Sundance shivered as he stepped out of the infirmary. The night air was freezing, more than cold enough to turn his breath into a visible cloud, and the snow almost up to his stomach certainly didn't do him any favors. At least the last of the blizzard had passed, and two of Dike's three moons were shining high in the sky unobstructed.

"So that's it? They're just sending away most of the cadets?" Chartreuse asked, shocked. She had left the blanket folded up on the bed in the infirmary and now had her cadet jacket wrapped tightly around her against the cold air. They had left for the barracks as soon as she thought she was feeling well enough to move on her own.

Vermilion nodded. "The cadets who don't show promise as a MechWarrior are leaving in two days. They're cannon fodder."

"But why? Is there a shortage of 'Mechs or something? They can't be doing this for no reason."

Vermilion shook his head and sighed. "They only accept a certain number of MechWarriors from freeborn Sibkos anyway, regardless of how many pass their Trials of Position. They want more soldiers quick, so they're splitting us up. They can push out a tank crew after three years, and infantry in only two."

"So they're gonna throw us into the war sooner, and we can die when we're fourteen instead of eighteen. Wonderful," Sundance said before rubbing a hoof over his face. "Why don't they just shoot us now and get it over with?"

"In the hopes that we take out an enemy soldier before biting the dust." Vermilion sighed again.

"This is ridiculous," Mist said as he kicked a hoof through the snow and unintentionally showered Sundance in the cold powder, who flinched and glared at him. "They should have done this from the beginning. What if we get separated?"

"We won't. They take eight cadets from every year. I'm thinking it'll be us four, two mediums, and two lights," Vermilion said with a glance at the moons overhead. "They're certain to take Chartreuse, and I'm sure you've noticed how bad the other heavy pilots are. We don't have much competition. They've probably already picked who they're keeping, so we won't have to worry about the Trial anymore, at least."

Chartreuse nodded. "That's comforting for us, at least. But the rest of the cadets can't have taken that information well."

"They didn't. When the Commander told us in the barracks earlier, some of the cadets almost started a fight with him. A bunch of soldiers rushed in through the door before anything could happen, so they were probably expecting something like that," Mist said. He frowned, the deep creases in his forehead making him look even more exhausted. "It isn't all good new for us, though. You want to tell them, Vermilion?"

Sundance glanced at Vermilion, whose expression immediately darkened. Whatever it was, it must be serious. "They're not giving us worse Mechs, are they?"

Vermilion shook his head. "No. This is worse." He sighed heavily and glanced out into the dark forest. "They're speeding up our training. Instead of six years, we're only getting four. You three will be sixteen when we're sent off."

Sundance stared at Vermilion, his mouth agape. "What? Are you serious?"

"What the hell are they thinking? Six years is barely long enough, so why would they think four is fine?" Chartreuse exclaimed.

Mist glanced off in the distance at the lights of the barracks which had just become visible through the trees. "Clan Draconequus is losing ground. We're not the massive, terrifying Clan we were back during the Clan Invasion. When the six original Clans split after that war, five of the eighteen new Clans broke off from us alone. That left us the smallest of all the Clans, and now that we're in a war of attrition against Clans may times larger than us and our allies, we can't hold off for much longer.

"This is Clan Draconequus's final push. They're hoping to end the war in the next ten years, no matter what it takes. If winning the war leaves their population, economy, and military in shambles, so be it. They don't care if they have to go into debt to secure more 'Mechs. They just need more pilots to fill them, hence our current situation." Mist's frown deepened. "I'm assuming most of the trueborn cadets become MechWarriors, which is why they only take some of us and use the rest as infantry. We're just rats to them."

Sundance sighed and rubbed his forehead, squeezing his eyes shut. "And I thought our situation couldn't get any worse."

"Shit." Chartreuse shook her head and sighed, unsure of what else to say.

"Well, at least we get to spend whatever time we have left together. I wouldn't have it any other way," Vermilion said before stopping in front of the barracks.

"There's that soft side of yours. You should let that guy out more often. You're not so bad when you're not scowling at everything and everypony," Mist said jokingly, walking over to Vermilion and punching him lightly in the shoulder. This earned him a lighthearted glare. "I agree. Early mornings and terrible food aside, I've loved spending time with you three. Especially Sundance." Mist wrapped a hoof around Sundance's shoulders. "Who knows what would have happened to us if he hadn't pissed off Bittersweet and gotten the shit beaten out of him. None of us might be friends."

Sundance laughed uneasily with the rest of his friends. He still hadn't told them what was still going on between him and Bittersweet, with the older pony abusing him seemingly every chance he got. "I wonder what's going to happen to him. He's been here for almost seven years now, and there's no way somepony with his skill set wouldn't become a MechWarrior. Is he going to get sent off to war immediately, or will he stick around a bit longer?" Sundance wondered.

"Vermilion would be constantly glaring at everypony, I'd be alone and quite bored, and you'd probably still be the slowest pony in the Sibko," Chartreuse said, still giggling.

The four of them laughed again, forgetting for a moment about the freezing night air and the bloody war they were going to be thrown into very soon. Sundance loved moments like this when he could just be with his friends and not worry about their impending doom. He felt as if all of his problems just dissolved whenever they were together. He almost felt grateful that the soldiers had taken them here and brought them together in a way that wouldn't have happened naturally. Almost.

Mist smiled and sighed, his breath frosting in the cold air. "We should probably all get to bed. It's freezing out here, and it's been a long day for all of us. I don't imagine the Commander is going to take it easy on any of us tomorrow just because of the blizzard."

