom shook his head, exasperated. "You act like you know what brought her here; who the hell are you?!"

The captain chuckled. "Let's just say I help keep the torch lit-"

He suddenly came to a screeching halt as two men ducked for cover at the side of the road - two men wearing German Luffwaffe uniforms.

"Speak of the devil," the captain growled, before whipping out a pistol and kicking open his car door. "Tom, pistol out. These guys may want to fight."

"A-Alright," Tom gulped, nervously gripping his revolver. One he hoped to never fire... at least not at another human. Fighting in the skies was one thing, fighting on the ground was another.

Slowly, they crept towards the brush the two Germans have knelt down in.

[German] "You two! Come out with your hands up and don't make any sudden movements!" Captain Harkness yelled.

"Don't shoot!" one of them cried in a heavy accent. "We surrender!"

"Captain... we don't have time for-"

"Don't worry Tom, we'll wrap this up quick."

The two Germans exited the brush, one with a very fierce look in his eyes, and both with their hands held high.

"Names and Ranks?!"

"Captain Klink," the one who spoke English spoke, looking very solemn.

"Hauptgefreiter Shultz," another growled, narrowing his eyes.

"Alright, I want you to approach me. No sudden movements or you know what will happen."

"Understood."

The two did so, Captain Harkness putting on a slight, permescuous smile as they did.

"By the way, nice build, Captain Klink."

The captain blinked. "Uh... danke."

"Fucking faggot..." Tom heard Schultz mutter under his breath. Captain Harkness didn't seem to hear.

A few minutes later, the two were in handcuffs and in the back of the car.

"Tom, keep an eye on them," Captain Harkness growled, and Tom did just that, eyeing the two Germans warily and keeping his pistol at the ready.

Soon, Captain Harkness sped off towards Cardiff.

"Captain... do you see her?" Tom asked.

"No, she must already be on the ground," the captain said. "It's alright, we'll get to her in time. Hopefully in enough time to cover this whole mess up. We're not ready for first contact."

"Get who?!" Schultz suddenly snapped.

"Oh, look who speaks English!" Captain Harkness smirked.

"Only when needed," he grunted.

"Schultz, keep it calm..." Klink sighed. "We are not on our own terms anymore."

"And it's none of your business, anyway," Tom said with a grunt.

"Oh it's all of my business if you're talking about who I think you're talking about. A certain blue Pegasus who just brought down our bomber?"

"Shit... that reminds me. That other bomber knows about her too," Captain Harkness groaned.

"A pegasus? What the hootin' hell are you smoking?" Tom grunted.

"You know damned well who I'm talking about. She's on your side, after all."

"You two aren't to speak about the pegasus to anyone," Captain Harkness snapped. "Understood?"

"We won't," Captain Klink sighed. "Who would believe us anyway?"

Schultz merely remained silent.

Tom raised an eyebrow. "Captain Harkness... you seem to know a lot; can you tell me who exactly Arty is?"

The captain sighed. "He's a Teranid, apparently."

Tom's eyes widened.

Captain Harkness gazed at him suspiciously. "You know what a Teranid is? What else do you know about Equestria?! How do you know about Equestria?!"

"What the fuck are you two talking about? Is that where that flying bitch came from?!" Schultz called.

"That bitch is my friend," Tom growled. "I don't want to shoot you, but I swear, if you try to pull anything against her your leg's going to be out of commission for a few months, ya hear?"

"Loud and clear, yankee."

"Good." Tom turned back to Captain Harkness. "It's a long story... a very long story."

"Well, you'll have to tell me later, we're here."

The Spitfire factory was, luckily, on the outskirts of Cardiff, and to Tom's horror, a huge crowd had gathered outside of it. Soldiers, civilians, children... gathered around a central point. High in the sky, Tom saw two Spitfires fly away.

"Oh no..." Captain Harkness sighed. "We're too late."

"Rainbow! Hang on!" Tom called, jetting out of the car and making sure the Germans were thoroughly handcuffed.

Both Captain Klink and Captain Harkness raised eyebrows. "Rainbow?"

Soon, Tom was desperately pushing through the crowd, half expecting them to just be gawking at his life long friend, until he heard their chatter...

"Is she going to be alright?! Should we call a veterinarian."

"The medic's got her right n' good. Don't worry, lad."

"She saved every one of us... she must have. How else did that bomber go down? How did she get that wound?"

"I still can't believe she can speak. This is truly amazing... were the Greeks right all along? Are their gods helping us?"

And finally, as he nearly wept in relief, when he grew close enough he saw a British Army Medic bandaging the wing of Rainbow... and that she was conscious.

"Hey, Tom," she said, smiling at him. "Guess I'm the hero of two countries now, huh?"

Tom couldn't help but laughing. "Two countries? Hooo boy, your ego's going to skyrocket cus of this, isn't it?"

Rainbow gave a wink. "I 'ain't' lying, country boy..." She gave a brief cough. "We have a lot of catching up to do."

The Fate of Man

"Captain Harkness, honestly, if your claims of knowing our mutual friend were not accurate, I would regard you as not only having one of the most creative minds of our time, but of having one of the greatest scams."

A figure brought a cigar to his mouth, chuckling to himself as he took a puff.

"Sir, honestly, when have we ever lied to you?"

"You haven't had much of the opportunity, though despite my bafflement at this, my dear boy, you may still call me Winston if you like. I'd still like you either way for the entertainment this brings me in Britain's darkest hours."

"Just hear me out..."

Winston Churchill gave another laugh, sitting in his office at 10 Downing Street, London, at his slightly messy desk. One filled with half-written speeches, war reports, and many things that weighed heavily on his mind.

"I've heard you out, multiple times. You're saying that not only is there some sort of... parallel universe next to our own: one filled with mythological creatures straight out of the mind of the Greeks, but that one is here now?"

"That's correct."

A smile came to his face. "Than this era our history is bound to be all the more historic, isn't it, captain?"

One Week Later

A radio crackled in a lone hospital room.

"Both the military and our loyal government have confirmed the fact that, as unlikely and profound as it may sound, a winged pony, one capable of speech such as our own, was indeed responsible for bringing down a German bomber bound for Cardiff's Industrial Zones. As we all know, German bombardiers aren't the brightest bunch, and tend to miss their targets quite a bit of the time, so not only has not only saved the lives of every citizen in the targeted factory, but the lives of countless dwelling in homes around it. As the pegasus, 'Rainbow Dash' as she is called, is still recovering, questioning her of her origins and reason for entering 'our' war have been avoided out of courtesy. However it is expected that-"

Suddenly, the radio shut off, and the room went dim.

"Ah man, not again," Rainbow Dash groaned, folding her arms as she sat upon her hospital bed. "Those 'Nazis' just don't like giving breaks, do they?"

Tom gave a slight chuckle. "Welcome to my world."

And suddenly, the backup power came on, the radio flickering on as well.

"Please stay tuned for more updates on the war, both abroad and home."

"Oh bloody hell," Rainbow Dash pouted. "What was expected? Are they going to keep trying to question you?"

Tom gave a shrug, and a slight smirk. "I dunno, maybe... and bloody wah?"

"Oh shut up, I'm surprised you haven't picked up this crazy slang yet."

"Born with an Alabama tongue, gonna die with an Alabama tongue," Tom chuckled. "So, explain this to me again. You're an Element of... what?"

"Loyalty!" Dashie proudly proclaimed.

"And what does that mean exactly... like... is it just a title?"

She shook her head. "Nope, it means that me and my friends can wield these six artifacts and pretty much knockout any bad guy threatening Equestria!"

She then gave a sigh. "Friends who I left behind to fight in that stupid war..."

"Yeah... it sounds like they mean a lot to you."

Rainbow gave a nod, glancing away from him.

"They do... but they can take care of themselves. They're on Princess Luna's flagship after all."

Tom gave her a reassuring smile. "That one badass princess you were talking about? I'd say. But don't worry, apparently, we have magic here too. Once Arty shows up..."

"It's been a week," Rainbow sighed. "And Captain Harkness said he disappeared right after landing."

"Yeah I know... Jacob's still feeling that tingling sensation in his chest after trying to stop him..."

"Personally, I don't trust him or Captain Harkness," Rainbow grunted. "Convenient he was in your squad along with Arty... and tried to cover up my existence. He hasn't even visited in a week!"

"Yeah... took those two Germans off with him to downtown Cardiff and disappeared."

A beat of silence.

"But yeah... if the Elements you were talking about are so powerful, why didn't you use them against the griffins? The invading armies!"

Rainbow glanced away from him. "It's uh- complicated... let's just say that for them to work... my friends and I have to see... well eye to eye. This war has... made things difficult. It's been changing us all... slowly."

A month earlier.

"Leave me alone!" Rarity cried to Rainbow, weeping in her special quarters aboard the Nocturnal Thunder. "I-I don't deserve to see anyone, just like I don't deserve to be in this war!"

"Rarity," Rainbow gulped. "It was a mistake... you were trying to stun him..."

"I killed someone, Rainbow! I don't care who it was, they didn't deserve that! And I don't deserve the guilt! I never wanted to be part of this... ruffian brawl. This stupid, pointless war!"

"Everyone has to fight, Rarity-"

"Then why aren't you doing it?!" she shouted, suddenly gunning towards her 'friend.' "Shoot one of them with your crossbow, end them, instead of avoiding it like everyone's been saying! Then tell me how you feel about that!"

Rainbow winced. "I... I can't..."

"Then just leave, Rainbow. I don't wish to speak to anyone..."

"A-Alright..."

Rainbow nodded, and slowly sauntered out.

Tom shook his head in disbelief. "And it was like that with all your friends?"

"Yeah," Rainbow nodded. "Twilight and Applejack are the only ones taking it alright, though Twilight's shut herself off from everyone and is pretty much locked into her books when she isn't fighting. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie though... I really don't want to talk about."

Tom nodded. "I understand... I really do. War can fuck up your mind." He winced slightly. "Even if you're not even in one."

"Rarity was right though," Rainbow sighed. "The war is so stupid... it all started over a tiny piece of territory the griffins wanted... a fight broke out. Both sides took casualties, and next you know a system of alliances was activated that's made our world a bloodythirsty general's goldmine. Everypony else, however..."

