Chapter Two, Friends
-how easy it is to throw something away like garbage, how easy it is to cast aside that which we deem useless. How easy it is... To become useless ourselves.- excerpt from the secret book of Bemnal the Fallen
Children ran up a set of stone stairs into a cacaphony of ponies babbling and whining, a large settlement of mares and stallions veered for attention on the lower level of a two floor open room fixed with metal grating atop the second floor.
"Mayor! Mayor! Give us something anything!" somepony yelled out, everypony was demanding attention for their own sakes, each wanting to know about the mysterious visitor they were now harbouring. The soldier.
Mayor Mare stepped up to the podium and yelled out the crowd, "QUIET, QUIET!" while signalling with her hands for the congragation of ponies to settle down.
"how many of them are there?" Sapphire Shores demanded.
"There is one mare, unarmed." Mayore Mare answered plainly.
"how can there only be one? how did she get here?" cried one of the ponies within the gaggle of bodies.
Big Macintosh stepped up next to the podium, "she was a wonderer, if we hadn't found 'er... she'd be dead." he said solemnly.
Before anypony could reply, two scouts walked into the town hall, "we looked all around," one of the stallions said while panting, "there's nothin' out there." he finished with a nod as he recovered from the lasting effects of the storm. "couldn't see nopony, no ships, no nothing, plus the winds are up way to high."
More rabling batner filled the room before the Mayor called for order.
"Everypony callllm down!" she said while waiting for the denizens of Ponyville to do just that.
"...We have an injured mare among us," a paus, "we all want to do the decent thing..." another pause as she scanned the civilians, "the decent thing is to help her." she gestured to Big Mac with her head, "Big Mac and his wife are looking after her now and they could use support from all of you..
Sapphire's lips cringed as she looked back and forth before raising a finger to point at the large red stallion, "well you keep an eye on her Mac," she warned, "you watch her." Sapphire turned and left without another word.
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A room.
A room filled with yellow sheet tapestries strewn about the place as improvised insulation with CDs hanging from strings as substitutional decorations, the room littered with what once was junk but now served to liven the place up a bit.
Fluttershy entered the main foyer of the room with a spoon and bottle in her hand, she was dressed in the same tattered rags as most everypony else, anything that one could get ahold of would need to suffice.
Fluttershy finished her roundabout and centered on the other side of the bed with a kneel; she observed the unconcious Dash.
The soldier was lying on her side with her eyes closed but breathing tensly if slightly relaxed, Fluttershy's head tilted as she examined the branding tattoed numbers and letters on the mare's arms along with a gashing scar.
When Fluttershy's eyes met Dash's she found them open and staring back at her, cold empty eyes, something she'd rarely seen in her life save for a few old veterans who had long since died of old age or sickness.
Fluttersy paused for a bit before looking down and filling the spoon with a medicine before bringing it close to Dash's head.
Dash reflexively twitched her head slightly away, thinking that it was perhaps poison.
Fluttershy's brows furrowed in confusion although after thinking about it, waking up in a strange place with somepony trying to stick something down your throat probably would not go down so well with her either.
But after a short while Dash opened her mouth slightly and Fluttershy was able to get the medicine in; Dash silently drank it while staring into Flutterhy's eyes the whole time.
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Fluttershy was leaning against a table infront of Big Mac while she thought to herself.
"... She has a mark on her arm... Argentine sector, shanghai 2012..." she said softly.
Big Mac rolled the information around in his head for a while before standing up, "That's a mark given to survivors o' the Shanghai battle..." he turned to face his wife, "she's a soldier, one o' Luna's dogs o' war."
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Scootaloo ran around the small home until she came accross a resting Dash.
Dash rolled over to face the small filly and their blank silent eyes met, the same eyes Dash had seen earlier.
Moments passed as they stared at one another... moments passed into minutes...
"Hey, come over 'ere" Big Mac called out which prompted Scootaloo to turn and leave the soldier's line of sight.
