---

The story of how Sunshine Tempest and I got drafted began simultaneously.

We were both at our home two weeks after we had finally moved in together to cloudsdale. Mid-April, I think, if my memory is not too shabby.

Given the circumstances, we were both waking up to a casual morning—as casual as one could hope for, anyway. Despite the attempts to move on with day-to-day life, the war was nevertheless fresh in every person's mind. Ignoring it was impossible, protesting about it was uncomfortable at best, and doing something about it was unideal for everypony.

Listening to the radio and reading the newspapers for any update on the war was nerve-wracking to keep up with. It was hard to get any information about what was going on without it being irrelevant or out of date. Keeping up with current events had to be done by Radio, and even then what was told was not what we needed to hear. They gave us an analysis of what was going on with something that already happened, instead of providing any kind of real news on what was going on in the now.

And whatever updates we did hear were not good at all.

Acornage, Vanhoover, Tall Tale—all had officially capitulated to the invaders. Hundreds of thousands, potentially millions, were now subjugated to occupation. And there was no information on what was going on behind that black curtain of misinformation. Getting any kind of information about what was happening in the Changeling's occupied territory was just... Not available. It was as if everypony behind that invisible line that separates us from them had just vanished.

But while the first few cities fell rather quickly, there was finally some good news. Just near Whitebell, the Shire River has been fortified heavily with entrenched defenses and equipment. During this hasty redeployment, Equestria has since seen many improvements within its military; transforming it from an oversized police force to a functional army. The Changelings would’ve crossed the Shire River to threaten the heartlands were it not for these reinforcements.

But if the news was accurate, there was also another unsung hero who helped delay the onslaught: the rain.

Rain that had violently morphed into a storm, the likes of which the continent had hardly seen; Not since the Windigos had almost successfully absorbed all of Equestria into a frozen wasteland in ages bygone.

Unlike now, however—when a blizzard had nearly engulfed the land—it would instead be something equivalent to a typhoon. But just like in the time of the Windigos, ponies from all tribes came together to achieve this feat. The Pegasi had shaped and moved the most turbulent of the clouds from the region to the region. The Unicorns would work tirelessly charging up the clouds with their own arcane energy, to give them the extra power needed in their natural onslaught. The Earth Ponies would dig, and dig, and dig, making shelters for the Ponies of all subspecies to huddle in by the storm came down.

And within days, Equestria was under an intense deluge of water.

This rain turned the ground into sodden mud, which then molded into a quagmire of untraversable mud plains and freshly watered wetlands. Much of the military hardware from the Changelings (and some of the Equestrians as well) became bogged down almost instantly.

It took a miracle the likes of which Equestria would probably never see again to achieve such a feat, but eventually—in tandem with a counter-offensive from the Ponies—the Changeling advance would finally be halted just shy of the Shire River. This stalemate of the front would also shift around Mead Lake on the western coastline. And to the North, in the Crystal Empire, the advance falters at the Evergreen River as the Crystal Ponies held the line.

Despite all the odds against them, the Ponies of Equestria held fast against their enemy.

Since then, all was relatively quiet as both sides continued to dig in. After mud season ended, both sides found the idea of an attack to be suicidal on such heavily fortified entrenchments. The bridges across were already destroyed and the deterrent of Equestrian defenses proved to be effective.

But never mind that; what was happening in that other world didn't matter to me at that moment. It was stagnant and would remain so for as long as it held.

What I remember was when we were forced into that world without a choice.

I was sitting down to go through the mail, and Sunshine was making us both breakfast. I distinctly remember the smell of buttered toast and eggs. At first, there were the usual pickups: Posters of War Bonds advertisements were common nowadays, what with the war on and all. Many different postcards contain various propaganda art pieces.

"They fight so you can eat! Won't you fight for them, too?"

Nothing unusual.

As the thought crossed my mind to discard these envelopes, the next piece of mail immediately grabbed my attention. Manila folders, with the official insignia of the Equestrian Armed Forces.