"How it started sure sounds familiar," Tom sighed. "The World War that came before the one happening here..."

"The one your-"

"Yeah..."

Rainbow winced. "Sorry..."

"It's 'cool', as ya always liked to say... I'm over it for the most part."

"It's hard... I know..."

"Yeah, it is..." Tom then smiled slightly. "But it's nice to have someone- somepony, pardon me, who gets me, ya know?"

Rainbow gave a slight smile. "You know... there was more than one reason than me coming here to save your sorry butt..."

"Oh come on, this moment is already sappy enough," Tom said, sticking out his tongue.

"Sappy?! Pfffft, I just came back to try those apples you were always raving about on your farm... back in the good ole' days..."

"The Great Depression wasn't exactly good," Tom said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah but it was... simple, for me, at least.... sorry, I know it-"

"It sucked less than it did to most people," Tom grinned, before his face turned serious again. "So... what do you plan on doing now?"

"What kind of question is that? I stay with you here, we round of some Teranids, kick a lot of butt and end this crummy war, and then we head home! We'll break the cycle of hatred here before it becomes too bloody!"

Tom closed his eyes. "Rainbow... it won't be that simple. And I thought you didn't trust Arty..."

"Well... yeah," she admitted. "But I still want to help you fight! This country... it's been treating me like nothing but a hero. The Germans are the bad guys in this, after all. That Hitler guy sounds like a real piece of work, and they've been the aggressors!"

"They're not the bad guys... they're just on the wrong side of the fence, Dashie..." Tom sighed.

She shrugged. "Whatever, not like I want to kill them... just break a leg or two so they can't fight anymore! We'll start in French-"

"France.*"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Whatever - then work our way to Germany."

Tom stared at her blankly. "Rainbow... I'm just a mediocre pilot and you're one pegasus with a wounded wing. And we don't even know where more Teranids are at the moment... I thought they just wanted to come home, anyway, not fight?"

"Yeah... I guess that was true..." Dashie sighed.

Suddenly, a voice rang from the doorway.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Rainbow, is it? It is a very noble suggestion you speak of."

Tom twirled about, his eyes widening.

"Holy... holy cr- I mean uh-"

He gave a gulp, not knowing what to say next.

Winston Churchill was standing right before him.

"Ah, and Tom Mayflower. I've heard much about you," Churchill chuckled. "Though your affiliation with our friend here still baffles me."

"It's uh... a very long story, sir-"

"Please, call me Winston," he said, smiling politely.

"Winston..." Rainbow said, scratching her head. "Wait! Winston Churchill, right?! Oh my gosh, so you're the leader of this place!"

"Mph, on good days," he smiled. "I'm just their representative..."

"And an awesome speech writer! Seriously, 'we will fight them on the land, and on the sea!' It sounds like something a pegasus would write!"

"Ah, so there are more of you..." the prime minister said, smiling slightly.

"Yeah... so what?" Rainbow said, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

Tom gave a cough. "Mr. Prime Minister, sir... her people-"

"Are very far away, and out of reach, this I know," he nodded. "Though you'll excuse me for not trusting my sources."

"Mph," Rainbow said, folding her arms.

"Be polite," Tom grunted. "This guy is famous even in America."

He gave another chuckle. "Mostly due to my chats with Frederick, I'd say. They tend to garner the press."

Tom smiled back at him.

"Anyway, I'd like to apologize for not dropping by sooner. It's been a busy war, but I do confess that I enjoy cigars and fine wine too much for my own good, sometimes..."

"Can't blame you for having fun on your off hours," Rainbow said, smiling slightly.

"If only Parliament thought the same way," he sighed. "But yes... it seems you are getting better. And I do confess, I did have an overwhelming curiosity to see if this wasn't just some sort of well-played hoax... but now, seeing you with my own eyes... it is quite amazing."

"Heh, what's not to love," Dashie grinned. "I am pretty awesome, right Tom?"

"... When you're not getting shot."

She narrowed her eyes. "Clowns, Tom. So many clowns."

"I hate you."

"No you don't," she grinned.

Churchill raised an eyebrow. "I believe I'm unfamiliar with the term 'awesome', but, and excuse me if I'm wrong, if you mean your act of saving Britain's primary Spitfire factory: then I would agree that act was indeed just that: 'awesome.'"

"Mehhhh, it was nothing. I should tell you about this guy named Discord sometime..."

"Don't do it. She'll brag for hours," Tom sighed.

Winston gave another chuckle. "I would dearly enjoy hearing of your exploits in the other world, my friend... but I am curious... why did you choose to come to this one?"

Dashie remained silent for a moment.

Tom gave a cough. "It was uh... for me, Sir-"

"Winston."

"Er yes, Winston. She came for me... I would be dead if she didn't."

Winston nodded slowly. "Indeed, and it is quite fortunate you're not. Britain owes you a great deal as well: just coming here was an act of true bravery."

"Heh... thanks, but I don't deserve any praise," Tom sighed.

"Nonsense," Churchill chuckled. "But yes, because of you, Rainbow came here, and I'm going to guess because of you, and I apologize if I am piercing this together wrong, that she decided to finish what you started: taking down the German bomber formation."

"Well... it wasn't just that," Dashie said. "I uh... well, humans... used to live in Equestria. They were good people. Tom and I just thought that a certain... cycle may have been started on this world... I wanted to help break it."

"What cycle do you speak of? There are many that go on in this world," Winston said, taking a puff from his cigar.

"Hey!" Dashie suddenly called, avoiding the subject. "Those are what cigars are?! You write too awesome of speeches to croak it cus of that habit."

Winston gave a hearty laugh. "If I had a penny... my dear, I would rather die a few years early than die a few years later without a quick puff the reaper's way."

"If you say so... but yeah, I want to help break the cycle of hatred... but... why did you come to me?"

Winston nodded. "I am curious to hear more of this 'cycle of hatred', but I must be honest with you: though you have done a great thing for the nation I love, this war is far from over. Your presence in our nation has been a great morale boost. Though I wouldn't expect you to cart around a machine gun and shoot at German fighters-"

"Which would be awesome!"

"If you were to fly with our formations... it may look as if the supernatural is on our side."

"But I'm not supernatural!" Rainbow grunted. "I'm just a pony, a pony from-"

"A mythical land filled with mythical creatures," Winston smiled. "And the public... doesn't need to know that."

"You want them to... think what they want about me?"

"In a manner of speaking. You can just say you come from a 'far off land' if they question you..."

"Well uh... I'll think about it. But I'm more than capable of fighting... wait til the Germans taste a Sonic Rainboom!"

Winston Churchill blinked.

"It's uh... when she goes into overdrive... and goes really fast," Tom said. "Creates this big ole boom... I only saw her do it once, though."

"Oh, those were the days," Dashie chuckled. "I can do them anytime I want now!"

"Ahhh," Winston smiled. "You may fight if you wish, but I will not ask of it of you. Though still... this cycle of hatred..."

"Well uh..." Dashie coughed. "Basically... Tom thinks that when humans... go to war with each other, it creates grudges between people... between countries. And those grudges start other wars. Well, I was hoping to help do that... on a smaller scale - to end this war early. You know, fight for Britain, but take out Nazis without hurting them! It kind of makes sense, I guess."

Churchill closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "I'm afraid it wouldn't be that easy."

"I could totally take Nazis out-"

"By that I mean it's too late for us, my friend," Churchill smiled weakly. "This war... has already cost hundreds of thousands of lives... it will not end easily. In fact, despite that my particular country is on the defensive, many are saying that we should not end the war without Germany's total surrender. And despite the fact they are being led by someone who can speak very well, but perhaps not think very well... that will not be an easy task."

"B-But with my help..."

"You may be powerful," Winston said. "But one bomber was enough to shoot you down."

Rainbow winced. "That's cus I didn't go full-out! I could Sonic Rainboom entire formations of German planes! Send them spinning out of control!"

"That may cause casualties... and it may not even be effective," the Prime Minister sighed. "Wars... are complicated matters. Yes, they are fueled by hatred, and a lot of times are sparked by it, but they are still fought over many things... religion, different ideals, resources, land... sometimes with little to no hatred involved. This war... is going to be the longest of them all. Many will die on both sides. Cities will burn. Perhaps even the one we reside in... perhaps even Berlin."

"B-But-"

"My dear, you will not be able to change humanity. No one man... nor pegasus can. We must change ourselves, and I thoroughly believe it to be possible. This war... though horrible it may be... I believe will burn a hole so deep in our collective memory, that one so large shall never happen again. After it... though with trial and error, I believe humanity will finally begin to learn from its past mistakes... and move on." His smile returned once again. "Don't worry about us, in the end... we shall prevail over our own... desires."

Rainbow shook her head. "So... you don't think I'll be a help..."

"I never said that," the Prime Minister said, raising a finger. "Our nation has taken heavy losses... our people need a hero. However, asking you, an outsider to join into the effort when you have already done so much... without true motivation other than to fight by your friend's side... I believe is unacceptable."

"But you were just asking to fight for you a second ago!"

"No, I was asking you to act as a morale booster, not to enter combat. But you wouldn't be doing that, would you? You would follow Tom here into the dark and back..."

Tom glanced downward. "And I... don't plan to fly anymore... not at the moment. I have some thinking to do."

Rainbow's eyes widened. "What?! Even after they shot you down!"

"It ain't my fight, Rainbow... never was..."

Winston nodded. "That's quite alright... though I hope your stance won't reflect the rest of your nation's forever. We need the New World." He then turned back towards Rainbow. "However... I believe Equestria is fighting a war of its own, correct? Though I wish I could have you here, if Tom were not to fight, and without your proper motivation... perhaps it's there you belong."

He then gave Rainbow and Tom a true smile. "It's been good to get to know you two; Rainbow, you will always be an object of my curiosity. If you cannot find a way back to your own world... I don't believe this will be our last chat." He then glanced towards Tom. "And someday, perhaps you'll fight not for Britain, but by its side. Those like you could end this war quickly if they wished... and keep their morals intact while doing it." He tipped his brown hat their way, and then lit another cigar. "Have an easy recovery, Rainbow, and both of you have a good day."