Dash's eyes slowly closed as she once again entered the black empty realm of sleep.
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A gaggle of the most bizaar sound resonated in Dash's ears, her eyes shot open and her head snapped to the left seeking the source of the sound, but all that she found was Fluttershy on her back with Scootaloo ontop of her and Big Mac giving them both rasberries.
Again came that bizaar sound... Dash had never heard that sound before, a sort of repeated yelling with intense energy and brazeness.
The sound of laughter.
Dash rose and limped over to investigate the strange noise, leaning against a nearby column, she stared with intensity at the joyous familly in a mixture of curiousity and caution.
Big Mac looked up to see the intimidating presence of the soldier before him, he slowly rose to his hooves as did his wife and daughter, Fluttershy picked Scootaloo up and stood behind Big Mac.
"We're uh, sorreh if we woke ya..." Big Mac said nervously, "we were, uh, we were playing with the filly" he gave a quick little gesture to his daughter.
Dash continued to silently stare.
"..." Big Mac turned his outstreched arm behind him, "Ah made somethin' for ya." he said as he carefully stepped back and grabbed hold of a makeshift crutch.
Dash's body tensed up as her eyes hardened with paranoia, her mind percieving the stick as a weapon; an aura of tense unease filled the air while Dash's muscles tensed up and her mind began racing into a battle ready stage.
Big Mac slowly walked over to the mare, "i-it's... uh, i'it's fer ya tah walk on," he said cautiously as he demonstrated using the crutch, "l-like this! see?" he finished with a shaky smile.
Dash's body somewhat relaxed but she still remained wary.
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A couple weeks later, Dash was mended enough to enter into be walking about and was sitting within the messhall of Ponyville.
Currently, Dash was shoveling bite after bite of her food into her mouth with all haste just as she'd been trained to do for fourty years.
One of the ponies stared at him with a raised eye brow.
Big Mac scooped some more food onto her plate thinking that she was eating so fervantly due to genuine hunger.
A small ways down the table, Sapphire Shores tossed her bread down onto her plate, stood up, and marched down the table to where Dash was.
"I don't see how you can not remember how you got here Sergent!" she began with obvious spite in her voice.
Dash looked up from her meal while still chewing.
"You're not a deserter are you Sergent?" Sapphire asked almost chidingly.
Dash stood up straight causing her chair's legs to scrape against the ground as it slid out from underneath her.
Everypony's eyes turned towards her in sudden fright, even Sapphire took a reflexive step back.
Whispers hushed whispers filled the room as ponies stared at him as one would a lone wolf in the middle of the forest.
"... No sir." Dash said plainly.
Sapphire blinked, "then how come you're not with your unit?" she asked.
"oh come one, let the mare eat!" Bon Bon criticized which prompted Sapphire to glare at her, "it's not an unreasonable question!"
Everypony uncomfortable shifted as they turned back to Dash, almost afraid of the answer.
Dash stared blankly ahead. She'd had pleanty of time to think since she began mending.
In that time she'd convinced herself of three things:
1. This was not a hostile enemy force.
2. She was not sent on any sort of mission by her superior officers.
And 3...
"How 'bout it Sergent?" Sapphire urged.
3... "I was... replaced" Dash spoke somewhat uncomfortably.
Big Mac's face messed up in confusion, "replaced?"
Dash's head quickly turned to face the red stallion, "by a better soldier sir."
The full realization of the situation landed on everypony's ears, even Saphhire seemed taken aback as she gulped.
Replaced... in otherwords... thrown away, uneeded and unwanted like a fifth wheel.
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Fluttershy strung up a sheet as she spoke, "when we left home planet twelve years ago, we ened up here." She said as she turned to fix up some hot water for washing clothes.
"When we crashed, a lot of us died. A couple years later when the dumpers started coming by and dropping stuff, we tried to get their attention with," Fluttershy chuckled, "fires and explosions." a soft shake of her head, "they must be unstallioned or..." another chuckle, "maybe they just don't care."