When I gazed upon the envelopes, I felt my muscles freeze up, and a surreal surge of fear penetrated my core. Every fiber of my being was adamantly against finding out what was inside these envelopes.

Carefully and slowly, I found the nerve to rip them open. Each contained a typed letter inside. I found one with my name first. It took me a minute to build up the courage to open it.

"Night Light,

"We have entered a state of Emergency that has come down to the Industry and Military Mobilizing in mass force, and in such a hurry that helping hooves are a necessity. And for this reason, we have come to full implementation of Equestria's first Conscription Act!

"As of this current moment, the Population of Equestria is Estimated to be 50 million creatures, based on calculations. By Royal Decree of the Diarchy, the new Conscription Act states that at least 5% of the nation is recruitable for active service. We have conducted a Lottery on Social Security IDs to ensure there is no prejudice and bias in picking our draftees. And as of now, YOU have been drafted to join The Equestrian Military!"

I didn’t dare finish.

I only remember the feeling of my heart dropping in my stomach as I stood petrified.

I was being drafted.

“What is it Night Light? More war bond posters?” Sunshine's carefree voice echoed from the sizzling kitchen.

If only.

I tore open the second envelope and found a similar note donning a different name.

"Sunshine Tempest,"

... An exact copy of my letter, replacing my name with hers.

“Night Light?” Sunshine asked again, peeking from the kitchen. “Night Light, what is it?” I just sat on my haunches and stared at my letter.

This has to be a mistake of some kind... Or an error. Or maybe a misunderstanding.

A pell-mell riot was raging in my mind as I struggled to find an answer. Tears threatened my composure, and my eyes stung. Desperation made me continue reading in hopes of finding a loophole to exploit. Instead, I only saw instructions on where to go and who to report, our fate set in ink.

“Night Light, you’re scaring me. What is it?” Sunshine asked again. I remember just sitting there dumbfounded, holding the letter in my hooves. Sunshine picked up the second letter and slowly read. I heard no sound from her since then.

I felt a hoof draped over my back. Finally, I mustered the courage to look at her. Her eyes were wet. Her lips quivered in a frown.

And my heart shattered at the sight.

I couldn't tell her. I struggled to think of any way to find comfort in this situation. I turned and just sat there, like a coward. I felt her hug me from behind, her barrel seeping its warmth into me. I reached out for her hoof. Her fetlock gripping mine, Sunshine sat behind me with her shoulders silently heaving. I felt her grip tighten as she embraced me from behind.

No words were said. Neither of us knew what could be said even if we wanted to.

---

That ordeal was six days ago.

Replaying that day, I realized a fundamental truth about myself—a truth that I had wished to be untrue and had hoped was just a misunderstanding of myself.

The truth was that I was a coward.

How can I go forward with this?

I stood outside the entrance to Cloudsdale Airforce Base, my eyes fixed on the sign above the entrance. I took a deep breath. It took every ounce of my willpower to make it happen, but I eventually took a step forward.

Then another step, then another. And soon, I was trotting forward.

It didn't take me long to find the terminal. Trotting inside its open entrance, a mare sat behind the reception desk, looking bored. She only looked up when I showed her my draft papers.

She quickly caught on: “Go to th' northern quarter and find Rainbow Dash. She’ll help you.”

That made me pause.

"... Rainbow Dash?"

"Yes, the Rainbow Dash, bearer of the element of Loyalty, Heroine of Equestria, et cetera, et cetera." The mare replied with an eye roll and a bored tone. "She's been helping train th' young'uns," she replied in a drawl. "Find her in the old Air Base behind me, and she'll get you started."

... Okay then.

Emerging from the terminal with my wings spread, I took off northbound. There were Buildings on the ground as well as in the Sky that made up Cloudsdale; the majority of them being in the clouds made of cloud, with only a few exceptions on the ground for some of the non-pegasi inhabitants here and for some critical infrastructure.