"I-It's been an honor, Si- Winston," Tom managed to stutter out.

"That's a good lad," he winked.

"Though you should still quit smoking!" Rainbow called.

Winston merely chuckled, before walking out of the room and leaving Tom stunned. Literally. He wouldn't move a muscle.

"Uh... Tom?"

He remained still.

"Tom..."

A manic grin began forming on his face.

"Oh crap-"

"I JUST WENT AND DUN MEANT A PIECE OF FRIGGIN' HISTORY! YEEEEEEHAW!"

Rainbow face-hoofed.

"Good Celestia... you're like Twilight fused with Applejack.... and it's confusing as hell to me! You're lucky you've never bumped your head too hard or you'd lose your yolk for brains!"

"And you're still very cute when you get angry," Tom grinned.

"Dawww... thanks," Rainbow said, before her eyes widened. "Wait a minute, did you just say CUTE?! Oh that's it, you're totally getting your skinny human butt kicked! I ain't no dream no longer, pardner!"

With that, Rainbow lept out of bed, and though her wing was still casted up, she began to chase Tom about the room, both of them grinning all the way.

Flames of War

Heh, well, I've kind of gotten a kick out of the whole 'writing out my thoughts' thing in the past. I guess it kind of helps organize them, ya know? Lays em all out so I can make a decent conclusion on things. But yeah, this'll be my first log in a journal of many. It's been a month or so since Dashie got out of the hospital. I had spent every day with her, pretty much, doing odd jobs here or there and helping with civilian efforts when I could. We caught up quite a bit. Told each other how our lives were going before they got turned upside down by the wars going on in both worlds. It's strange, really: how they've both sprung up at the same time. The largest wars in our lifetimes to hit our worlds...

Yeah, it kind of sucks.

I'm not going home, though, unfortunately. Me n' Dashie are going to sit tight here for a bit until we get word from Artie on whether or not Dashie can go home.

If we get word from Artie.

But yeah, it's been an interesting month. Mr. Churchill was kind enough to provide the two of us with a little cottage right outside London. It's a rainy, cold place, Britain, but in some ways, the rolling hills remind me of home. A home I miss, dearly... as well as ma', though she's doin' alright. Was worried about me for a bit, but I think I've recovered from my... flight of vengeance-

Wow, that doesn't sound overly-dramatic.

Anyway, Dashie, ever the glory hog, decided she was going to simply walk through the streets of London to the cottage... boy, was that interesting.

"Ms. Dash, is it true there are others of your kind where you come from?!" a random Brit called, smiling at her as she walked in the center of a quartet of soldiers.

"You betcha!"

"And will they come to our aid?"

She winced slightly. "I-I'm afraid that's impossible. I'm kind of alone here."

"Are you a space alien?" a random child grinned.

"Nope! Not even sure what an 'alien' is," she smiled back.

"Would you ever let people ride you?" another Brit called.

"Errrr.... nope..."

"What made you decide to help us in particular?" another citizen asked.

"It's complicated, but let's just say I sympathize with you and all of Britain," Dashie beamed.

"Are ya gonna bring down more German bombers, then?!" another child asked.

Dashie paused in her steps, glancing towards him with sad eyes.

Tom grimmaced.

"I uh... well-"

The crowd of citizens following her looked at her with hope-filled eyes.

"Um..."

"Dashie needs to clear her mind a bit before she can decide on that," Tom called.

"Oh..."

The crowd seemed disappointed, though still curious. A few moments later, the question barrage continued.

"Is it true you can control the weather?!"

"Yeah, sort of! I'll be keeping London sunny the next few days if I can. Bit on the rainy side, here."

The crowd gave a murmur of approval.

Yeeeep, that's how that day went. After that, our cottage was put under guard, denying the public access to Dashie, though she'd still answer the questions of curious scientists, journalists, you name it, when she could.

"Fascinating... so your people actually have limited weather control abilities?"

"Yeeep, and you're looking at the best of them, Sir Watson!" Dashie grinned.

"Please, call me Robert. So - Do you have any idea how this is done?"

Rainbow blinked.

"Well uh- I usually just fly up to clouds and push them. Sometimes I can give them an electrical charge to make thunderclouds..."

Watson raised an eyebrow. "Intriguing! Though I should have been more specific. Do you know how you are able to achieve the seemingly impossible feet of moving clouds about with just your hooves?"

"Well uh..."

Tom smirked slightly.

Dashie shrugged. "Magic, I guess?"

Robert blinked. "Magic?"

"Yeah..."

Sir Watson gave her an incredulous look. "Interesting theory..."

Unfortunately though, her presence didn't really seem to effect the war whatsoever.

A man stood in front of a crowd of thousands in front of a large, swastika-bound flag. A man with fire in his eyes. A man with a lust for war.

A man with a skill in deception.

[German] "Britain claims that the supernatural is on their side. I claim that they have nothing but trickery on their side! Are our enemies so truly desperate that they will conjure stories of being allied with mythical Greek creatures? It's laughable! Greece is ours, and there is nothing but barren rocks on the summit of Mount Olympus. And, if perhaps, the rumors are true, they are meaningless. One creature cannot hope the turn the tides of this war. We are the master race, and no remnants of old will ever spite our spirit!"

And now, it may turn out that keeping London clear may not have been a good idea... because as much as I hate to admit it: the war is continuing...

In we go to humanity's darkest hour.

August 30th - 1940. The Blitz, the Bombing of London, Begins.

"Tom... Tom! Wake up!"

"Huh-wah?"

Dashie nudged him with another hoof, having barged into his bedroom.

"Can't you hear that?!" she called desperately. "It's splitting my ears!"

"Ouch... aren't those ear plugs working-"

"Not what I meant! Listen..."

The room grew quiet, before the sound of sounded like distant thunderclaps filled Tom's ears.

"Yeah... now I can. I wonder what's- hey, wait up!"

Rainbow quickly dashed out of the room, and Tom followed her to the cottage's front porch.

Their eyes widened.

In the distance, a thousand fires burned in London, illuminating its many buildings usually shrouded by darkness. In the sky above, the dark silhouettes of German bombers could be seen.

"My god..." Tom said, blinking in bafflement.

"They're purposely bombing civilian targets now!" Rainbow growled. "Not even the griffins would pull something like that!"

"It's retaliation," Tom said calmly.

"For what?!" Rainbow snapped. "What the hell would piss them off enough?"

"It was yesterday... Churchill ordered the bombing of Berlin in retaliation for that church that was destroyed."

Dashie gulped, plopping down on her flank.

"So the cycle continues... just like what's going on in my world..."

Tom gave a shiver, before turning to her. "Hey... for all you know, the war could be over back there."

A few tears laced Dashie's eyes. "Either way... I miss it, Tom. I don't regret saving you, but I miss it so much..."

She gave a deep sigh, wiping away her tears.

"Or at least I miss what it used to be. Before the war. Before my friends started falling apart... why is it all the same? Why couldn't Earth just be a haven of relief like it used to? Back when we were kids... remember all those times we spent messing around in your fields? Just kicking back..."

"Home is where the heart is..." Tom sighed as well, moving to sit beside her. "And I miss home, too..."

With that, he wrapped his arm around his friend.

Dashie shivered. "Tom..."

"Friends only."

With that, she smiled slightly. "Always."

And the two watched as fire lit up the night.

The Second Night. The Blitz Continues.

"I have to do something," Dashie growled determinedly, gazing off into the distance. "They're just going to keep bombing London until it's rubble, aren't they?!"

"That cloud cover you put up is helping," Tom nodded.

"Not helping enough. Now they're just bombing randomly instead of going after landmarks. I hope the Prime Minister's alright..."

"I hope so, too..."

"He might have been wrong. I could just fly up there and Sonic Rainboom the whole formation!"

"Dashie... I've seen you do it before. It creates a gust of wind, but I'm not sure if it's that intense. All you'll be doing is lighting up yourself as a target..."

For the first time, Dashie narrowed her eyes at him. "You're not always right, Tom."

"This... I know."

The Third Night of the Blitz.

"That should do it!" Dashie smiled, panting heavily as she landed on the porch.

In the distance, thunder rumbled and lightning cascaded through the sky, courtesy of a large storm hovering about London.

"Lookin' good. Reminds me of the storms back home," Tom smiled.

"If that doesn't keep them away, I don't know what..."

She then gave a yawn, wobbling slightly. "Supercharging all those clouds though..."

"Rainbow, you alright?"

She gazed upon him with drowsy eyes. "Yeah... just... sleep-"

Suddenly, she collapsed to the floor of the porch, snoring loudly.

She would sleep for an entire day, though no bombs would fall that night.

And on the far hills, north of London, a figure gazed upon the carnage with glowing blue eyes.

September 15th, 1940 - Britain Begins to Fight Back.

"Give em' everything you bloody got!" Jacob roared over the radio, and twenty-three Spitfires slammed into a formation of various German aircraft during a daylight raid.

One by one, they would begin to fall from the skies.

"Hooooohahahaha!" Jacob cackled.

And the blue eyes watched them.

September 27th, 1940 - The Triparte Pact is Signed. The Axis Alliance Becomes Formal.

Tom and Rainbow sat in the kitchen, listening to the latest radio broadcast.

"... the pact ensues mutual aid between the three superpowers, Japan, Germany, and Italy. In other news, Free French and British forces have been repelled by the Vichy French..."

"We may be winning in the skies, but were losing elsewhere! Every day it's another allied city bombed, another ship sunk!" Dashie cried. "Tom, we have to do something!"

Tom simply gulped. "I was... thinking about trying to get out of the country... if Artie doesn't come in another month. He should be able to find us..."

"Are you serious?! How am I supposed to provide cloud cover for London, then?"

"I don't want to fight anymore..." Tom sighed. "I don't want to be around all this death, this bullshit..."

"But all the civilians-"

"Civilians are dying on both sides. Are German and Italian innocents worth any less than British ones?"

"But I can't see them dying! I can't hear their screams at night!"

"Which is why we need to leave."

October 31st - 1940.