Fluttershy turned to face Dash, "so we gave up on a 'better life' on the trinity moon and, settled here. One good thing though," she said with a smile, "nopony bothers us."
As Fluttersy strung up the shirts she'd handwashed, Dash stared at the slender mare's figure, she'd never seen a 'beautiful' pony before, always officials in uniform or fellow soldiers or perhaps a few bloodied corpses of fallen enemies but...
This was different, a strange feeling knitted its way in her stomach as she watched Fluttershy stretch up and string the clothes while her own shirt rose lightly from the action.
"who'd wanna fight for a God foresaken planet like this anyway?" Fluttershy looked back down at Dash who she now noticed was staring at her body.
Dash's eyes snapped up to meet Fluttershy's, or more so to meet her face, soft unscarred features, a well kempt mane and cheeks full of color and vibrance, and her eyes; warm tender eyes so full of life and kindness, a look that Dash could scarcellely comprehend to find within another's eyes. Admitedly... It was... Nice... Beautiful.
"but... I-I guess you like the fighting..." Fluttershy said flustered while avoiding eye contact, "you're... A soldier" she finished with a helpless shrug.
Dash too looked away, staring blankly into nothingness as she for the first time, contemplated her existence...
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"the first bi-anual security sweep, we'll be patrolling the Arcadia system, we're gonna set up unstallioned monitoring systems, here," Cellesitia held out a pointer towards a star map layed out on a table within the war council meeting.
"here, here, and here. We send the new soldiers out on patrol," Celestia spoke while straigtening her back, "and as you said Captain," she turned to face Luna, "they'll need real experience and it'll be nice to see them out in a non training environment.
Luna quirked an amused brow, "you're coming?" she asked almost jokingly.
Celestia blinked before making an, 'we are not amused' face, "yes Captain, I want to see these ponies up close in action."
Luna gave a quiet 'humph' "well, what about opposition?" she inquired.
Celestia rolled her eyes as she looked back down at the star map, "the outlands are deserted, we're just confirming that."
Luna 'hmmed' "and if we do encounter activity," Celestia physically groaned without a sound, "miners, reffugies of some sort." Luna finished.
Celestia turned with annoyance present in her stance, "well we won't and if we do then," she shruged, "we'll just classify them as hostiles."
Luna lightly glared, "just by being there..."
Celestia curled the corner of her mouth into a smile while looking slightly away, "we don't want paper work Captain and we certainly don't want pasengers" Celestia finished while retracting her pointer.
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A week or so later...
Dash sat amongst the Ponyville indoor garden while Fluttershy showed her how to plant some herbs, she gently scooped the dirt around the clovers after it was planted, nearby, a green snake native to this alien planet hissed as it slithered its way through the garden's fruits and veggies.
As soon as its hiss registered in Dash's brain, she turned to it with a threatening glare, ready to grab a wapon.
But before Dash even moved, Fluttershy decapitated the snake with a garden cleaver.
The yellow mare tossed the snake's dead body over to the edge of the garden with a shudder, "ugh, you have to watch out for those," she began as she returned to the gardening, "it won't kill somepony your size but... Somepony smaller like me or... Or Scootaloo..." she continued.
Dash turned over to look at the snake's twitching severed body.
"Scootaloo... she almost died." Fluttershy said while looking into dash's eyes. Eyes that weren't quite as empty as before.
"she was sick for a long time, and now she can't speak." Fluttershy spoke with a sad smile and a gaze into the soil.
Dash processed the information until it was interrupted by Fluttershy handing her a patch of soil adorning some clover herbs, "you try." she said encouragingly.
Dash stared blankly, "..."
Fluttershy lightly moved her hand up an down with a nod, "here."
Dash slowly grabbed the herb in her fingerless gloved hand, she was now adorned in rags similar to the other denizens of Ponyville.
At first Dash stared intently at the herb, as if expecting the plant itself to give her further instructions.
When she recieved none, the cyan mare slowly brought it down into the well of dirt that had been spread, and then placed her hands on either side of the plant before giving the soil beneath a quick and firm shove which swaddled the base of the herb.
