Shadow and Flame

Fluttershy gave the bandage a sharp tug causing the pony whose waist she was wrapping it around to grunt and hiss in slight pain and discomfort.

"Oh hush you." Fluttershy said sternly but not unkindly before she ripped the bandage and tied it with her teeth and hooves to secure it.

"There. Now try not to strain yourself or the wound will open up again." She said to her patient with a firm look and the large lime green mare nodded.

The pink maned pegasus helped the larger patient out of the large tent and a few other ponies came over to take the wounded pony to the temporary barracks.

Fluttershy took a deep breath of the warm but sterile air and sighed heavily closing her eyes for a moment before taking a look around the leveled courtyard.

Five large tents were set up in the ruined courtyard, their pegs driven into the melted slag of the courtyard stones, two of them made of a sturdy blue cloth serving as medical tents for wounded Equestrians, two tents made of a similar grey material serving as the temporary barracks for wounded and exhausted soldiers to rest and recover and one red tent which had a few guards posted around it for the surviving Nightmares to be treated and held before being taken away to prisoner of war camps for interrogation and judgement.

The Silver dragon from the earlier battle sat just behind the red tent, now free of it's armour, preening itself, ready to release a breath of paralyzing gas should the prisoners get any ideas, though it's mere presence was more than enough to convince the occupants of the tent to behave.

The dragon stretched its wings with a slight flap causing the tents to rustle with a gust of wind that carried the scent of mountain air and winter flowers that clung to the Silver and it's flight.

The dragon noticed Fluttershy's eyes on it and paused it's grooming long enough to give her a respectful nod before resuming.

When Fluttershy had joined the military they had recognised her medical skills and had advanced it from healing various animals to care for the wounded soldiers and after some time in the military she had stared down a Copper dragon that had gotten a little too out of hand with it's choice of pranks and she had been assigned part time to handling the huge elegant creatures though normally they took care of themselves just fine.

Fluttershy smiled to herself then looked up at the broken battlements where the two Brass dragons had just flown over into the courtyard tucking in their manta-like wings to land, closely followed by a flock of pegasi carrying supplies and more tents.

As one of the Brasses strut past her Fluttershy spotted an unmistakable cyan pegasus exiting the second blue tent sporting a wide variety of bandages, a particularly large one wrapped around her right hind leg which she was limping on though she appeared to be hiding it rather well.

"Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy shouted as she half ran, half flew at the rainbow maned pegasus.

"Fluttershy?" Dash replied dumbly before she was tackled by the excited yellow mare.

Fluttershy wrapped her fore-hooves around her dear friend’s neck in a tight hug.

"Oh Rainbow it's been so long! I thought you were in a different battalion!"

"Yeah, got transfered, good to see you too Shy..." Dash croaked through Fluttershy's stranglehold. "Could you loosen up a bit?"

"Oh I'm sorry!" The yellow pegasus squeaked before releasing her friend then looked her up and down her ears flattening with worry as her eyes fell on Dash's wounds.

"How did you get so hurt?"

Dash laughed and gave a cocky smile.

"These little scrapes?" She spread her wings, flinching as the right one gave a little resistance. "I've had worse."

Fluttershy maintained her concerned expression and Rainbow Dash pulled her wings back in looking away for a moment.

"I'm fine Shy. Really. There are plenty of others worse off than me, I'm not gonna just drop dead."

The pink haired pegasus pursed her lips into a worried line.

"Fluttershy, come on, stop giving me that look." Rainbow Dash said with a weak smile. "I'm fine I promise!"

Fluttershy nodded slowly then returned Dash's smile.

She took a moment to watch one of the Brass dragons bound past then leap over the battlements, wings spread, leaving behind the aroma of sun-baked sand.

Dash chuckled quietly and Fluttershy looked back at her.

"What's so funny?"

"You." The rainbow maned pegasus said with a wide smile poking her friend gently in the side. "You're like a whole new pegasus."

"What do you mean by that?" Shy replied shrinking back ever so slightly.

"What do you think I mean?" Rainbow Dash said with a laugh. "You don't stutter anymore or talk in a whisper, you're out here patching up bloody messes of ponies and a dragon just about jumped right over us and you didn't so much as flinch!"

A blush crept up Fluttershy's cheeks, murmuring, "I'm only doing whats necessary..."

"Well you don't need to go about shouting about it." She said looking away.

Dash laughed and pulled Fluttershy into a sisterly hug with one leg.

"Ah, don't sweat it Shy you'll always be that adorable kind pony we all know and love." Dash gave Fluttershy a reassuring squeeze and a winning grin. "Just twenty percent cooler!"

Fluttershy giggled and hugged Rainbow back.

"Thanks Dash." Fluttershy said before glancing back at the blue tents which had other smaller tents being pitched around them. "I've got to get back to work. You should go rest up."

Rainbow Dash snorted and puffed her chest out.

"I don't need rest! I'm Rainbow freakin Da-"

She was cut off by Fluttershy's stern gaze.

"On second thought I guess I am kinda tired."

Fluttershy gave Rainbow Dash another hug.

"Thanks Dash, I'll see you when I've finished."

The yellow mare let go of her friend and fluttered back to the medical tents.

Rainbow Dash suppressed a shudder.

"Yikes, that mare can be scary..."