"You know what tonight would be?" Rainbow asked Tom, the two sitting by a blazing fire in the cottage's living room.

"What's that?" Tom smiled.

"Nightmare Night, of course..."

"Heh, that one goofy Halloween ripoff?"

Dashie gave him a blank look. "Yeah, uh-huh. You know you liked it."

"Sure I did! Bit hard to celebrate Halloween when I didn't really have a neighbor."

"Yeah..." Dashie said, smiling nostalgically, before closing her eyes. "But Nightmare Night was just for fun. Now... the terror is real."

A warning siren blared from London.

And a distance away, glowing blue eyes gazed upon an approaching bomber formation.

And suddenly, those blue eyes were approached.

"I won't let you take them, you know..." Artie's voice echoed, as he approached a figure in a black cloak. "Not for what you have planned..."

The figure gave a chuckle.

"Not even if it would save two worlds?"

"It will get better... you and I both know it. It always gets better."

Another bomb fell. Another shell soared into the sky.

"No... old friend, it just stays the same."

Show me How to Fly

"Happy New Years!" Dashie proclaimed.

"Happy New Years! Woooo yeah!" Tom grinned, bringing a bottle of brandy to his lips. He cringed upon contact. "Ugh, give me a Rolling Rock any day. This fancy stuff isn't for me."

"Oh suck it up," Dashie said, rolling her eyes as she chugged a bottle of hard apple cider. "You know, we may have just been sitting here, but at least I've been able to keep London safe half the time."

"Yeah..."

"Oh come on, think of it!" Dashie proclaimed. "The less London is bombed the less the Prime Minister will be ordering retaliatioty attacks!"

"Heh, you're right there. I guess it's making the war a little lighter than what it could be. You're sure you're not over-excerting yourself, right?"

"Yes mom, I'm absolutely sure," she said, sticking her tongue out. "Thunderstorm - sleep for a day. Thunderstorm - sleep for a day. I almost wonder why the Germans haven't figured out that I'm not just some piece of propoganda."

Tom gave a shrug. "Well you know ole' Addy, he loves making shit up any chance he gets."

"That whole invasion of Grass though..." Dashie shivered. "Scary thing, total conquest... if it happened to Equestria...

"It's called Greece, Dashie," Tom smirked. "But yeah... I'd hate for it to happen to America."

"Ugh, you humans and your country names. Mine are at least easy to remember! Nation of ponies? Equestria. Nation of crystal ponies? Crystal Empire. Nation of griffins? Wingmaria."

Tom rolled his eyes. "I'm sure most of our country names have significance in whatever native language they were named in."

"Yeah well..." Dashie grumbled. "Doesn't matter if I don't know what they mean. Sounds like they're just throwing darts at a board covered in random names."

"Maybe, but you know what we do have that's awesome?"

"Thumbs, right?" Dashie deadpanned.

"Well, I was going to say awesome radio shows, but that works too."

"Oh go schuck some corn," Dashie groaned. She then gave a sigh. "Still, you humans have a leg up on us..."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, despite our magics, despite the fact that the leader of our nation is pretty much a living god... there's still just as many wars. Always."

"We'd probably do the same thing in your shoes. Remember the Teranids? They still made war when they had to."

"True..."

She took a deep sigh.

"I still don't want to kill anything, Tom. The griffins killed my father, yeah... and I know they were supposed to be built as killing machines. But remember Gilda?"

Tom put on a nostalgic smile. "How could I forget? That poor thing..."

Years Prior

Tom and Dashie sat next to each other, laughing over some long-forgotten in-joke. Her wings were just starting to work at this time, growing steadily every day. Stunted, yes, but she would become a full pegasus in time.

Then... came the new kid.

Tom's eyes widened at her sight. He had never seen a griffin before, at least not up close. He had always pictured them as fierce: deadly, creatures, yet this one...

"Hello class," the teacher called. "I'd like to introduce you to our newest student, Gilda!"

Crickets chirped.

Gilda sulked her head, glancing away from the students nervously.

All around, Tom could hear various mumbles:

"What's she doing here?"

"Weren't we just at war like five years ago?"

"Must be some stupid political ploy... you know, for her daddy to say she's the first griffin in a pegasi school. Bleh."

"Now class, does anyone want to say hi?"

Tom turned to Dashie, grinning at her. "Come on..."

Dashie simply turned away from him, and the rest of the class remained silent.

"So, you're saying you're not going to even give her a chance?" Tom asked, as Rainbow fluttered by him. So far, she was doing a good job at this, though doing tricks was still not her forte.

"Nope, and you know darn well, Tom, why."

"Yes but... they couldn't all be evil, could they?"

"You say the Germans are..."

"N-No, I just say... t-the Nazis seem evil."

"Uh-huh."

Tom gave a grunt. "Alright, so I'm somewhat of a hypocrite. Be the bigger man, er- mare."

"Tom... we both read up on the griffins. They are literally built for violence. They don't deny this."

"Maybe there's something to them besides war..."

"Like humans?" Dashie laughed. "Tom, humans weren't built for anything. You just happen to get into a lot of wars... the griffins on the other hand..." She winced slightly. "Anyway, nuff' talkin' bout this. Check out what I learned!"

With that, she did a very basic midair backflip, all the while grinning.

"Oh crap! You nailed it!"

"Darn right I did," beamed. "I can do it better than any other pegasus could, and I've flown like half the time they have!"

"Heh, yeah-"

Suddenly, a series of shouts came from across the playground.

"That's right, we know you hurt Cloudfoot. He plays alone with you for an hour then has to go to the nurse! Explain that!"

"H-He scratched himself on a tree thorn, I swear!"

"Likely story," the bully growled, as more and more pegasi surrounded the crowded griffin.

"Oh no..." Tom gulped, glancing at the hopeless theme before turning towards Dashie. "Rainbow, you have to do something!"

"Why? What if she really did-"

"You know darn well she's innocent. She's like a shrinking violet, why would she hurt anyone?"

"I dunno, Tom..."

He narrowed her eyes. "Put yourself in her shoes.... metaphorically speaking, don't they seem awfully familiar?"

Rainbow gave a grunt.

"You always say that the pegasi were born to fight for those weaker than them. Well now's the chance to gain some honor! Suffering any bully isn't either of our fortes."

She glanced away from him, taking a deep breath.

"Come on, Rainbow. It's what your dad would have wanted."

Suddenly, her eyes widened, before narrowing once again.

"You're right."

And suddenly, like a streak of lightning, she was in the middle of the ring of pegsai, all the ready to pounce on the defenseless griffin.

"Leave her alone!" Dashie growled.

The crowd gave a cry of bafflement. "You of all people are defending her?"

"You're darn right I am!" she cried. "Did any of you boneheads bother to check Cloudfoot to see if he might have the same story you've made up?"

"The evidence is enough!"

"You're all acting irrational. You're taking out your hate on this defensless griffin because you're stereotyping her... I'm not, so why the heck are you? What gives you the right, huh? You lose your father, grandfather, whole family to them?"

The group remained silent, glancing at each other occasionally.

And silently, they seemed to come to an agreement, before sauntering away.

Dashie then turned to a weeping Gilda, smiling. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Y-Yes," she croaked. "T-That was very brave of you."

"And it was very brave of you to come to this school." Dashie then grinned. "Hey, wanna come hang out a little after school? I bet that homework you're getting is tought for someone who doesn't live in Equestria."

Gilda blinked in bafflement. "You'd do that?"

"Who wouldn't? Come on, let's see what kind of flight tricks you have!""

And in the distance, Tom smiled warmly.

Tom stood motionless after travelling down memory lane.

"-Germans forcefully deporting Jews from Germany, France, Poland, and the Netherlands. This is thought to be of Hitler's 'final solution.' A barbaric ploy. In other news, Italian and German troops continue to march on Greece, as every free nation in Europe braces for invasion...

"Tom?" Dashie said, his imagination going haywire.

"[Greek] Artillery, open up!"

Shells filled the sky. The shells fell...

[Italian] "Keep moving! Keep moving! Pick a target and fire in five seconds..."

Twenty Italian tanks crossed a blackened field, opening fire and decimating Greek defensive formations."

"Mommy... where's daddy going?" a little girl cried, as an aging man wearing a golden Star of David on his uniform was escorted from her home.

"H-He'll just be going away for a while, sweetie," the mother weeped. "Just a little while..."

"But why?"

The mother narrowed her eyes. "B-Because they think he's different... than you and I."

"But why is that a bad thing?"

...

"I don't know."

"Dashie," Tom finally said, narrowing his eyes in determination.

"Yeah?"

"What did you always say about what the strong should do?"

"Easy! It is the duty of a pegasus to protect those who deserve it. Weak or strong."

"And what have I always say about bullies?"

"That they don't do the world any good."

"Who is Hitler?"

"A bully."

"And Hitler isn't just a bully, but a liar - he's got his whole country twisted around his thumb."

A small smile came to Dashie's face. "What do you propose we do about this?"

"A long time ago my father said he wanted to see me fly. Of course he meant metaphorically... and I wasn't sure fighting Germans in a country that wasn't even mine was doing that. But now I see..."

"Both of ours wanted it, and I succeeded!"

"And now we'll both fly higher than ever before. The Nazis started the war. The Nazis are doing horrible things to their own people and the people they conquer. No... sometimes you have to stand up for what you believe in, instead of sitting in the sidelines."

"So... what's the plan?"

Suddenly, Tom snagged his old flight helmet from a nearby table. "Take a guess."

Dashie gave a shiver, still glancing at her shot-through wing. "I-I still don't want to kill anything Tom... and I really want to go home. You're right, I should be back there fighting for Equestria..."

"But you have a good fight here ahead of you! One worthy of a pegasus. You won't even need to kill anyone if we do this right!"

Dashie took a deep breath. "You're right. Saddle up pardner, cus it's game time. And this is a game we'll play to win! HOORAH!"

Desert Storm

Months Later

The Breaking of the German Siege of Tobruk, North Africa

"Oooh bloody-"

BAM!.!.!

An artillery shell was thrown across a trench, morphing into a titanic explosion a brief second later. Ten soldiers winced inside of it, ducking their heads to the ground as a rain of dirt fell down upon them.