Fluttershy smiled approvingly.
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A reconissance of nine ponies trudged through the sandy wastes of the baren planet.
"anythin' we need 'round the village, we salvage 'round 'ere" Big Mac explained to Dash as he attatched a series of harnesses and safety lines to Lyra's belt, "yer all set Lyra!"
"back in a minute!" the mint mare responded as she headed towards the junk yard.
As she did so, Big Mac walked back towards Dash, "whatever looks useful, an' we can get a chain on, we'll take it."
Lyra reached a metalic structure and synched a safety line attatchement through a punctured hole.
A billowing and almost whistling noise filled the air which caused Dash to look up at the sky as memory served her painful reminitions of that sound.
"now ya here that?" Big Mac asked, "that means she's really close," Big Mac turned to Lyra, "LYRA! IT'S A COMIN' IN!"
Lyra quickly set up her mask and goggles and turned to leave but... she was halted... turning her head back, Lyra saw a section of her own safetly catching on the chain, she pulled and yanked at it as the winds picked up.
Big Mac looked back to her, "COME ON! WE GOTTA MOVE!" he shouted over the high pitched ringing.
Lyra finally managed to pull free and began a very unstable gait towards the long strand of secured ropes that everypony else had their hands on, the only safe hoof hold against the relentless gales.
The winds billowed and pushed Lyra as she attempted to stabalize herself, far to her side, a generator of metal interlocking and thin bars began to spin; within seconds it became a deadly blender of steel, and the storm began pushing Lyra in its direction.
"COME ON HURRY UP! LET'S GO!" Big Mac called out while extending his hand to a struggling Lyra.
Tensions rose and Lyra felt her adrenalin pumping through her veins as the relentless gusts spun her around until her back faced the whirling blades of the generator, she tried to stem the tides of the cyclone and shield her face from the wind while slowly walking against the currents.
Before she knew it, a large burst of wind at low altitude knocked out Lyra's legs, she fell to the ground causing all of the reconissance ponies to begin panicking.
Big Mac's eyes widened and he immedeaitely lunged forward with his safety line attatching him to the ropes, he landed on his stomach with his hand just out of reach of Lyra's.
After a few moments, a stop sign flew past them and straight into the generator which then proceeded to obliterate it.
"COME ON REACH! YOU CAN DO IT! REEEAACCH!"
Lyra streched out her arm as far as her muscles would allow, but a powerful gust tore through and sent her flying backwards, her safety line whizing out of its coiled container as she slid accross the sand while pawing helplessly at the ground in a panicked attempt to grasp a hoof holding.
Eventually the winds lifted her off the ground and soon she was holding on desperately to her safety line.
"PUULLLL!"
The safety line let out more and more slack causing Lyra's body to draw closer and closer to the whirling blades.
"PUULLLLL!"
Ponies grasped hold of Lyra's line and tried their best to pull her back in towards the ropes but the weight of the pony being directed in the opposite direction was nearly impossible to resist against the furious storm.
Just as Lyra's horseshoe boots began getting a shave from the generator, the safety line was suddenly being drawn in.
Ponies looked down at the line in their hands in amazement, it was like suddenly the weight had all gone slack, slowly each pony loosened on the line yet each time it continued to be reelled in.
Ponies turned their heads to look up at Dash and watched as she single handedly wrestled Lyra back towards the safety ropes.
When Lyra was close enough, ponies launched out and grabbed hold of her from all around.
"wooohooo!" the ponies cheered foalishly as the wind died down, reliefed chuckles and friendly laughter filled the area as ponies embraced and patted oneanother's backs.
All the while, Dash stood in the background, her head turned and scanned the area when her eyes caught sight of something... Familiar.
Dash walked over to an outstretched pipe and pulled off a very old german model assult rifle.
Big Mac's laughs died down as he turned to look at Dash, his smile slowly fading.