But for the most part, this place was more military than civilian from what I can see from above. More barracks and warehouses than actual houses.

There was an airbase for aircraft here in Cloudsdale, and contrary to what I had first thought, it was not in the clouds itself. At least, not the one for the aircraft. Supposedly, the traditional runway for Pegasi was up there somewhere, but that was not my destination.

Eventually, after a little more asking around and some pointing hooves in the right direction, I nervously made my way to a small group standing in a neat line in front of a teal-colored mare with prismatic hair: Rainbow Dash.

She was sizing up the other recruits in the neat line afront of her. I could hear her yelling as I walked to her.

“Alright, Listen up Fillies and Colts! You are here today because you just got drafted! And if you pansy asses are done moping about it, I suggest you toughen the fuck up! Celestia herself told me it's now my job to fix you all up before deployment! And you will bet your sorry asses that I am going to do just that! I will teach you the fundamentals of operating an aircraft. I will teach you how to fly with grace, and with purpose. I will teach you how to outsmart your opponent and goad them into stupid action. I will teach you how to shoot down some bugs.

"But most important of all, I will teach you what it means to be a Pegasus! Because when I’m through with you, I want you to be better than—"

The prismatic mare had finally noticed my Presence and turned to face me. Twisting her body, she trotted up to me until she was just a couple of inches away, her expression hardened and even.

“And who are you supposed to be?” she spoke just as evenly.

“Uh, N-Night Light. I was... told to be here.” I finished pathetically.

After pulling them out of my pack, I gave her my draft papers as proof. She quickly read them over, nodding while doing so.

"... Hm."

She gripped a pen from her vest with a wingtip and deftly scribbled down something at the bottom of the stack of papers a couple of times, before slamming them into my chest with a hoof.

The papers fell apart in a heap, as I fumbled about failing to grab hold of it in time.

For a moment, everything was still. Both of us stared at the ground of my draft papers flailing in the wind.

I looked up to see her burrowing holes in my skull with a stare of disappointment.

"... Slow reactions," she noted apathetically. "Not ideal. Are you sure you're supposed to be here?"

"Y-Yes Ma'am."

She squints her eyes. "Name four types of clouds."

I blinked. "Uh... Ma'am?"

"DID I STUTTER?!" She inexplicably shouts in my face, jumpstarting my brain to function.

"U-uh, Cirro, Cumulo, Strato, and Nimbus, Ma'am!"

"Where are the flight feathers of a Pegasi's wing located?"

"Uh-" I blinked again, regaining my wits. "T-The Remiges and Rectrices, Ma'am!"

"And what is the maximum optimal Wingpower that a Pegasi can travel at to break the sound barrier?"

"... Wha-"

"ANSWER!"

"Uh..." I stammered, as my brain strained to do the mental math. "Uh, 129 Wingpower, Ma'am!" I guessed.

Silence.

No more questions followed as I stood rigid. Rainbow glared down from above me as she hovered in place for a while, scanning me up and down.

"... Well, at least you're not dumb... Alright, I can work with this. Have you met Spitfire yet?"

"Uh, n-no Ma'am."

"Then go do that. Last I checked, she was inspecting the barracks. Give her your Draft Papers, then she'll get you squared away with everything else. When you're done, come back to me and we can get you started. Clear?"

"Yes Ma'am!"

She pauses, scanning me again. "... Dismissed."

She twists away unceremoniously, her eyes locked on the formation of Cadets still standing in place. "Alright, Cadets, today we will be doing laps around the tarmac and see how well your endurance holds you up!"

I heard a few groans from behind as I trotted away from the formation. The barracks lay just ahead of me, and it was an easy walk to-

“Hey HEY HEY, WATCH OUT!” A mare suddenly yelled to my left, approaching at a very fast speed. I was barely able to step back out of her way as she flew past, barely missing me and skidding painfully on the Tarmac because of me.