"Looks like you were right, Niles!" one of them cried.

"I told you they had a fix!" he yelled, as another artillery shell made a crater behind them.

"And they expect us to make a charge? Fuck that! I'm not making myself target practice!" another soldier growled.

Another soldier narrowed his eyes, him with the distinct feature of wearing a helmet with a sergeant's insignia. "We have our orders. If we stay here we'll be hit eventually."

"We're not going to make it to those artillery positions! They're practically in Tobruk!" the third soldier growled.

"What about air support? Where's the god damned air support?!" Niles shouted, as the ear-piercing whistle of another round of artillery dropped from above.

"Waxed, I bet. The Jerries have fighters everywhere."

"Then we should just retreat! Command needs to get their heads out of their asses," Niles cried. "They won't try to hit us if we retreat, right?"

"You're bloody right they will," the sergeant retorted. "Which is why we're moving-"

Suddenly, the sound no soldier wished to hear silenced him. The cranking of wheels... the growl of a massive engine.

The group of soldier's eyes widened as they peered above the trench. A Panzer tank was fast approaching them.

"I knew this would be a turkey shoot! I bloody knew it!" the first soldier cried.

The sergeant snapped towards him. "For the love of god, pull yourself together Andrew and get your grenades ou-"

RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!.!.!

"SHIT!"

"DOWN!"

Behind the soldiers, dirt was kicked into the air as the muzzles of the Panzer's machine guns blared for nearly ten seconds. When they finished, even the high edge of the wooden trench's wall behind them was chipped to pieces.

Niles couldn't hold it in any longer.

"GOD DAMN YOU, MONTY! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU-"

VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!

Suddenly, the soldier's snapped their heads behind them. Out of nowhere came a desert camouflaged Spitfire, streaking down from the skies like a hawk after prey. The familiar sound of artillery shells could be heard, but this time, they were falling ahead of the soldiers.

"Fuck yeah! Finally!" Niles cheered.

An explosion, though one eerily quieter than most others rocked the trench, followed by a feint sound of an electrical charge.

The machine guns of the tanks went silent, as did its engines and treads. The only left to be heard was the thunder of the distant artillery.

"Weird, where's the shrapnel?" the sergeant said, lifting an eyebrow as he peered ahead of the trench.

The Panzer sat in the desert sands, completely immobile, but completely intact. The shattered remains of a bomb were nearby, but curiously, there seemed to be no crater.

The sergeant lifted an eyebrow. "Odd..."

Suddenly, the hatch of the Panzer lifted up, and the crew of the tank began to scramble out, all looking like they were ready to punch out every Allied soldier.

"Well, don'ts matter hows that tank is not movin'..." a cockey accent proclaimed.

"Right," the sergeant nodded. "Take aim and fire when I do."

The group of ten soldiers nodded, and each lifted their rifles above the trench, aiming towards the five-German crew.

"[German] Surrender!" the sergeant called.

Immediately upon hearing this, the crew shouted to each other before turning about and dashing towards the German lines.

"Alright then..." the sergeant groaned, his finger beginning to curl around a familiar trigger.

However, the sudden sound of a new, and strangely female, voice interrupted him.

"Uh - I know you humans love your guns and all, but how about I handle this?"

"Who the bloody hell is that-"

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash landed in front of the soldiers, her eyes narrowed. However, her mane no longer matched her name. It, along with her fur, were the colors of the desert.

"Holy shit!" Niles cried.

"Is that-"

"Yes, it's the talking pony," the sergeant said, as non-chalant as if he were reporting on the weather.

"Ugh, you know how much I hate when people say that? Hello! I'm one of many!" Rainbow Dash said, twirling towards them and rolling her eyes. "Whatever though, you guys stay put, it's time to stretch my wings!"

Before the soldiers could react, Rainbow had already turned about and was barreling towards the tank crew. Her flight was silent due to the many cracks of rifles and noise of battle, but naturally, she wasn't one to being sneaky...

"Yo, you guys ever see a pegasus before?!"

The crew turned their heads at that, and their eyes immediately widened. They shouted to each other a moment in German, before twirling about to face their new adversary as if she were just another Allied soldier. An Allied soldier soaring to them at the speed of a HE-109, kicking up desert dust as she flapped her wings.

"Hah, guess not! Shouldn't have listened to that Hitler guy! And you don't even have the defense that he's a good liar!"

In response, the crew quickly drew Lugers and brought them to bare.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like that's going to work."

With a quick thrust of her body downward, and then a mighty flap of wings, a magnificent cloud of dust was sent careening up all around her nearly twelve feet wide.

Three German soldiers took a shot right as it formed, though the other two held steady. Three bullets whizzed even faster than Rainbow before soaring through the cloud. Though no expected scream was heard... at least, not the one they were after.

"RAUUUUUGHHH!"

Rainbow suddenly twirled out of the top of the cloud, releasing a battle cry as she twisted and twirled in the wind. She glanced at the German's Lugers as she did so, her keen reflexes allowing her to anticipate the firing solution of the two who had not fired shots.

BAM!.!.!

She twirled to the right, two bullets whizzing by her. The other Germans began to re-aim, but by the time they could bring her to bare-

"Think fast!" Rainbow grinned, before sending a hoof into a German's stomach with enough force to send him, snarling, into the desert's sand. Rainbow was upon him like lightning, smacking the pistol out of his hands before slamming his head into the sand. He quickly went limp, though he seemed to still be breathing.

The other Germans, in the meantime, pivoted to face her, the barrels of their pistols trained upon her.

Rainbow grunted, before flapping her wings forward and kicking up a multitude of dust at them. The soldiers howled in rage at this, clearly blinded, as Rainbow roared forward.

"One..."

Rainbow kicked out a German's legs from under him before slapping away his pistol.

"Two..."

She then darted to the right, punching a recovering soldier in the groin before pushing him to the ground.

"AAAAGHHH!"

His cry seemed to alert the other two Germans, and though their eyes were shut and dripping with tears, they quickly turned towards her.

Rainbow's eyes widened, and thinking quickly, she immediately jetted to the ground, lying on the desert soil as the Germans sent two rounds above her.

At that, she got to her hooves, and using her wings and hooves combined ripped towards the remaining duo, snatching their pistols away from them before sending them into the dirt.

Rainbow took a deep breath at this, glancing about her to make sure no other threats were available, before turning back towards the trench. All ten of the the soldiers were watching her with stunned expressions.

"Yes, I know, five German soldiers with pistols versus one little ole' talking pony. Didn't stand a chance. Not bad, huh?" she said, grinning. "But don't you guys have some prisoners to be taking?"

"Uh... right!" the sergeant called, before signalling his men to move forward. They quickly surrounded the quintet of Jerries, their rifles trained on them. Most were barely recovering, and the ones who had gotten to their feet were now closing their eyes in shame.

"Man, these are some weird looking guns they have. Really boxy and stuff," Rainbow mused, curiously examining the Luger. "They're called pistols, right?"

"That's right, but those in particular are called Lugers," Niles smiled towards her.

"Oh, duh!" Rainbow chuckled. "Sorry, I'm still in Weapon Terms 101."

"Is nobody going to address that a mythological creature just captured us five prisoners?" Andrew said, lifting an eyebrow.

"We'll talk about it later," the sergeant sighed, before narrowing his eyes at the prisoners. [Germans] "You five, follow them."

He pointed towards two of his soldiers, who nodded before directing the Germans back towards their trench line.

Suddenly, a high-pitch whistle cried from the heavens again, causing even an ear-plug sporting Rainbow to flinch.

"Oh crap, everyone down, NOW!" the sergeant shouted, the entire party, even the Germans, complying. He then turned his head towards Rainbow, who had also dived into the sand. "Those batteries have been hounding us all fucking day. Killed two of my men."

"Sorry to hear that," Rainbow sighed, before smirking slightly. "But their deaths won't be in vain."

Before the sergeant could even respond, she was gone: a tan dot sailing upwards. The Spitfire from earlier, which had been circling the area, quickly moved towards her.

"Alright Tom, follow the painted pony!" Rainbow called, wincing in annoyance, before glancing at her tan coated self. "And I swear to god, if you lied to me about this stuff being permanent..."

Halting, and putting aside her disgruntlement and the annoying feel of the paint on her coat, she signaled for Tom to follow her before twirling about and careening towards the German lines.

There were multitudes of trenches, some near the town of Tobruk, where Rainbow was aware a batallion of British soldiers were making due against a tremendous siege, and some closer to the British lines. Tanks and tiny dots that were soldiers were moving about them, and muzzle flashes and tracer fire flew sporadically about.

However, Rainbow quickly put everything going on below out of her mind and fixed her glance upon the two pieces of artillery trained towards the ten British soldiers below. However, they were not alone...

Two small flak guns quickly twirled about, aiming towards Tom's Spitfire. She glanced back at him with a worried look, knowing full well what they were capable of. Soon, streaks of light soared by her, exploding into brilliant balls of black all about, as if they planned to block out the blue sky above.

Tom rolled to the side, and the guns began to turn, their crews frantically reloading as their commander, in a panicked tone, cried:

[German] "Faster! Faster! Reload!"

Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Uh... sorry to interrupt, but it's not the plane you should be worried about."

CRACK!.!.!

The commander flew backwards, blood dripping out of a broken nose.

However, at the same time the flak crew finished loading, they turned towards Rainbow. They quickly let out gasps of horror and awe, and froze in place.

Rainbow rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I know, this paint job sucks!" Rainbow growled, before thinking a brief second, smiling, and calling:

[German] "Surrender!"

The gun crew, still stunned, blinked to themselves, before slowly drawing their weapons and placing them on the ground.

Rainbow sighed in relief, though her eyes quickly widened.

Two had refused to comply... those mounting the guns.

They moved to fire at the approaching Spitfire...

Needless to say, Rainbow was not happy.

"You know, if there's one thing I've learned about you Nazis..."

SNAP!.!.!

The arm of one was twisted, broken, as the owner let out a tremendous shriek.

"It's that you break easily."

CRACK!.!.!

Another's head was smashed into the structure of the flak cannon, before falling, a second later, to the ground.