Lyra looked over at Mac and noticed his frown which prompted her own big stupid grin to slowly creep away.
Dash pressed the release button causing the clip to pop out, she looked inside to see that bullet were still present within, then shoved the clip back into the gun and cocked the loading leaver.
At the sound of 'chk-chk' everyponie's smiles died away completely, their faces now adorned with fear and concern.
Big Mac stood infront of Dash who looked up at him.
Big Mac swallowed, "thank you..." he reached out his hand palm upward towards the barrel of the rifle.
Dash didn't move.
An akward silence insued.
Dash's eyes moved heaven word as a strange sound filled the air.
Everypony looked up to see a ship coming through.
Big Mac looked at the ship, "oh, them 'is dumpers, they come every twen'y 'er thirty days."
"uhm... if'n ya don't mind... the gun please?".
Dash blinked a few times as if waking from a daze and looked down at the gun, she shifted it to a vertical position holding it by the barrel and handed it to the stallion.
Big Mac grabbed the gun at which point everypony visibly relaxed while Dash stared back at the dumper ship.
Lyra walked over and placed a hand on Dash's shoulder, "hey thanks partner!"
Dash's head whiped around to burn a hole in Lyra with a stare, her body tensing up reflexively as memories of attackers grasping her shoulder flooded her mind.
Lyra unconciously took a step back, "well uh, thanks for um, not letting me blow away heh heh..." she stammered out.
"..." Dash turned and looked back in the direction of the ship while ponies cheered in the background.
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The ponies made it back to Ponyville, memories flashed by of recent times spent in Ponyville for Dash, time spent with Big Mac... With... A friend.
Time spend with Fluttershy...
Planting stuff, creating life instead of destroying it...
Dash was in the kitchen with Fluttershy helping her cook, the cyan mare was cutting carrots while Fluttershy turned to see Big Mac arrive.
The yellow pony walked over to her husband as he embraced and kissed her.
Seeing her wash the clothes through the hot water, the steamy vapor creating a misty cloud around her face that illuminated her gentle beauty.
Seing Fluttershy's soft feminine beauty, her grace and love, her motherly kindnesss.
And as she watched, Dash's eyes softened, her gaze turned from the cold; they started to become... warm...
Dash kept cutting the carrot as Fluttershy knelt down beside Scootaloo who quietly played and tinkered with her toy.
As Dash watched Fluttershy motherly play with her daughter, the knife sliced through the first couple of layers of skin on her finger.
Dash looked down calmly at the source of the pain, stared at it for a few seconds, then went back to cutting the carrot as she turned her gaze back to Fluttershy and Scootaloo.
Blood oozed into the carrot as Dash continued to slice ice it, soon Fluttershy walked back over and noticed the fresh wound.
She pulled off a cloth and reached out for Dash's injured hand.
At Fluttershy's touch, Dash's body twitched slightly, muscle memory commanding her to retalliate with a defensive maneuver before plunging the knife into her attacker's neck.
Fluttershy looked up into Dash's eyes.
Dash's hand was lifted up as Fluttershy binded the wound, "must be hard..." she commented before looking from the wound back to Dash's eyes, "what's it like? What's it like being a soldier?"
Dash's mouth twitched and gave small little fidgiting contortions as her eyes shifted slightly, trying to work the question over in her head.
"well?... You must think about something?" Fluttershy quiped.
"..."
"what about feeling then? You must... feel something?"
"..." Dash and Fluttershy broke eye contact.
Dash looked over towards Scootaloo as she placed with some heart shaped metal bands, working them to gether and pulling them apart.
Dash turned back to Fluttershy as her eyes shifted around in short lived sporadic movements, her lips quivered as if about to speak but never quite opened.
Fluttershy looked away for a few moments before remeeting Dash's gaze.
"... Fear..." Dash said quietly.
"Fear?" Fluttershy asked.
"Fear and... disciplin." Dash replied with a swallow
"..now?" Fluttershy asked somewhat not wanting to know the answer.
"Always." Dash replied with finality to her voice.
