The day for forming new squads had arrived. Twilight felt a deep sense of disappointment at losing her new friends, but she knew this was inevitable. She still had the opportunity to hang out with them after training, and this experience would help determine if they could indeed be called 'true friends' even after graduation. Adding to that, the likelihood that they would be stationed in different locations made it even more apparent that the friendships formed during training might not endure.

One after another, recruits were called up in front to meet their new squad. Twilight paid them no attention, too deep into her own thoughts. She had improved so much throughout training, but the idea of losing her friends was something that brought back old memories. Only a small shove brought her out of it. Looking up, she saw Spear pointing her to the front; she had been called forward. Slowly making her way to the front, Twilight noticed that she was the first in her new squad, something she did not see coming. The first pony called would be the group's official leader, and she could already see the disgusted looks on some of the unicorns. Having two of those in her group made her almost sick.

"Recruit Spear Point!" Captain Shield Strike called out to Twilight's relief. At least she had one of her friends still with her. "Recruit Star Berry!" Twilight's smile grew. It looked like she was counted as a unicorn for her group, even though she had no magic. She could deal with one stuck-up unicorn. "Recruit Wind Sheer!" She recognised the name. He placed second in the competition. She expected somepony arrogant who would look down on her for stealing first place, but he looked confident and happy to be in her squad. 'Why is he not angry at me for taking his spot as squad leader?' She thought to herself.

Now came the time for everything to fall apart, the announcement of the unicorn of the group. "Recruit Glowing Field!" Twilight didn't recognise the name from the list, nor did the name sound particularly unicorn-like. Was she getting another earthpony on her team? Looking around, she spotted the unicorn walking through the crowd. Recognition struck; this was the unicorn that beat Star in the ring. Twilight noticed the looks she was getting; the same disgust was on the other unicorns' faces that were usually directed at her. But now, this unicorn was getting them, too. Had she just ruined another pony's life? Shield Strike waited patiently for them to stand before him before dismissing the group to get to know each other.

Once they found a quiet corner, Twilight broke the silence. "I'm sorry that you have to be in a group with me." Her gaze drifted to Glowing Field, who still held a smile on her face. "I bet the others will hate you for it."

"Are you kidding? A was afraid I would get stuck with one of those hoity-toity city folk." She said. The slight country accent was barely noticeable as she spoke. That was something that took Twilight by surprise; was she not from Canterlot? It explained the looks, at least. "Those rich folk have no idea how to get their hoofs dirty. Seen you on the obstacle course, no hesitation to crawl through the mud, I can get behind a pony like that. If you didn't hear, names Glowing Field." She looked around for a reaction, only getting confused looks. "A know it's an earthpony name, matters not to me, Pa works on a farm down in Ponyville, grew up on it after Ma died, so I'm more earthpony than most, name fits."

The white pegasus with a light blue mane and an interesting sword, that slowly turned into a cloud towards the tip, as cutie mark, was next to introduce himself. "Name's Wind Sheer. I'm from Ponyville as well. My father was part of the weather team but got injured during a freak storm coming from the Everfree Forest. Joined up to help keep the weather in check and support my family. So I'm curious, is it true you lost your magic? I watched you during the competition, and you never used any." Twilight nodded. "That's going to be trouble. With only one unicorn in the group, we're at a disadvantage compared to the other teams. I have some ideas on how we can make use of our setup if you don't mind me butting in; you're squad leader for a reason."

"Great another egghead," Star groaned. "If you start reading books that make my head hurt as well, I'm clobbering you." That got a laugh out of everypony.

"Not much of a reader. Books only tell you so much. The only way to learn is with real-life experience, something you three already have," he pointed a wing at the medal adorning their uniform.

The group settled into their new housing unit after introductions were complete. Twilight found herself smiling the entire time. Not only did she find some more potential friends, but they were all from Ponyville. A thought entered her mind, 'Is that what my brother meant? Will this be my future team in Ponyville?' It was a possibility; the odds that she would be grouped with the only unicorn from Ponyville were slim. Add in that Star was still with her, the pony that started her report to the Princess, and it all made sense. She would gather more information before telling them, for now, everything was simple speculation. Without concrete evidence, they would just dismiss her.