Rainbow took a deep breath, before glancing up at the Spitfire that was now free to barrel downward towards the artillery cannons.

She quickly gave a sarcastic salute. "From Torchwood with love, baby."

At that, two bombs sailed to the ground from the plane, though as Rainbow observed, they gave no explosion... no sign that they were even 'bombs' at all. All that could be heard was something that sounded like an electrical discharge.

A second later, the guns went silent.

Sergeant Timothy Blake nodded his head as his group began to rise to their feet.

"I'm still not sure I want to believe what just happened..." Andrew said, shaking his head disbelief. "I thought the whole thing about the Pegasus was barmey..."

"Well, you should start believing in the unbelievable then," Sergeant Blake said in a serious tone. "It's the one thing bring this whole thing to an end..."

Two blue eyes watched in the distance under a black hood. Another figure stood by him.

"It's been nearly a year... and as I predicted, this war will carry on and on... too much blood has been shed for any of them to, what's the term? 'Let it slide'? Neither side is heroic... both have done horrible deeds, yet both seem to think they're in the right." He turned towards the figure. "It's a flaw of human nature... they do not like to question themselves. They are chaotic... and you and I both know, with the rate technology is increasing, these wars will only become deadlier. It's time to bring order to the chaos."

"They won't come with you peacefully, you know. I'll tell them what you have planned," Arty said.

"Will you try to stop me if I decide to take them by force, brother?"

"Unless you do a little 'questioning' of your own, it will come down to that."

"After all I've done for you..."

Arty gave a glare. "Oh, you mean this, huh? I never asked, you know."

He tugged at a glowing blue crystal hanging around his neck.

"You were dying... there was no other way."

"And I wanted it! I wanted to talk with God..."

"God," the blue-eyed figure chuckled. "After all these years..."

Arty gave a grunt. "Seeing... is believing."

"Of course. Though see what's before you... there is no God. And if there is, 'he' hates both worlds. Meeting him would have been worse than dying..."

"We both know that immortality didn't come for my sake. It came for yours. 'Emotions always cloud judgement. Emotions are the root of chaos... of war.' Face it, you couldn't allow yourself to face my death, because it would make you face what you yourself have burried."

The blue-eyed figure remained silent.

"And I think you're wrong. Look at them... Tom, a being of vengeance, fighting with non-lethal weaponry..."

"Hah. Torchwood didn't supply it out of the kindness of their hearts. Jack Harkness is more than he appears. Quite a few tanks lying around to be... 'borrowed'."

"And Rainbow Dash doing the same, just for the sake of wanting to protect her friend."

"Exceptions. Nothing more," the brother grunted. "Why is it that you think they're using that weaponry? To break the so-called 'cycle of hatred'. They hate war just as much as I do. As you do." He turned back towards the battlefield, relaxing his voice. "And if I were to explain my plan in detail, I bet they'd come peacefully."

Distant Fields

Distant Fields

Dear Journal,

Eh... you're not really a journal but whatever. I guess I'll just start typing. Reason? Well, the drome's shrink thinks it'll help us lower our stress if we write our thoughts out, even if they're only going to be kept personal.

Hmmm..

Well... at least I hope they will... if Arty ever finds these logs he's never gonna let it down. Going to let it*.. meh, whatever. Why should I bother with proper grammar, anyway? Nobody... or nopony as she used to say, (heh), is ever going to read these anyway. Besides, why use proper grammar in the first place as long as people can still understand what your sayin?

Whoops, I think I've gone off the rails a bit.

Anyway, to get back on topic, I should make a note here to burn these when I'm done, Arty won't ever be able to find them that way. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust and all that good stuff... unless Arty really is one of them magic British Wiccan folk I've heard of. Sounds crazy, but crazy is something I've been introduced to in the past. Basically, what I'm sayin is that If you're reading this Arty, Im onto you.

Alright, enough rambling. Time to get to the juicy bits.

I guess I'll start by saying it's time like these that I really miss her, my good ole friend. Heh, I haven't even flown my first sortie and yet... god I wish she were beside me. I still remember the time I met her, oh so long ago but there before my eyes whenever I want it to be, so vivid it's like it was just yesterday.

Mmmmph...

Well that was uncharacteristically poetic of me. I'm a simple man, nevermore. Anyway, here's what went down:

Before him, all a young Thomas Mayflower could see were bright yellow cornstalks, them flowing lightly in a warm Alabama summer's breeze as he made his way through their towering presences. He giggled as he held up a menacing looking rifle before taking a couple of shots at a gray longcoat wearing soldier who had suddenly popped out of the corn before him, his gun jutting towards his shoulder and emitting two loud bangs.

"Take that, ya lousy hun!"

With that target down, he quickly twirled about, his eyes going wide as he two more fully grown, gas mask wearing soldiers charged towards him, their guns as real to him as his, and their shining black boots tramping down in the dirt. With that, a sense of panic came over him.

"Gotta get back to base!" he shouted desperately to nobody in particular.

With that, he turned about and began to run, the body of the previous soldier he had downed no longer there. Despite the fact the soldiers were twice his size, when he looked over his shoulder he saw he had made it ahead of them by a large margin. He grinned at his success before beginning to zig-zag as the two soldiers began to take shots at him. Rifle bullets kicked up dirt and tour through corn-stalks all around him, the enemy naturally being terrible at aiming.

"My pa could shoot better than you guys blindfolded!" he called, turning his head again and sticking out his tongue at the black gas masked figures.

He heard inhuman growls from them before he picked up his pace; eventually growing so far ahead he made a gut call that they he probably wasn’t even visible anymore. With that, he made a quick left and jutted down a long path between two rows of corn, hoping the soldiers would pass right by him. One of the gas masked soldiers seemed to grow a brain at that point, however, and began tracking the light tracks the young child made, following his turn.

Thomas' eyes grew wide at this. With that, he twirled about, dropped to one knee, brought his rifle to his shoulder, and looked down its sights. At the same time, the figure raised its own rifle menacingly.

"Should have followed yer buddy!" Thomas called, before preparing to pull the trigger.

However, before he did so, he caught something peculiar out of the corner of his eyes. He looked towards it, and through the swaying corn stalks he saw something moving towards the soldier. He couldn't make out exactly what it was, but its odd color was easily noted: light blue.

"Hiiiiiyaaaa!" a voice yelled as a something darted out of the nearest row of corn to his right, straight at the gas-masked figure. Strangely though, it didn't seem to disturb the corn as it did so, and the same went for his soldier. Instead, it leapt upwards a foot or so before flying right through it. At this point, he could see what it was, and he couldn't believe his own eyes. It was a small, light cyan pony, probably a filly.

He raised his eyebrows. A talking pony? Why had he imagined that of all things?

The pony grunted in disappointment at its failed tackle before actually standing on hind legs and attempting to bring two hooves down upon the soldier. However, those too went right through it. His eyebrows rose even further. He had never seen ponies do that before either... but then again, it did talk.

At this point, the soldier was no longer reacting. Instead, it was actually starting to fade from existence as Thomas’ mind’s full attention was turned on the pony. After all, it was just his imagination’s creation.

"Hey, what gives?!" the pony complained, its voice a bit high-pitched and squeaky though not annoying. Instead, he actually found it to be sort of adorable.

Sensing that this figment of his mind was not hostile like the soldiers, Thomas began to creep towards it slowly, holding his wooden gun in a neutral stance as he did so. The pony seemed to take notice of his presence at that point, causing Thomas to halt in his tracks, gripping his toy rifle nervously. Something seemed wrong. This... this pony didn't feel like it was a part of his imagination, yet how could she (it sounded like a she) see the soldier he had conjured up, and how had it not moved the corn stalks when it passed through?

"You're not going to disappear too, are you?" she asked, quirking her head at him slightly. She then sighed, shaking it in a slightly exasperated manner before looking down towards the ground and kicking at the dirt with a hoof. "Man, this is the weirdest dream ever..."

Thomas raised an eyebrow at this curiously. Apparently his imaginary friend was a bit confused, though still, she didn't seem to be that mean.

"Well uh... I can't really disappear," Thomas said slowly. "Because I'm real. The soldier was just a part of my imagination."

"Yeah you can! You'll disappear when I wake up!" the young pony squeaked matter-of-factually, gaining an annoyed glance from Thomas.

"This aint any dream. You're part of my imagination!"

The pony shook her head, the rainbow colored mane she had flowing about. It was another peculiar thing about her. He had never seen any pony with such a colorful complexity before. This was all just too strange... he had imagined some weird things before, but they were all based around things he had seen. The soldiers he was fighting, for instance, were based around pictures of foreign troops he had once seen in school.

"Nuh uh!" she said.

"Yuh huh!" Thomas replied.

The pony then smirked. "Well then, if I'm part of your imagination then make me disappear!"

Thomas frowned. "How about you make me disappear then, if I'm part of your dream!"

"Fine!" the pony huffed.

"Fine!" Thomas grunted.

With that, he saw the pony squint as if she was entering a mode of deep concentration. Thomas soon did the same, trying his best to force the pony from existence. It wasn't anything personal, she seemed somewhat nice, and had also tried to save him from the soldier he had conjured up (although he didn't really need it so), but his pride wasn't going to allow him to be beaten by any figment of his imagination, so he'd just make her go away for a second to prove to her that he was the real deal... and then bring her back right afterwards. After telling his mind to do just that, he then opened his eyes, expecting her to be poofed into nothingness, only to see she was still there.

After a second, she opened her eyes as well before letting a bit of steam out of her snout in what Thomas guessed was annoyance.

"How come you're still here?!" she cried.

Thomas frowned at that. "How come you're still here?!"

"I don't know!" she said.

"Well neither do I," Thomas huffed before turning away from her, his arms folded as he held his wooden rifle with one hand. After a quick second though, a slight smile crept on his face. At the very same time, a flock of butterflies were beginning to fly from his stomach to his throat.

He then began to chuckle... and that chuckle quickly swelled to a laugh.

"What's so funny?" the pony's voice said, it sounding a bit agitated.

Thomas turned around to meet her, his laughter dying but his smile never following. "It's just... both of us are trying to make the other going away when... well... maybe we're both real?"