"...my God..." Fluttershy breathed before slowly moving in towards Dash who tensed up slightly but was caught off guard when warm soft arms wrapped around her in a hug.
Dash began shaking chaotically as her body stood rigid, every fiber of her being, every ounce of her training screemed in her head that this was not ok. That this was some sort of attack. That this was not right. It took all of Dash's will not to shove Fluttershy off or in some way hurt her.
Fluttersy felt heat rise from Dash's body, intense berserk heat from somepony's blood rushing with adrenalin as if they were about to go into battle; with a tear streaming down her face, she pulled away and looked into Dash's eyes with her mouth very lightly ajar.
Once Fluttershy was a few hooves away, Dash visibly relaxed.
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"HHAAAAPPPYYYY HEARTH'S WAARRMMIING!" a pony dressed up in a red suit cried as he handed out presents.
Octavia opted for a violen in the background while everypony danced and partied.
Over in a corner, Dash sat in a chair staring silently at the ponies within the room.
The sound of the violent faded out as she watched Big Mac and his family, she looked over to Fluttersy who gave her a small smile.
Dash's eye peered, silent but carrying a mixture of so many emotions... Emotions she wasn't allowed to feel.
"HAPPY HEARTH'S WARMING ARCHI!" the pony in the suit cried as she popped up out of nowhere in Dash's vision.
Dash's body shot with adrenalin as the faded memory of a bomb going off flooded her ears, the bowl of sandwiches she was holding fell to the ground as she stood up.
Loud sudden chaotic sounds from party toys and cheering turned to explosions and screems, her vision filled with images of fire enveloping cities and bodies falling to the blood soaked ground.
Dash whiped around in circles, blurred images of the party and dancing ponies swaped in and out with muffled gunfire, sudden blurps of images with Lt. standing above her; dogs rabbid with hunger charging through a cage to a helpless boar, blood splattering over a glass wall with rows of young fillies and colts forced to watch the carnage.
Dash's vision faded in and out as the party music rolled on until she caught sight of Fluttershy, smiling as she tussled Scootaloo's cheeks and gave her a kiss on the forehead before looking up to smile at Dash.
A look down at Scootaloo before looking back and... Dash was gone...
Fluttershy tugged on Big Mac's arm, he too began surveying the party for their large friend.
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Far away from the ponies of the pary, up on the second floor, Dash peered down through a hole in the gbround at the dancing smiling ponies below...
She stod, turned, and left; then she sat with her back pressed against a stone wall.
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"ya I was thinking of giving it to her last night but, she just dissapeared." Lyra commented while holding a scarf that she'd knitted for her savior.
"it's beuatiful lyra, ha, she'll love it." Fluttershy replied with a bit of a laugh.
"ya well, she saved my life out there, I guess Big Mac told ya." Lyra commented.
"you should give it to her yourself, she's in the meeting room... she's working out."
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BANG BANG BANG
A metalic resonating clang filled the air as Dash's fists connected with a metalic barrel strung up on a robe like a punching bag, her fists swaddled up in cloth bandages.
Mayor Mare walked into the upper section of the meeting room to see what all the racket was about.
And there she found a group of foals standing silent as a crypt as they watched Dash's huge muscles crunch and creen with each ferocious punch.
Dash stood with her shirt off, body drenched in sweat while she wailed on the barrel with lightning quick yet incredibly strong blows, each connecting strike filling the air with another pang of metal.
Her face was contorted with rage and twisted in frustration as she gave out stressed grunts with each punch.
Mayor Mare gave a 'ahem' drawing the attention of the foals infront of her, "you're supposed to be doing your lessons with Cheerileee" she stated matter of factly while using both hands to point in the direction of the school.
As the foals filed out, Mayore Mare began to follow them but stopped to look back at the soldier before leaving.
As Dash hammered on the metal, time seemed to slow down a bit, each slow powerful hit came with a flash of white hot mental pain accompanied by a vision of ponies running through barbwired streets, flashes if fire and explosions in their wake, screeming as they rans.
