Scarlet looked at the doctor's finger, which was hovering a few inches from her face. The doctor, Dr. Whooves, moved his finger to the left. Scarlet followed it with her eyes as it went to the left, then the right, then up, then down.
"Say 'Ah'." ordered Dr. Whooves.
"Aaaaahhh." said Scarlet, opening her mouth wide. The Doctor looked in, shining the light from his horn down Scarlet's throat. He gave her a nod and she closed her mouth.
"You seem to be fine, for the most part. Slightly dehydrated and a bit malnourished, but these issues are common among war orphans." said Dr. Whooves. "You're in no fit state for teleportation right now. You'll have to wait a couple of days here. During your stay, I want you to stick with Lt. Col. Pinkamena. She'll get you settled in, and she'll look after you."
"Where is she?" asked Scarlet.
"Just outside. Now, I want you to take it easy, even after you get home." said Dr. Whooves. "That means no powers unless absolutely necessary."
"But it's so cool! And how else am I supposed to practice?" asked Scarlet.
"You're not. Overuse of whatever your power is seems to cause adverse health issues. Today, you were fine, but I suspect that it could lead to popped blood vessels, brittle bones, or perhaps even worse."
"Okay, doc. Whatever you say." said Scarlet. "Can I go now?"
"Yes. Make sure you hit the mess hall. I am prescribing you a nice, hearty meal, with lots of carbohydrates and proteins." said Dr. Whooves. "Bread and beans should become your best friends. Lots of water, and stay away from sweets. A sticky bun every now and then is fine, but it shouldn't be an everyday thing."
Scarlet nodded, although she didn't really understand anything that the Doctor was saying. She lived a life of necessity, which, to her, meant that she took what she needed. She remembered the feeling of being hungry too well to shy away from any food she could scrape together.
Scarlet jumped from her little gurney and left the examination room. Waiting to the left of the door was Pinkamena, still in full armor. Pinkamena smiled and began walking down the crystal hallway with Scarlet by her side.
"This is the Crystal Empire." said Pinkamena. "Base of operations for the Sparkle Hearts. We're technically in a different country than Equestria, but, because of the size difference, the Empire tends to be called a city-state of Equestria. Even though they're bigger than us, we get along fine without Equestrian imports. We even have some things here that you can't find anywhere else."
"Like what?" asked Scarlet.
"Crystal berries, rose quartz roses, and amethyst cotton, just to name a few." said Pinkamena. "There even used to be a race of Earth Ponies made out of crystals. According to legend, anyway."
"So, what type of ponies join the Sparkle Hearts?" asked Scarlet as they turned a corner left.
"We accept all kinds of ponies, but the largest chunk of our forces are Earth Ponies. We have the most to lose if the Marias take over, after all."
"Right. Hey, how's Fluttershy?" asked Scarlet.
"She's doing okay. She said she wanted to see you, actually. We'll go down after lunch." said Pinkamena. They stopped in front of a huge crystal archway, with the words "Mess Hall" etched into it. Scarlet, of course, had no idea what the letters were, or what they signified.
Pinkamena led Scarlet down a line of soldiers, each in their armor. Scarlet noticed that some of the ponies were in purple armor, like Twilight's and Pinkamena's, while others were in light pink armor.
"Why are there different colors of armor?" asked Scarlet as Pinkamena filled a tray for her.
"It's an organization thing. Purple means that you report to General Twilight, pink means you report to General Mi Amore Cadenza." explained Pinkamena. Scarlet didn't even hear her. She was too wrapped up in the mountain of food on her plate. Bread, carrots, apples, hay, and some things that Scarlet couldn't even identify. Her mouth gaped open at her meal. She couldn't even believe that this was called a meal. It was more food than she normally ate in a week.
"We'll talk when we get to the table." giggled Pinkamena. "You seem hungry."
"Uh-huh." said Scarlet mindlessly. Pinkamena filled her own plate and brought Scarlet to a table near the corner, hidden away from most of the others. Pinkamena took a spot across from Scarlet, with her back to the wall. As soon as they were sitting, Scarlet dug into her plate. She started with a long piece of yellow something, that she soon decided must've been called "Yummy".
"Enjoying yourself?" asked Pinkamena. She took off her helmet, and there was a trill sound, like some sort of musical instrument, as her mane exploded into a puff of pink. Scarlet stared at Pinkamena in shock.