The training progressed steadily, with each squad receiving a straightforward schedule that included only a few mandatory activities. These comprised mainly of morning physical training sessions designed to build strength and endurance, along with classes focusing on proper guard behaviour. Beyond these required tasks, squad members were encouraged to pursue additional training and activities independently.

Twilight took the lead in guiding her squad, motivating them to push themselves further. They all demonstrated an eagerness to learn and grow, actively seeking opportunities to enhance their skills instead of settling for their current achievements. Whether through practice on their own or collaborating with each other during free time, they were committed to being the best squad of the recruits.

During one of their free practice sessions, things went off script. Another squad had challenged her group to a match, using the same rules as the competition. Initially, everything seemed normal, with her squad defeating their opponents one after another. Glowing Field, in particular, showed her combat prowess when she lifted her opponent out of the ring without using her magic. Twilight was sure she was even stronger than herself.

However, things took a turn when it was Twilight's turn to compete. She sensed something was amiss even before the bell rang, noticing the glint in the opponent's eye that hinted something unusual was about to happen. The beam of concentrated magic streaking toward her confirmed that fear. Her eyes went wide, not anticipating a full-on attack before the fight even started. Her body reacted on instinct, trying to dive out of the way, but it was already too late. She felt the impact of the spell on her side, the searing pain making her scream as it burned through her armour and hide alike.
Twilight heard the word of the other unicorn. It was faint, her senses filled with the agony of the wound the spell inflicted. "You should have stayed in the hole you crawled out of, useless pet." Soon after, she was pressed to the ground by the rest of the gathered ponies. "Get off of me! I can do what I want with this broken thing. It's her fault my parents are in the dungeons!" Her cries slowly ebbed away as Twilight lost consciousness.

She later awoke in the infirmary. As she recalled what had happened, she looked down and noticed the bandages covering her side. "Ah, good, you're awake," called a feminine voice. Twilight recognised it as Chief Medic Rapid Aid. "Captain Shield Strike wants to see you, so you better get up and go see him. Take it easy for a day or two, and come back to me if anything feels off."

Slowly looking between the doctor and her injuries, Twilight found her words again. "How bad is it?" She finally asked.
"You were lucky. Without your armour, you could have been severely injured. It took most of the force, so you only got a little burned; a quick healing spell was all it took to heal the wound. It will leave a scare, but that's all you have to worry about." Seeing Twilight's dejected look, she added, "It won't be visible under your coat, so don't you worry about it."

Carefully climbing out of bed, Twilight thanked the doctor before making her way to the Captain's office; her mind was already filled with doubt. Would she be expelled? Would she be punished for starting a fight? What had the others told the Captain? Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door before entering. "Recruit Twilight Sparkle, reporting as ordered," she announced, standing to attention and snapping a salute, slightly wincing in pain when she performed the motion.
"At ease, recruit. There's no need to harm yourself." Twilight relaxed her posture, and he continued, "How about you tell me what happened?"

Twilight explained that her group was challenged, which was common practice during the first weeks of squad training. Everypony wanted to gauge their standings in the rankings, and defeating a high-ranking squad could earn them bragging rights for the duration of the training. She detailed that everything proceeded smoothly until her match against the other unicorn. Shield Strike listened intently, not interrupting, while taking notes on everything she said. In the end, he dismissed her, assuring her that she had done nothing wrong. Twilight felt relieved to hear that and returned to her squad.

They welcomed her back as soon as she entered the building. "Up already?" Star asked, concern in her voice. "You looked pretty beat up when we rushed you to the infirmary."

Seeing the fearful expression on Twilight's face told them all they needed to know. "Don't worry, that bitch is never seeing the light outside a cell ever again. They have her locked up for attempted murder for now," Spear said, full well knowing what was on Twilight's mind. "That's gonna make them think twice before coming after you again." After that, they settled in for a relaxing evening, no pony in the mood for additional training after the day's events.

Author's Note

Reading over chapters 7 and 8 again, I can say I went a little bit hard on putting Twilight down. This might upset some people, but the story would be boring without any challenges to overcome. Harmony is not just going to give Twilight access to unlimited magic without throwing some tests her way, after all.
For those who still enjoy reading, I'm thankful for all your support and I'm not going to stop writing because of a few setbacks.

On another note, the next chapter will be delayed for a bit. I noticed I was skipping over a big part that needs to be flashed out more (some of you have already voiced their concern that I left important bits out of the story) and will likely get its own chapter.