BANG
The ponies ran and tried to avoid gunfire as soldiers shoved their way past the civilians.
BANG
Vehicals exploded as the enemy lines drew in closer, Dash chasing through the front lines with her squad.
BANG
Civilians ran, enemy soldiers pointed their rifles behind them and mowed them down.
BANG
Those soldiers merely met their ends as Dash blew through them from her crow's nest at the top of a city stone stair case.
BANG
Gun clips hit the ground.
Dash panted in her still slow mo'd state.
From the crow's nest, she looked down to see a few foals crouched over some dead civilians, one of the fillies looked up at her quietly with tears running down her face.
BANG
Dash raised the rifle and lined down her sights at the filly...
Then her instincts kicked in, she sensed an enemy soldier running in behind her.
REALITY:
Lyra walked into the mess hall and headed over to Dash.
MEMORY:
The soldier charged in from behind, he had no bullets left and thus launched at Dash with a knife, she immediately coutnered, knocked the knife out of her hand and locked her hand around the soldier's throat.
REALITY:
Lyra was choke slammed into a horrizantal gear, it's vertical counter part circling around and closing in towards the mint mare's head.
MEMORY:
the soldier struggled and attempted to find any remaining weapons.
REALITY:
Lyra's mouth gaped like a fish as her eyes sporatically moved around, the vertical gear began getting dangerously close.
MEMORY:
The soldier gave out a few more struggles, but his blood supply to his brain was cut off, his body began growing weak.
REALITY:
Dash's head seemed to vibrated with the fierce tension in her muscles, tears began pouring from Lyra's eyes.
MEMORY:
the soldier went unconcious, a fellow soldier came in and shot Dash's enemy in the head.
REALITY:
Dash blinked, now becoming aware of where she was, she looked forward and saw the gear coming around, then looked down and saw Lyra half concious.
Dash yanked Lyra out of the gear's path and released her.
Lyra fell to the ground and choked on air with big seperate gasps, still holding the scarf.
Standing above Lyra was a terrified little green and white filly with Bon Bon standing next to her adorning a horrified expression.
Several more foals from earlier looked down from the next floor up through the metal grating.
In the corner of the room, Mayor Mare stood with her arms crossed.
Dash looked to each of them still panting through her nose like an attack dog.
A long moment of silence passed.
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Big Mac lie in bed with Fluttershy curled up next to him, her head resting on his chest.
Big Mac ran a hand through her pink mane, "they're upset about her... there's gonna be a meetin'..."
"she wasn't trying to hurt anypony..." Fluttershy mumbled out.
"that's what scares ponies... she's gettin' stronger every day." Big Mac replied sadly.
Fluttershy loked up at him, "are you scared of her being here?"
Big Mac looked into his wife's eyes, "... eeyup... Ah don't reckon' Ah've ever been afraid o'anypony like this... Ah feel like she could break meh in half without any effort in a heart beat without a thought or any... feeling."
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Dash panted completely and utterly exausted as she still weakilly punched at the metal container, a few more fiers hits before she backed away with a woozy few steps... then gave a few more hits, the contaier splattered with bits of blood... Blood dripping from her knuckles...
She lowered her fists ever so slightly before raising them again and and going for another strike.
BANG
MEMORY:
Twelve years old again, back in the academy, a fight with another filly in the military class room.
The guards merely stood back and watched, the scientists observed.
Punch to the chest and a snap kick to the inner thigh, Gilda cringed but attempted a return attack with a haymaker, Dash caught it with her forearm, stepped in behind Gilda's right leg, and flipping her arm around, took the filly down to the ground.
Dash straddled Gild and began wailling punch after bunch down on the filly's face.
Twilight sat nearby in her own desk, watching as Dash swung left and right and left and right and left and right, never once ceasing in her barage of frenzied attacks.
Nopony said anything... Nopony did anything...
The scientist merely jotted down a few notes, the Lt. returned to their records, and the guards resumed their patrols.