"How… Where do you put it all?" asked Scarlet.
"Magic!" laughed Pinkamena. Scarlet picked up a slice of bread and began nibbling on it.
"Your name doesn't really fit you." she decided.
"Neither does yours. You're not scarlet at all. You're more of an orange, really." said Pinkamena. "Why are you named Scarlet?"
"My mom." said Scarlet quietly. She shook her head and picked up where she left off. "You don't seem like a 'Pinkamena'. That seems to serious for you. How about… Pinkie? You seem like a Pinkie."
"Pinkie Pie? I think I like that." said Pinkie.
"Your last name is Pie?"
"Yuppers. I'm Pinkamena Diane Pie. My sisters are Inkamena, Blinkamena, and Maud."
"Maud?" asked Scarlet.
"Yeah. Don't know what my parents were thinking." giggled Pinkie. "They're the reason I joined the Hearts. One day, a group of Marias came to my family's farm and took them. My sisters, too. I started off just trying to find them, and I somehow became a loyal member of the Sparkle Hearts clan."
"Do you think you'll ever stop?" asked Scarlet.
"I dunno. If the war ends, obviously, but I don't think that's going to happen. I've been a Heart for as long as I can remember. I was around your age when I enlisted." recalled Pinkie. "If I ever found my family, I'd probably retire. If not, then I'll keep fighting until we win."
"Do you know anypony on the enemy side?"
"I know one." said Pinkie. "My cousin is a Maria. I kept trying to tell her that they're using her, but she won't listen. She was always so stubborn! She just wouldn't see that I'm looking out for her. I hope she doesn't die out there."
"What's her name?" asked Scarlet.
"Her name is A-." began Pinkie. She looked past Scarlet and smiled. "General Twilight! Over here!" She began waving her hands wildly.
"I don't eat lunch in a group, Pinkamena." said Twilight. She strode past Scarlet and dropped her tray to Pinkie's right. "But I suppose I can stretch the rules for you today. Don't get too used to it."
"Of course not, ma'am." said Pinkie. "Have you spoken to Fluttershy yet?"
"I did go to see her, yes. She'll make a speedy recovery." said Twilight. "Give her a month and she'll be back on her hooves, ready to keep fighting."
"Aren't you glad you met me, then?" asked Scarlet smugly. "You were going to kill her."
"I also didn't know that there was a better option. Which reminds me, what the hell was that?" asked Twilight. "How did you do that?"
"It's just a thing I can do. That's what I got my Cutie Mark for." explained Scarlet. "I can't really explain it. I can just do it. I learned how when I was eleven years old, I think."
"And you can completely manipulate the gravity of an object and the area around it?" said Twilight.
"Uh…."
"That was a rhetorical question."
"Uh…."
"Dear lord. Look, kid. Fluttershy wanted to talk to you, and I have to bring you to Cadance afterwards, so hurry up and eat." said Twilight. Scarlet took in a deep breath and began shoveling food into her mouth. Neither Twilight nor Pinkie had ever seen a pony that size eat that much food so quickly. Within a minute, Scarlet's plate was clean.
"Let's go." said Scarlet, jumping to her hooves.
"You can follow orders, I'll give you that." said Twilight. "Are you coming, Pinkamena?"
"Mh-hm." said Pinkie, her mouth full of carrots and hay. She grabbed a sweet sticky bun, covered in crystal sweetsap (another commodity exclusive to the Crystal Empire). Twilight grabbed Pinkie's helmet and headed for the exit. Pinkie followed with Scarlet close behind. Pinkie ripped the sticky bun in half and handed it to Scarlet.
"I'm not supposed to eat too many sweets." said Scarlet, although she had already started eating.
"Don't worry. Your parents won't find out." joked Pinkie.
"Yeah. I guess they won't." said Scarlet solemnly. Pinkie's smile fell, and she stared at Scarlet in bemusement.
"Is everything okay?" she asked.
"She's an orphan, Pinkamena." said Twilight. As Pinkie apologized over and over for her lack of tact, they passed under an arch with the word "Infirmary" etched into it. The room was filled with gurneys and stretchers, most of them empty. In the corner, with her legs set in casts, was Fluttershy. She saw Scarlet and perked up, smiling through the insane amount of pain she was feeling.