The pony narrowed her eyebrows. "B-But... you're just something in my dream!" she said, exasperated. "I remember falling asleep just a second ago... How could you be real?"

Thomas shrugged. "I'm not sure, but like my pa always says, 'there's some things in life ya just can't explain'. Maybe this is one of em'."

"I've never even seen anything like you before, though.. what are you?"

"Well I'm..." Thomas lowered his eyebrows, lifting and tilting his head upward in a thinking position. "I'm a person!" he finally concluded. "But... how could you never hear of a person before? You're a pony!"

The pony made what looked like a shrug at that. "I've never heard of any creature called a person before, sorry."

Thomas then brought a hand to his chin, a lightbulb switching on over his head. "Well, I guess that makes sense. You've never heard of a person before and I've never heard of a talking pony that can go right through corn stalks like it aint nothing." His eyebrows then rose at that. "Wait, are you a ghost pony?!"

"Nope, I'm a pegasus pony!" she said, her voice laced with pride as she wiggled a set of pint-sized wings attached to her. They sort of looked like a chicken's to Thomas.

The young boy smirked with a narrowed eyebrow. "Hey, pegasuses aren't ponies! They're horses!"

The filly stuck her tongue out. "Nuh uh! I'm as much of a pegasus as a pegasus gets, and one day I'm going to be the fastest flier in all of Equestria!"

"Equestri-wah?" Thomas said, blinking.

The pony narrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "You've never heard of Equestria, before?” She then gazed about her curiously, as if that would explain where her present position was. “Where am I, then?"

"You're in Tristone, Alabama," Thomas announced, a small smile forming on his lips.

"Oh..." the pony said. "Well, I'm not really sure where that is... but I guess it doesn't matter anyway. I know this is just a dream. I'll be up soon in my own bed back in Cloudsdale."

"B-But..." Thomas said, ignoring the fact she had just mentioned another strange location. "What if you are a ghost? I mean... you can move right through stuff..."

"Don't say things like that! That's a scary thought..." the pony said, shivering slightly.

Thomas put on an apologetic frown. "Sorry..."

"You'd better be," she teased, a mischievous grin crossing her face. "Cus if I were a ghost, I might come and haunt you!"

She then took a menacing step forward. Thomas put on a look of playful fear. "No! Anything but that!"

The pony gave a playful growl before pouncing towards him. "You better run! Here I come!"

With that, the filly began to chase the young boy, them prancing about all day as if they had known each other for years despite their unusual circumstances, their giggles echoing throughout the corn field under a fading sky.

It's sort of weird how I never even asked her her name before we got right to it. I guess she was just so... open to friendship. Hmph, ya know, now that I'm thinking, I'm REALLY glad the shrink isn't asking to see these notes. I'd look nuttier than the Three Stooges in a walnut factory. Hehe, and just wait til I get a little further in time too, gooooood lordie. Anyway, guess I'll type up a bit more tomorrow, I'm feelin like a drink or two...

Hmm...

I wonder if Arty is still hangin out in the woods. Maybe he's finally stopped spending his money on those weird herbs and will have enough to buy a scotch with me for once.....

Across the Void

Across the Void

So... training is finally over. I'll be on actual combat alert tomorrow. It's a bit quick of a jump, but the Brits need every pilot in the sky they can get, and that includes lil' ole me. The Spitfire's a nice plane, or so the instructor has told us. It's definitely better than the old crop dusters they first had us flying, I'll give it that. They say she turns better than the hun 109's, so at least we have them beaten on the maneuverability front. We also have more guns than em' on our planes, and the more guns the merrier I suppose....

Still...

Though I hate to admit it...

I'm as yellow as a schoolboy on his first date right now.

It's not a bad thing though, right? Captain Harkness always says that a little fear won't kill ya. I think I get where he's comin from, too. It keeps the mind sharp and the body quick, but it sure isn't helpin' me sleep right now. What good is having a bit of fear in ya when having zero sleep will royally screw you anyway? I guess that's why I'm here, typin' away my thoughts in the R&R area at two in the mornin. I dun feel guilty though, everyone else is still wide-eyed.

Guess I'll continue off where I was yesterday, thinkin bout back before I got mixed up in another country's war. After me n' the pony played for a bit, eventually we made our way back to mah house. At this point, despite the fact she had the ability to walk through solid matter, I was thoroughly convinced she wasn't just a figment of my imagination. Crazy, right? Heh, mom didn't really think so. I guess she knew kids a lot more than I gave her credit for.

"Thomas, where have ya been all day?" His mother called as he entered the kitchen, her currently working on some sort of culinary masterpiece at the counter, or at least they always were to him.

"Playin' in the corn fields. Managed to kill me bout two huns!" he beamed proudly.

His mother gave him a worried glance at that. "Two huns, huh?" she said slowly. "You sure there aren't any other imaginary games you'd rather be playing?"

Thomas thought for a second before putting on a gleeful grin. "Well... actually... I kind of met someone today."

He gestured towards the multi-colored maned pony, standing behind him and glancing about the kitchen curiously. His mother looked to where he pointed, a confused look crossing her face for a second before she put on a knowing smile.

"Ooooooh, I see. And what is your friend's name?"

Thomas thought for a second before realizing that he hadn't actually asked. He then glanced towards the pony, a slightly guilty though curious expression on his face. "Hey uh... what is your name, anyway?"

"Rainbow Dash!" she said proudly, before moving over towards Thomas' mother. "Nice to meet you, miss Thomas' mom."

"Heeeeeeeeyyyy...." Thomas said. "How did you know my name? I never told ya it!"

Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Your mom just said it a second ago, ya dummy!" she then glanced about the room with mock wonder. "Unless there's another Thomas in the room?"

"Oh... uhhhh..." Thomas blushed slightly. "I knew that!"

"Suuuuuureeee," she giggled.

Thomas turned back to his mom at that, her holding a bemused look on her face. "Your friend seems very nice, Thomas. Would you two like to help me make dinner?"

"Well, I'll definitely help but... Rainbow Dash can't really... touch stuff."

His mom chuckled at that for some reason before saying. "Oh, is she a ghost then?"

"Heeeeeeeyyy..." Rainbow Dash grumbled. "What's with everypony thinking I'm a ghost? I know I'm not dead or nothing!"

"It's alright Rainbow, I know your not a ghost," Thomas reassured her. He then turned back towards his mother. "If it's alright, ma, I'd like to show Rainbow round the house a bit. She aint from this world and dun know about all the neat stuff we have."

"Oh, so she's a spaceman then," his mother said, her bemused smile not faultering.

"A space pony," Thomas corrected, holding up a finger.

His mom chuckled at that, though she raised a slight eyebrow. "Ahhhh, I see. Well, that's alright dear. Go ahead and give her the tour before it's time to eat. Your pa should be home pretty soon."

"Thanks, ma!" Thomas said.

With that, the two left the kitchen and made their way into the adjacent living room.

"Your house is really weird," Rainbow said. "Nothing's made of clouds and it's got all these strange thingies I've never seen before." She gestured towards a nearby radio at that.

Thomas chuckled. "So, my house is the one that's weird huh?"

Rainbow ignored the comment, tilting her head slightly in curiosity at the nobbed device. "What is this thing anyway?"

"Its called a radio," Thomas explained. "You can hear people talkin from miles away with it."

"Can you talk back?" asked Rainbow.

"Well... no. You can only listen to em." With that, Thomas demonstrated how the radio worked by flipping a switch on its wooden side. Immediately, a powerful, but reassuring voice filled the room, though it still startled Rainbow slightly.

"Two months ago we were facing serious problems. The country was dying by inches. It was dying because trade and commerce had declined to dangerously low levels; prices for basic commodities were such as to destroy the value of the assets of national institutions such as banks, savings banks, insurance companies, and others......"

"Who's that?" Rainbow asked, her quickly recovering from her initial shock as the man continued to speak.

"He's called Roosevelt, the guy in charge of my country," Thomas said. A warm smile etched across his lips. "My pap always says he's gonna be the one to fix it up with somethin' he calls the New Deal."

"What's wrong with your country? Doesn't your prince take care of things?"

Thomas shook his head, a perplexed expression crossing his face. "Well... he's not really a prince. We don't really have princess' here, that's somethin' they had back in medieval times. He's called a president, I think."

"Your president must be kind of bad if he broke your country, then," Rainbow said.

"Well, he wasn't the guy who broke it," Thomas said. "My pap always says it was the 'fat cat money grubbing sons of-'" He paused at that. "Heh, I'm not really supposed to say the last word. Anyway, the ones who came before the current one were the ones who did it."

Rainbow's eyes widened at that. "So wait, your leaders don't stay leaders?"

Thomas shook his head. "Nope, they're elected every four years I think. Everyone around the country says who they want to be the leader and that person is made it. How's it like where you come from?"

"Well, we only have one leader, and she stays that way. Actually, I think she's been that way for like... forever."

The young boy raised an eyebrow. "Now that don't make sense. How can someone be a leader forever? Nobody can live that long."

"Our's can," Rainbow said, though Thomas could tell she wasn't trying to brag. "She does more than just lead, though. She controls the sun and the moon."

"You're pullin' my leg," Thomas laughed.

"I'm serious! At least, that's what everypony says."

"Well, that's the strangest thing I've ever heard," the boy said, bewildered. "Then again, I am talkin to a pony. Might as well just accept it."

The two giggled at that before a few seconds of silence filled the room.

"Hey Thomas..." Rainbow said.

"Yeah?"

"You don't think I'm... dead or somethin, right?"

Thomas threw her a look of concern. "Of course not. I mean... if you were dead shouldn't you be in pony heaven or something like that?"

Rainbow smiled at that. "You mean the Great Galloping Planes?"

"Well, whatever they call it where you come from."

"I guess that's true...." Rainbow said, before glancing away from him slightly. "But... what if there aren't any Galloping Planes?"

"That's just crazy talk. Gotta be some place ya go when you die, and my pa always says that 'we're rewarded for our struggles as long as we keep our dignity.'" Thomas said. "And I can tell you're a good person, pony... whatever, and since all good persons go to heaven, the same should be true with ponies."