Just as I was about to rush over to help, a voice screamed from behind

“OH DAMMIT, NIGHT LIGHT!” Rainbow bellowed behind me. I stiffened as I turned around to face. She clearly wasn't happy before when I interrupted her, but if looks could kill...

"I-I'm sorry, I-I didn't see-"

“Do you have eyes, Night Light?”

“Wh-What?” I stammered.

SLAP!

In a violently quick motion, her hoof connects to my face, throwing me to the ground.

“I ASKED YOU A QUESTION! YOU REPLY WITH AN ANSWER, NOT WITH ANOTHER DAMN QUESTION! I SAID: DO YOU HAVE EYES!?" She shrieks.

“YES MA’AM!” I screamed, trying to suppress tears as I stood up again, facing her.

SLAP!

a slap from her left hoof knocks me down again, somehow harder than her right one.

"I DIDN'T PERMIT YOU TO LOOK AT ME! YOU WILL NOT LOOK, YOU WILL NOT SPEAK, YOU WILL NOT EVEN FUCKING THINK UNTIL I SAY SO! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?"

"YES MA'AM!" Another shrill scream came, standing up even quicker this time, the tears could not be held back this time as they pooled up. It took every ounce, every last iota of willpower, to not blink and not stare. I held my breath in and stared above Rainbow's terrifying eyes into the sky, holding my head high.

A pause. “... I'm starting to think I am talking to a mental defect! Next time, you look both ways of the runway before you cross! EVERYPONY knows this, DO YOU!?”

"I-" I stopped myself before replying correctly, "Yes, Ma'am!"

"Oh what, are you scared? Are you gonna cry, little filly?" She sneers.

"No Ma'am!" I yelled in defiance, my brow furrowing even further as the tears, thankfully, began to dry up. I wish the pain could do the same.

"Well, " she starts with a mocking tone, "I think I'll call you Night Blight from here on out, on account of you being a worthless piece of shit that shouldn't even be worth my fucking time!"

A heavy sigh escapes her lips as she rubs a wing at her eyes. "Next time, LOOK BOTH WAYS! UNDERSTAND!?"

"YES MA'AM!"

Satisfied with the verbal assault she had just committed, Rainbow turned back to the other recruits who were struggling to stifle their amusement.

“Oh I'm sorry, is this fucking funny to you clowns, huh?!” Rainbow barked as she walked up to one of them, their smiles dissipating instantly as they captured her attention.

“Drop down and give me 100, on your wings, all of you! I wanna see who's laughing when you fly 100 laps after that! MOVE IT!”

And so they did. Rather fast, at that. That had wiped the smug looks on their features. I quickly made my exit as she was distracted, picking up my draft papers as I did. As I flew towards the Barracks with my head sulking to the ground with a mix of shame and petulance, in the corner of my vision I saw a Lime-coated mare waving at me.

It was the same mare that almost hit me before.

“You alright, hun?” She asked in an accent.

“Um... Sorry about that.” I mumbled, wiping a hoof to my eyes as I tried to hide the pain.

She smiled. “You’re not the only one who crossed the runway without looking on your first day.” She pointed at Rainbow Dash and her recruits who were still doing pushups.

I wanted to smile back, but honestly, I was scared that Rainbow might have eyes in the back of her head silently watching us... “Really?” I instead asked in disbelief.

"She loves her job," The mare began, "she just doesn't have the patience for it."

“... What’s your name anyway?” I asked.

“Name’s Minty Leaf.” She stretched a wing out for me, shaking it before introducing myself.

“Night Light, please to meet you. Where are you from?"

"Vanhoova'. I moved here about a year ago," she answers.

"Oh... I'm sorry for what happened to your home."

She dismisses it with a shrug. "Vanhoova ponies are tough. They didn't like Celestia's rule to begin with. But Changelings invading their city? That will rile them up. I'm inclined to think they're okay." She trails off as her eyes glance in an unspecific direction. "Ain't gonna do me much good to dwell on it now. The best we can do is move on and do better."