"You okay?" asked Scarlet. She dragged a nearby stretcher to Fluttershy's side and took a seat.
"All thanks to you." said Fluttershy. "How can I ever repay you?"
"Don't pay me back. Pay it forward." said Scarlet. "Help somepony who actually needs help, okay? Do it for me."
"Of course."
"I'd like to apologize for my haste when you were under that rock." said Twilight. "If it were up to me, you'd be dead. Please, forgive me."
"I won't hold it against you, ma'am. You were willing to do what you thought would be best." said Fluttershy. "I can't possibly fault you for doing your job. Speaking of jobs, I never finished mine."
"What job is that?" asked Pinkie.
"Did you forget why I was out there? I was supposed to be scouting for information, and I got some." said Fluttershy. "The Marias are planning to move in on Ponyville by next month. If they get Ponyville, they gain an entire village of slaves."
"Ponyville is nothing but Earth Ponies." said Scarlet. "Not only that, but they'd have access to the Everfree Forest and all the creatures in it."
"So? A forest is just a forest." said Twilight.
"Not the Everfree. Trust me on this. You don't want the Marias to get the Everfree."
"We don't want the Marias to have anything, but I'm not going to fight too hard when the place's only focal point is a bunch of trees."
"Do you have manticores here?" asked Scarlet. Twilight shook her head. "Do you want some? Cause that's what'll happen if the Maria get the Everfree. Manticores and cockatrices and chimeras and even Ursa will all go to the Maria."
"Ursa are harmless." scoffed Twilight. Scarlet turned her back to Twilight and ripped off her tunic. A massive gash ran diagonally across her back, several inches deep. The scar was obviously old, at least three years.
"Harmless? And that was from a Minor. Imagine what Majors will do to this place." said Scarlet, replacing her shirt. "Ursa are harmless until you piss them off. What do you think will be the first thing the Marias do? You have to stop them."
"I don't have to do anything but tell Cadance what Fluttershy told me. What she decides beyond that is up to her." said Twilight. "Fluttershy, I expect you on your hooves and ready to go in two weeks. Until then, get some rest, and learn how to avoid giant boulders."
"Yes, ma'am." said Fluttershy, saluting the General.
"Pinkamena, stay here with her." said Twilight. "Scarlet, with me. Cadance wants to see you."
"Who's Cadance?" asked Scarlet, following Twilight out of the infirmary.
"She's our leader, and you will call her General Mi Amore Cadenza." said Twilight. they turned down the hall and began down a long flight of stairs.
"Why would I call her that?"
"That's her name. Very few ponies are allowed to call her Cadance." explained Twilight.
"What makes you so special?" asked Scarlet.
"She's my sister-in-law. The only family that I have." said Twilight. They continued down the stairs, deeper and deeper beneath the base. Long after Scarlet stopped counting, they finally reached the bottommost step. They stepped through the short hallway into a large chamber, about the size of the mess hall. Unlike the mass hall's many tables, there was only one in this room, a table that could easily seat thirty ponies. At the head of the table, farthest from the door, were two ponies. One pony, a mare, was seated, while the other, a stallion, stood to her side. As soon as she saw Twilight, the mare jumped to her hooves. She kissed the stallion and spread her arms wide to meet Twilight.
"Twily!" she squealed. Twilight broke into a smile, and accepted her embrace.
"Cadance! How're you doing?" asked Twilight.
"I'm good. I was just finalizing things with Davenport." said Cadance with a giant smile. "This makes number seven!"
"Number seven what?" asked Scarlet. Cadance broke away from Twilight and began walking towards Scarlet.
"My seventh marriage." said Cadance. She looked Scarlet up and down. "And this is the filly who saved one of my best soldiers? Hm... If you were older, I would set you up with one of my nephews... I'll find somepony for you, I promise."
"Um..." Scarlet wasn't sure how to react.
"Sorry! It's a thing I do. I see a pony and my mind starts running rampant on who they could marry. Before the war, I was an expert romantic consultant." explained Cadance. "But Twilight didn't bring you here to talk about finding you a significant other. She brought you here to get you briefed."
"I did?" asked Twilight.
"She's not enlisting?" asked Cadance.
"Wait a second." said Scarlet confusedly. "This is your seventh marriage?"