"But... how else can I explain all this?" Rainbow asked. "I've never had a dream like this before. I don't want to stay here forever..."

Thomas put on a disappointed frown at that. Did she not really like him or something?

Rainbow Dash took notice of it before smiling slightly. "That doesn't mean I don't want to stay here a bit! I like you, Tom, you're a lot nicer than many of the pegasi I know..."

The young boy brightened at that, though he quickly narrowed his eyebrows. "Why would anyone not be nice to you?" Tom asked, his voice filled with an almost brotherly concern.

Rainbow looked away from him at that. "It's nothing..."

The young boy smiled her way. "Come on, you can tell me."

The pegasus glanced at him hopefully. "You won't make fun of me if I do, right?"

"I wouldn't make fun of anyone unless they deserved it," Tom stated. "It aint like a gentleman to do so."

"Well, alright... I'll tell you." Rainbow then sighed shamefully before looking towards her two chicken-like wings. "It's cus... I'm stunted..."

"Stunted?"

"It means my wings aren't growing as fast as the other fillies'..." she said softly. "A lot of others can fly already but... I'm stuck as a dodo."

Thomas threw her a look of sympathy, before narrowing his eyebrows slightly. "If I knew the ponies who were makin' fun of you for that, I'd definitely give em' a talkin too."

"Why? It's true... I am a dodo...." she said, her eyes growing a bit moist. At the look of them, Tom's righteous anger continued to swell in him.

"I don't care watcha are. Nobody should be makin' fun of someone for somethin' out of their control. Besides, I don't think it's anything to be ashamed of."

"How's it not something to be ashamed of? I mean sure... you can't fly, but I'm a pegasus! We were born for the skies."

Thomas threw her a stern look. "You said you were gonna be the fastest flier in Equestria one day, so you know what that makes me think?"

Rainbow Dash stood silent.

"I think when you finally can fly, you're gonna work ten times harder than anybody else to become the best you can be just to shove their words in their faces. Am I right about that?"

The pony then looked towards him, a slight smile forming once again as she brushed away a few tears. "Yeah... you're right." Her smile then widened, it becoming one of resolve. "In fact, I'm going to be freakin' awesome!"

Heh, I was a wise little kid sometimes, though it was my pa's doing really. I used to hang off his every word, and I'm glad I did so. From that moment forward, me and Rainbow Dash would have each other's backs, though neither of us knew it at the time. There was much we had to learn of each other and of our special connection, one I still don't understand to this day. However, I do know for a fact that it was real, and so was she.

Britain's Blue Angel

"[German] Yes, that's right command, we have broken through the British flight. However... our losses are high. We only have two bombers remaining in our flight. The rest have either retreated or have been shot down. Our fighters are still engaging the enemy."

"[German] Unfortunate, Kaiser-2. We're sorry for your losses. However, Cardiff is still open to you. You will likely face relatively light defenses. The choice is yours"

"I lost many friends on the way here... though it will not be in vain. We have enough firepower to finally destroy their Spitfire factory. With it gone, their numbers will decrease exponentially."

"If you can take the shot, do it. However, make sure to minimize civilian casualties."

"I can, and understood. Heil Hitler. Colonel Klink - Out."

The captain of the German bomber 'Himmer's Fury' turned about, facing his crew of six. "This is it. All or nothing. Now or never. If we complete our objective, every Spitfire taken down will take longer to replace. We'll be saving a lot of lives."

"And taking a lot of there's, I hope," another German growled. "Why do we care so much about minimizing civilian casualties? Are we trying to lower their morale or not?"

"It's the Fuhrer's orders, Schultz, and you're the one who loves him so much."

"[English]Well hey! That's great!" a new voice called, right from outside the bomber's cockpit window.

The crew's eyes widened. Klink swiveled about, only for his jaw to nearly fall off.

"[English]Now why don't you punks turn around before more people get hurt, huh?!" Rainbow Dash grinned.

The crew continued to remain silent, until finally, a gunner spoke:

"[German]What in the shit is that?"

"Looks like a flying horse."

"Wow, that's genius of you to point out. But one problem: when the fuck have flying horses ever existed?! Horses that could talk?!"

"Captain Klink, what did the horse just say?"

"[English]Hey! What the heck are you all saying?" Rainbow Dash grunted. "Can't any of you speak Equestr- English?!"

Klink shook his head in disbelief. "[German] It uh... it uh wants us to turn around... and speak English."

"[German] Fuck that! We didn't just take a hundred casualties for some god damned mythology creature to send us packing. God damnit, I need a cigarette..." Schultz snarled, folding his arms.

"Seriously, what's going on? Am I dreaming?" the gunner asked. "And why is the horse kind of cute?"

"[English] That's it, either you guys start talking, or I'm taking this thing down the hard way!" Rainbow Dash growled, narrowing her eyes.

Klink finally composed himself at this point, clearing his throat. "[English] Listen, I do not know what in the hell you are, but we have a mission to complete. If you try to impede us, we will turn your guns on you."

"I'd like to see you try," Rainbow Dash grinned.

"[German] Fuck this, no more negotiating," Schultz snarled, moving to the intercom and flicking it on. "Red Baron, shoot the god damned children's cartoon outside our window."

"Belay that order!" Klink cried.

However, it was too late. The side-gun of the second bomber, the Red Baron, flying alongside the Himmer's Fury suddenly came to life, and a brilliant stream of yellow tracers were sent Rainbow's way.

Barely catching this out of the corner of her eye, Rainbow gasped and quickly moved to the other side of the Himmler's Fury, blocking the Red Baron's fire.

"I knew it was going to be the hard way!" Rainbow snapped. "You humans don't know jack about me, but I know all about you! Nobody's dying on my watch!"

With that, the twin machine-gun on the bombers side twisted towards her.

"Oh no you don't!" Rainbow growled, as the gun opened fire.

Almost as fast as the bullets coming from it, Rainbow sped away from the bomber, moving in a twirl to avoid the gun's bite.

[German]" Hah, scared the bitch off," Schultz grinned, hanging onto the handles of his gun. "I don't know what kind of English trick this shit is but if this is all they're going to throw at us... this island will be ours in a month!"

"Mph, we have no idea what we're dealing with here..." Klink grunted. "I'd turn back now, but you're right, we must not allow her to impede the mission. Shoot her on sight if she returns."

Schultz put on an evil smirk. "Thought you'd never-"

He quickly snapped his mouth shut when he saw what was ahead of him.

Rainbow Dash was grinning, waving at the bomber in front of a massive storm cloud she was putting together with lightning speed.

"It can move clouds?!" one of the gunners cried. "Now that is some neat stuff. Look how fast she's going! I can barely see her!"

"Oh for fucks sake, you're complimenting her?!" Schultz snapped.

"Performing evasive maneuvers," Klink groaned, before flicking on the radio. "Red Baron. The... the pegasus may be quick, but we can still take her down. Lead your shots and fill the area before her with lead. Avoid the thundercloud if possible."

Outside the plane, Rainbow Dash smirked at their maneuvers. As she had guessed, they were slow when it came to turning. However, their gunners certainly weren't.

"Oh crap," she gulped.

Suddenly, she found herself in a maelstrom of turret fire, yellow lights whizzing every which way around her as she struggled to complete the thunder cloud.

"This better work... electricity... that's what Tom called it. Shorts out mechanical stuff.... come on..."

As she sighed with relief, the bombers finally began moving through the massive thunderstorm she had gathered, despite their attempts to avoid it.

"Yes, come on! Come on!"

However, though she expected them to drop out of the sky, to her widened eyes, they emerged from the other side.

"Ugh! You've got to be kidding me! That storm had plenty of lightning..."

At that, she glanced ahead of her. The city of Cardiff lay before her, taking her in awe. She had seen human cities before with Tom, the capital of Alabama for one thing, but she could never fly too high without losing the link... this was the first time seeing them so high.

It was also her first time seeing tracer fire flying from the ground. The British were fighting back.

"Ugh, damnit, just let me handle this!" she growled.

And far below on the ground, Tom winced to himself. "Come on Rainbow... just give up before you're hurt..."

However, Rainbow wasn't through yet, though the bombers were now right over a large building below.

[German] "Good fix on the target... opening bombay doors," A German said within.

"Let's end this... and go home," Captain Klink sighed.

Rainbow gulped as she saw two bomb bays opening. She knew what that meant... she had seen videos of bombers in action before.

"No! The cycle isn't continuing, damnit! Not here, not anywhere!" Rainbow cried.

Narrowing her eyes in determination, she charged the two bombers from above, gripping her crossbow tight.

"Let's see how tough this thing is! RAUUUUUUUUUUGHHHHHHHH!"

As tracer fire soared around her, she sailed towards the right engine of the Himmler's Fury, and with one quick thrust, tossed her Crossbow into the propeller. Made of wood and metal, the crossbow quickly was torn to pieces, though it was still enough.

"Yeeeeeees!" Rainbow cheered.

The bomber was now listing towards the right, and seemed to be losing altitude, and had stopped shooting at her for a brief moment.

"[German] Everyone, bail out! Bail out!" Captain Klink cried. "Let's hope the British show us mercy..."

A hatch was open on the side of the plane, and soon the crew, donning parachutes, began to leap out. All save for Shultz.

"Shultz! Go!"

"Not yet! I have business to finish!" he snarled, before taking aim with his twin guns. "An eye for an eye, bitch."

The turret swiveled, and Rainbow was caught off guard. Before she could even move, a series of shots were fired her way, and a fountain of blood soared out of her wing.

"AGGGGGGGGH!" she shrieked, the pain piercing her like a knife, as she began to fall from the sky along with the bomber aside her.

"RAINBOW!" Tom shrieked, his eyes widening in horror. "No... nonono! Come on! You can fly with one wing, right?"

Rainbow was desperately trying, but stabilizing herself was proving to be impossible. Finally, after a minute of falling and struggling, she went limp.

"Sorry Tom... looks like I'll be leaving you again..."

She smiled slightly, however, as she eyed the second German bomber turning around... retreating. By sacrificing herself, she may have saved countless lives.

As two Spitfire pilots approaching her were fully aware of.