"Right," I finish lamely, unsure what else to say. “Well, I have to get going. I need to meet this... Spitfire.”

She points to one of the smaller hanger-looking buildings across the tarmac. "She is inspecting the barracks, so you won't have to wait in line for her like all the others did."

"Yay." A bitter sigh escapes my lips.

"Well, hey, anyways, I gotta go, see ya later, Night." She speaks suddenly and flourishes her wings to fly off without another.

“... Sure. ” I mumbled.

After crossing the Runway (and looking both ways this time), I made my way to the Barracks. By the time I got there, the doors to one of them were pried open. It was largely empty, save for the sight of a fiery yellow Pegasus clinging to a chin-up bar on the ceiling, pulling herself up and then down.

Inspecting the barracks, huh?

“Um, excuse me, would you happen to be Spitfire?” I asked cautiously.

She glanced at me from behind her shoulder and then dropped to all fours to face me. “Yep! The one and only. What do you want?”

“Um, I’m one of the New Recruits. Name's Night Light. Rainbow said to send me here.”

Upon hearing Rainbow's name, her features softened somewhat. Grabbing my draft papers, she quickly scanned through the lines and saw Rainbow's signature. She then scanned me up and down, observing my form. “Another one, huh? Alright, Follow me. A free cot is still available here.” she proceeded down the hall.

About a few paces into the surprisingly big interior, my bed was already folded with its sheets. It stood out amongst the others, as all the neighboring cots were already touched by a pony in some way, whereas mine was like a blank canvas.

“This is yours. The footlocker has your uniform. Remember to keep them clean and to have your sheets folded just shy of the Pillow come inspection day or else Rainbow will have your head.”

“I, uh, I think I already have a bounty on my head from her,” I mumbled half to myself, and half aloud.

“... What happened?” She replied with a surprising warmth in her voice.

“I uh, crossed the runway without looking. Almost hit a mare.”

She laughs.

It's a hearty belly laugh that leaves one feeling lightheaded when it's over, and it was the last thing I expected her to do in response to my near miss.

“Wow, what are the odds? That is classic! That’s exactly what Rainbow did on her first day too! Wait, hold on: did she give you a nickname?”

"Nickna-?... Oh." I am reminded of Rainbow screaming in my face. "Yeah... She called me 'Night Blight'... on account of my inability," I responded with air quotes from my wings.

She winced through her teeth as if she had been struck. "Not... The best nickname I've heard. I mean, I've heard worse."

"Wait wait, hold on," I backtracked, "You said Rainbow Dash also did this on her first day?"

No further comment, joke, or explanation was given. Just a simple answer:

"Yep. But I didn't tell you that."

Silence. For a moment, I didn't know what to say.

She takes advantage of this and wraps an arm around my whithers, pulling me closer from to her side.

"I won't tell you her nickname, she will have my head for that, and she will know it was me who said that, but I will put it like this: Yours is not as bad as hers was. I mean, heck, neither was mine; worse than yours and Rainbow's, I can safely say, and I will forever keep that secret to my grave. I mean, it was really, really, really-"

"Is there a point to this?" I interjected with a huff, as I was supposed to be back with Rainbow by now.

"I'm getting there," she tersely replied. "As I said, I had a nickname as bad as yours. But the way I see it, I'm kind of glad they did it."

"Glad?"

"Yeah, because I saw it as an opportunity. It showed me that there was a chance to prove them wrong, a way to show them I am not what they say I am. The mind likes to be its worst enemy when exposed to things like that. I had the will to ignore it, and I just needed to find a way to surpass it.

"So my advice?" she prodded my chest, "When you feel like you can't do any task because of its impossibility, when you think there is no way forward, fight it head on. Don't conform to the expectations of others just because they are hard on you. Don't let potential enemies get in your way. If you can't find a way, you make one."

I stared downward, more dumbfounded than I was when I walked in.

What kind of advice is that? Fight my superior? Don't listen to them?