"Yes. Not counting Shining Armor, bless his soul." said Cadance. "He can never be replaced, of course. He gave me so much. My favorite sister-in-law, for one. Um… Don't tell your sister, Davenport."
"Of course not, honey." said the stallion. "I'll leave you to deal with this." Davenport kissed his fiance on the cheek once and left the room. Cadance directed Twilight and Scarlet down to the head of the table and gestured for them to take a seat.
"How does an expert romantic consultant end up getting divorced so many times?" asked Scarlet.
"What makes you think that I was divorced?" asked Cadance.
"She lives in an unaligned village, so she doesn't know much about either side." explained Twilight. Turning to Scarlet, she said, "One of the main reasons that the Solar-Maria hate the Sparkle Hearts is that we're polygamous. That means we can have more than one husband or wife at a time."
"I have too much love to give to just one person." said Cadance with a smile. "I feel that to be a fact for every living thing on this earth. The Maria disagree. Apparently, it 'violates the sanctity of marriage'."
"So you can marry as many stallions as you want?" asked Scarlet.
"As long as they all agree. And it's not just limited to stallions." said Cadance. "I have four husbands and three wives, which amounts to eight brothers-in-law and five sisters-in-law. Twilight, of course, being my absolute favorite."
"Don't you think we're getting a little off-track?" asked Twilight, blushing slightly.
"Right! Enlistment papers! I don't have the paperwork right now, but give me a day or two and-" began Cadance.
"Enlistment? What's that?" asked Scarlet.
"It means to join the army, which you're not going to do." said Twilight.
"The army? Like you and Pinkie?" asked Scarlet. "I wanna join!"
"Tough luck, kid. I'm not letting you join the Hearts." said Twilight.
"Why not?"
"Because you are a twelve year-old little filly with a hero complex."
"I don't know if I'd go so far as to say a hero complex." said Cadance. "She just wants to help."
"And I'm not twelve. I'm fourteen. Only a year younger than you were when you saved me." said Scarlet.
"That's different!" yelled Twilight. "I was born into the clan! My parents used to be the heads of the clan. I didn't have a choice."
"I don't have much choice either. What else am I going to do?" asked Scarlet. "The Marias are getting more and more powerful, and you need all the help you can get! What happens if they take Ponyville? What'll you do then?"
"We'll-"
"It doesn't matter! I can help! I might be young, but I lost my childhood years ago." said Scarlet angrily. "I might be able to save some little filly from going through the same thing. Nopony should have to walk through the streets at night, picking through trash just to eat."
"And you shouldn't have to walk to your death!" shouted Twilight, slamming her fist down onto the table. The general took in a deep breath and placed her helmet atop her head. "Wanting to make a difference is one thing, but do not lie to me!"
"I'm not lying! What could I even be lying about?"
"I can see in your eyes that you're lying! You're not doing this to protect the innocent. Don't make me laugh!" spat Twilight. "What is your true purpose?"
"That is my-"
"If you lie to me again, I will see to it that you never bare the crest of a Sparkle Heart!" Twilight's voice was heavy with anger, despite Cadance's calming words. Scarlet locked eyes with Twilight Sparkle, both of them unyielding in conviction. Slowly, Scarlet let out a sigh.
"Fine. You got me." she said quietly. "It's not just about protecting people who need protecting. I mostly want to find out who killed my parents." Twilight's fiery gaze softened and cooled enough to be noticeable, but not enough to be mistaken for compassion.
"No you don't. You don't know what you want." said Twilight softly. "I told you that my parents were killed, but I never told you what happened next. I found their killer and… You don't need to go through that, kid. You don't need to end up like me."
"But you're amazing." said Scarlet. "Equestria needs more 'Twilight Sparkle's. I can't give em that, but maybe a 'Scarlet Force' will do. Please, let me join. If I can grow to be half the soldier you are, maybe, just maybe…"
"Maybe what?"
"I dunno. Maybe I'll do something worth doing." said Scarlet. Twilight patted Scarlet softly on the shoulder. Her anger had finally dissipated, and she felt a huge sense of something she couldn't quite identify. She thought that it might be pity, or regret.
"Cadance, get the paperwork ready. Scarlet, you're coming with me." said Twilight. "If you're going to be a Heart, you're going to be the best damned Heart there ever was. You're going to shape up or ship out. And you're going to help us take Ponyville."