The other foals watch Dash pant as she stood up, Gilda lay on the ground, her face unrecognizable, blood splattered accross her face.
Dead.
The whole time, that incistant voice of the proctor rang through, "A soldier shows no mercy. Mercy is a sign of weakness. Weakness is death."
Dash sat back in her seat as if nothing had happened, cold, bleak, empty eyes stared foreward as the squeel of that boar sang out in her head.
REALITY:
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Dash's eyes snapped open as she bolted up right in her bed.
Standing at the hoof of her bed, was Scootaloo, she looked on silently at Dash, holding the puzzle metal hearts.
With a simple twist and pull, she pulled them apart and held each piece in each hand as if to say 'ta da...'
Scootaloo placed them on the bed, then turned and started to walk away.
That is, until she heard the hissing of a snake which caused her to gasp and freeze up, a green snake slitthered its way towards the orange filly.
Dash grabbed a boot and tossed it over to Scootaloo.
The filly turned to look silently back at Dash.
Dash grabbed the other horseshoe boot and demonstrated smashing it into the bed frame.
Scootaloo turned back to the snake as it sauntered its way towards her.
Just as the snake launched itself at the filly, Dash snatched it right out of the air, Scootaloo gasped.
Dash stared at the snake as it bared its fangs at her; she inspected it for a brief moment before tossing it to the ground a few hooves away.
Dash looked back at Scootaloo who stared blankly back in turn.
Dash gestured towards the snake with her head.
A metalic SHINK sound drew both of their attention as they turned to see Big Mack impail the snake's head with a pike before glaring at Dash.
"what the HAY do you think yer doin'? That coulda' killed 'er!" he shouted.
Fluttershy stared down silently at the scene before her before meeting Dash's now softened eyes.
XXXXX
"nopony here has any animosity towards you Sergent," Mayore Mare began, they all sat within the meeting room of the town hall.
"nopony here wants to be your enemy and infact we respect your qualities. We have no doubt that you are a very very good soldier." Mayor Mare shifted her head, "but because of your training, we dont think you'll ever be able to function in a group like this community of families and foals, where the ability to fight is not the sole purpose of existance.".
Dash's eyes moved to see Sapphire holding the german rifle.
"You're different then us, and we don't hate you for that, but we have agreed that you pose an intollerable risk to the community." Mayore Mare continued.
"we'll give ya any supplies ya need, some food, new clothes, some boots to keep ya warm at night..." Big Mac said sorrofully.
Dash's eyes then moved down towards Fluttershy, who now looked back at her so differently then she used to, Fluttershy craddled Scootaloo protectively close to her.
"Sergent yer our friend..." Big Mac began with a shaky voice, "It's just that..." he couldn't continue as he trailled off with lightly quivering lip.
Dash's visage was stonefaced, but her eyes became so soft... and wet. Wet, but her rigid husk that had been fashioned over fourty years never let her eyes be anything beyond moist.
XXXXX
Big Mac handed Dash a water cantine, Das was suited up in warm clothing with scarves and and gloves and a backpack, she sashed the cantine around her shoulder and looked down at Scootaloo who stared back; then she looked up towards Fluttershy and Big Mac with still moist eyes.
A few silent seconds... Then Dash turned and left Ponyville, the skies thundering outside.
The ponies of Ponyville stood outside and looked as the Soldier turned back for one last gaze at Ponyville... then she fliped the sarf over her face and left.
XXXXX
Sitting out inside of a concrete cylinder near the junkyard, Dash's sat with her kneese up to her chest. There, she ever so slightly shook, and it was then and only then that her moist eye let out a lone tear that broke its way through her solid tank exterior and trailed its way down her face.
A hand reached up to sweep the tear up with her hand, she inspected the fluid with curiosity.
A few more small shakes before tears flowed freely, for the first time in her life, she wept. It was not the carnage of war, or the deaths of allies; it was the loss... Of friends.
Friends.
END OF CHAPTER.