"Well, there's your stuff. As far as I can tell, you are all set to go. Put on the uniform and go see Rainbow when you're done. The changing room is in the back."

With that, she trotted outside and took off before I could formulate a response in my mouth. As I watched her leave, I was reminded why I was there.

And I am reminded of my shortcomings in willpower.

Spitfire's words echoing in my head were only confusing me.

Trying not to think about it, I shook my head and opened the footlocker. Inside was a one-piece uniform that looked like a one-size-fits-all. Soon, I emerged from the back wearing it on my person. Airtight. Horribly drab. Itchy and uncomfortable.

Inspecting some of the other contents of the footlocker, I found some MREs, a hair brush, a notebook with a pen, and a simple hygiene kit with soap. There really wasn't much to look at so I left for outside.

Standing at the door of the barracks, I took in the scenery around me. Formations of Pegasi flying around the airstrip, with other ponies from all walks of life mingling about on the ground either socializing, conducting maintenance, or conducting drills.

Again, the reality of the situation slowly crept into my psyche to threaten my composure. Besides the lateral distance, what separated me from Tartarus on Earth was but a few words on a paper, telling me to train for a few months first to get me 'Combat-Ready.'

"...Combat Ready." The mundane words left a nauseating taste in my mouth. Although it was far from prosaic, it was so menial to say. It is so easy to dismiss it as nothing but a statistic—a statistical sacrifice for the greater good. At least, that was what they said.

I was going to war. There was no disillusion about that.

But in my mind, this felt more like a slow execution than a march to battle. A slow trot into my death, maybe, one that plunges headfirst into the abyss. They would give me nothing but tools of death, whereas I would give them my total obedience if it meant success.

I realized I was no longer a pony. I was now a cog in a machine, and if I wanted to survive, I had to embrace that.

---

Days passed by after that. The sore muscles on top of the searing pain: I can get used to that after a while. I didn’t think being a Pilot could be so physically grueling. I wanted nothing more but to collapse back into my cot sleep the pain away forever and never wake up.

And yet, my thoughts could not escape from the prison I was in. It wandered back to what life was like before in the past, only for me to face the sobering reality of the present. And worse still, every time I try to think of happy thoughts, every time I try to forget about the life I live in now, I am met with the same mental image that continues to haunt me.

Sunshine Tempest.

And I wonder, every time if she’s better off than I am. The thoughts are plaguing my mind every night I try to sleep. Whenever I think of her, it's getting harder to remember her voice and face, harder still to concentrate on my menial day-to-day tasks. Her face is still there, but the details are grainy and lost to time. Her features are somewhat recognizable in my mind's eye, but how long would that last until those too start to fade and become blurry?

This is not to mention the sobering acknowledgment that I may never see Sunshine Tempest ever again...

I shook my head, trying to shake my head of these heavy emotions and the stinging eyes.

I lay there in my cot staring at the slanted ceiling. Hearing the snores of other ponies was distracting enough that I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep now; truthfully, I don't think I would've been able to. I was much too sore from the grueling workouts that Rainbow gave us it proved hard to move even my neck. And even if that wasn't the case, I've still yet to calm my mind, which was racing far too fast for me to slumber.

I was... Desperate, for lack of a better term, for any kind of reprieve. I needed to distract myself in any kind of way.

So I did the one thing that made sense to me at the time.

I sat up, an agonizingly slow process as I got out of my bed and pulled out my footlocker. Gently opening it to ensure I didn’t wake the others, I pulled out the notebook and pen, awkwardly holding both in my mouth as I gently trotted my way to the bathroom and closed the door. I turned on the light, sat in a stall to myself, and began writing.

Even if she wouldn't be able to see this, even if it's impossible for me to send this now, even if it was for nothing... I still want to try. For myself, if not for her.

“... Dear Sunshine Tempest,”

Next Chapter: (A1) - Chapter 2: Hooves On The Ground [Revised] Estimated time remaining: 18 Hours, 32 Minutes