"Rainbow Dash! You call that a push-up? My grandma does better push-ups than that, and she's been dead for ten years!" Sergeant Spitfire's voice boomed across the training ground, echoing off the concrete walls of the obstacle course. Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth, pushing herself up one more agonizing inch. Every muscle in her arms screamed in protest, but giving up wasn't an option. Not now, not ever.

"Faster, Dash! You're slower than a snail in molasses!"

Molasses. Rainbow snorted internally. She could outrun molasses in her sleep. She could outrun anything in her sleep. Out loud, she just grunted, focusing on the burning in her biceps, the sting of sweat in her eyes. This was nothing. She could handle this. She had to.

"Look at Dash over there, practically vibrating with effort," a voice whispered near her. Rainbow recognized it as Soarin, another recruit from her unit. He wasn't bad, for a guy who preferred ground-based activities.

"She's gonna pop a blood vessel if she keeps that up," another recruit, Lightning Dust, added with a snicker. Rainbow felt a surge of irritation. Lightning Dust was fast, almost as fast as she was, but she had a mean streak a mile wide and an ego to match.

Rainbow ignored them both, focusing on Spitfire's commands. Ever since she was a kid, all she'd ever wanted was to fly. Real flying, not the pathetic imitation humans called "aviation." She wanted to feel the wind whipping through her hair, the sun on her face, the pure, unadulterated freedom of soaring through the open sky. When she'd heard about the Interdimensional Defense Force, about the possibility of other worlds, of magic, she'd signed up faster than a sonic rainboom.

Magic meant wings. She just knew it.

But first, she had to get through basic training. And Sergeant Spitfire seemed determined to make that as painful as possible.

"On your feet, maggot!" Spitfire barked, finally relenting. "And give me twenty laps around the obstacle course! Double time!"

Rainbow scrambled to her feet, ignoring the protests from her aching limbs. Twenty laps. Piece of cake. She'd show Spitfire what she was made of. She'd show them all.

She took off like a shot, weaving through the tire hurdles, scaling the climbing wall, crawling under the barbed wire with practiced ease. The other recruits struggled to keep up, their faces contorted in exhaustion. Not Rainbow Dash. This was what she was born for. Speed. Agility. Pushing herself to the limit.

"Show off," Lightning Dust muttered as Rainbow lapped her for the second time.

"Leave her alone, Dust," Soarin said, panting as he ran. "She's just... enthusiastic."

"Enthusiastic to get out of here and leave us all in the dust," Lightning Dust retorted. "You watch. The minute she gets what she wants, she's gone."

Rainbow ignored them, focusing on her pace, her breathing. She glanced at the sky as she ran, a clear, crisp autumn blue. So close, yet so far. She imagined soaring through those clouds, leaving the earthbound humans far below. Soon. Soon she'd be more than just a recruit. Soon she'd be flying.

"Dash! What in the sam hill do you think you're doing?" Spitfire's voice cut through her thoughts like a sonic boom. Rainbow skidded to a halt, her heart pounding. She'd lost count of the laps, caught up in her daydream. Bad move.

Spitfire stalked towards her, her face a mask of thunder. "Did I give you permission to stop, recruit?"

"No, Sergeant," Rainbow muttered, bracing herself for the inevitable punishment.

"Then why in the blue blazes are you standing there like a statue? Get moving! And this time, count your laps! If you lose count again, you'll be running until sunrise!"

Rainbow didn't need telling twice. She took off again, this time keeping a careful count. One. Two. Three. Each lap was a step closer to her goal, to the sky, to the magic that waited on the other side of the portal.

"She's gonna be insufferable if she actually gets to fly," Lightning Dust commented as Rainbow zoomed past again.

"Maybe," Soarin admitted, "but you gotta admit, she's got drive. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of whatever's on the other side of that portal if she's leading the charge."

Rainbow felt a surge of pride, even though she knew she shouldn't let their words get to her. She pushed through the burning in her lungs, the ache in her muscles, the exhaustion that threatened to pull her down. She wouldn't quit. She couldn't. This was more than just a dream. It was her destiny.

As she finished her final lap, collapsing onto the grass in a heap, she saw a flicker of something in Spitfire's eyes. Not approval, exactly. But something close to respect.

"Not bad, Dash," Spitfire grunted. "For a rookie."

Rainbow grinned, a flash of her usual cocky confidence returning. "Just wait 'til I get my wings, Sergeant. You'll see what real speed looks like."

Spitfire smirked. "Keep dreaming, recruit. You've got a long way to go before you're ready for anything other than push-ups." She turned to address the rest of the recruits, her voice booming again. "Alright, maggots! Next exercise! We're going to work on your aim. Not all threats come from the ground, you know."

As the recruits moved towards the firing range, Soarin jogged alongside Rainbow. "You really think there's magic on the other side?"

Rainbow looked at him, surprised. "You don't?"

Soarin shrugged. "I don't know. It's a lot to take in. Other dimensions, magic... I joined the IDF because I wanted to do something meaningful. Protect people. But this..."

"This is our chance to be something more," Rainbow said, her eyes fixed on the sky. "To do something no one's ever done before. To fly, Soarin. Really fly."

Lightning Dust, overhearing them, scoffed. "You're both delusional. There's nothing on the other side but more dirt and more people to boss around. And if there is magic, it'll be just another weapon. Another way to control people."

Rainbow frowned. She couldn't understand Lightning Dust's cynicism. Why join the IDF if you didn't believe in the possibility of something more?

"You're wrong," Rainbow said, her voice firm. "There's more out there than just power and control. There's wonder. There's adventure. There's..."

She trailed off, unable to find the right words. But she knew it in her heart. The portal wasn't just a gateway to another world. It was a gateway to a different kind of life. A life where she could finally be free.

As they reached the firing range, Rainbow picked up her rifle, her gaze drawn once again to the sky. The sun was beginning to set, painting the clouds in hues of orange and pink. A beautiful sight, but nothing compared to what she imagined waiting on the other side.

"Alright, listen up!" Spitfire's voice cut through the air. "Today, we're working on moving targets. Imagine those targets are flying creatures. Fast. Agile. Dangerous. You need to be faster. You need to be sharper. You need to be—"

"Ready for anything," Rainbow finished under her breath, a determined glint in her eyes.

She raised her rifle, took aim, and fired. The shot echoed through the training ground, a small sound in the vastness of the world. But for Rainbow Dash, it was the sound of a promise. A promise of wings. A promise of flight. A promise of a future she was determined to claim.

Author's Note

Sorry it took so long, honestly had no idea what to write, im not sure if the next chapter will be another Interlude or get back to Sunset but I feel as Rainbow and Twilight are likely going to the most important for future building