Chartreuse nodded. "Yeah, we probably should." She accidentally made eye contact with Sundance and looked away awkwardly. "Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow." She turned and headed towards the female barracks, which were only a short walk away.

"Goodnight," Mist called. He turned back towards Sundance and Vermilion and yawned. "I don't know about you guys, but I could sleep for a week."

Vermilion nodded in agreement. "Me too. Let's go."

The three of them filed into the barracks, ready to put an end to the eventful day. Despite having just slept for the entire evening, Sundance still felt tired, and he fell asleep almost the instant his head hit his pillow. He slept soundly that night, feeling as if all of his fears had disappeared, at least for the time being.

Sundance leaned back in his seat and winced as the lights in his cockpit flickered off for the third time that day. "Damn. At least I did some damage this time," he thought as he clutched a hoof to his aching chest. Tangelo's theory about him being able to feel the damage his 'Mech took turned out to be correct, though Sundance wondered if the simulated damage felt any different than actually being shot. The training program in the 'Mechs was fairly simplistic, so he wouldn't be surprised if it did.

Sundance reached over and powered his 'Mech back up. His mind went back to the cryptic letter that he had found on top of his cadet jacket that morning, which made it hard to focus on much else. He still wasn't entirely sure what to think of it, and neither were his friends. Sundance sighed. It was really worrying, but he wasn't sure what he could do about it.

"Not too bad this time, cadet Sundance," Commander Charcoal said. "With your piloting skills, you should be able to run circles around him, though. Do not just sit there face-tanking his shots. Work on that for next time."

Sundance nodded. "Yes, Sir." After the announcement that most of the cadets would be leaving, the Commander had to change his plans for their training. All of the other cadets were preparing to leave, so the training field was mostly barren. Other than the Commanders, the only 'Mechs on the field were Sundance and his friends, a Stormcrow, an Ice Ferret, an Adder, and surprisingly, Tangelo in her Clan Locust. Apparently she was the best scout they had, so her and the Ice Ferret would be taking that role on the battlefield. For now, though, those two were still stuck doing combat training with Commander Juniper and the other medium and light.

"Cadet Vermilion, you're up." Vermilion stepped up to face Mist with his hooves placed on the controls. He wasn't going to hold back and he didn't expect Mist to, either. Combat training was actually enjoyable for him. He wasn't sure why, but he always felt more alive behind the controls of a seventy-five ton war machine.

Sundance walked over to stand next to Chartreuse in her Clan Marauder. It had only been one day since the blizzard and her near-death experience, but she didn't seem to have any lasting injuries. He glanced up at her massive 'Mech as he turned around. Even in his Hellbringer Sundance always felt tiny standing next to her.

"Begin!"

As usual, Vermilion started off by firing everything at once. Even if it wasn't the most heat efficient tactic, it certainly was terrifying to be against, even without real ammunition. Mist proceeded to whiff all of his first shots, which pretty much sealed his fate for that fight.

Chartreuse opened a private comm channel with Sundance. "Can you read that note for me again? I want to make sure I remembered it right."

Sundance nodded and pulled the note out from the bag attached to the back of his seat. He unfolded the paper and read it aloud. "'Meet me behind the mess hall during lunch today, before the other cadets leave. I have something important to talk to you about. Come alone. -C' That's all it says." Solis hummed, a little confused. As little as she understood ponies and how they interacted with each other, it certainly seemed like a strange message to receive.

Chartreuse shook her head. "I still don't like it. You're not thinking about actually going, are you? 'Come alone?' That's about as shady as somepony can get. Edgy, but still shady."

Sundance sighed. "I might. I'm really curious about it, but I'm a little worried, too. The only thing they signed was C, so I have no idea who it wrote it." He shot Chartreuse a joking look. "It wasn't you, was it?"

She giggled and shook her head. "Of course not. Even if I could sneak into your barracks without being seen, I wouldn't give you a mysterious note if I wanted to talk to you about something. Besides, there isn't really anything left I'd need to talk to you about in private that I haven't already," she said awkwardly.

"I guess not." Sundance folded the note back up and placed it in its bag. He leaned back in his seat and sighed. "I'm gonna see what they want. I doubt anything bad is going to happen so close to so many other ponies. Besides, if it's somepony who's leaving today, this is the only chance they'll get to talk to me. Shouldn't I give them that chance?"

"Well, it's your decision," Chartreuse said with a glance at Mist and Vermilion. Mist was just about finished, with his left torso, arm, and leg having been disabled by the simulated damage in the training program. "We'll be just on the other side of the wall, so scream if you're in trouble. We'll come running."

Sundance smiled. "Thanks. I'll count on you three to bail me out if something happens."

Mist's 'Mech shut down, the center torso having finally been taken out. "You need to work on your aim, cadet Mist. You are almost the same tonnage as Vermilion, and you are geared towards close combat. It should have been an easy win for you," Commander Charcoal said as Mist's Summoner powered back up.

"Sorry, Sir. I'll try to work on that." Mist and Vermilion walked back over towards Sundance and Chartreuse, their 'Mechs throwing up clouds of snow.

Commander Charcoal sighed. "That is enough combat training for today. Go get some lunch, then be back here by thirteen hundred hours. We will start working on each of your individual roles on the battlefield then. Dismissed," he said over the open comms.

"Yes, Sir!" the cadets all said before turning and charging towards the exit of the field.

Vermilion pulled up next to Sundance, his Timber Wolf's machine guns still smoking from the fight. "Not a bad training session. For me and Chartreuse, anyway."

Sundance made a face at him. "Hey, I'm improving. I'm not sure about Mist, but I definitely am."

"I heard that, asshole. Remind me who won our fight earlier?" Mist said playfully.

"Good point," Sundance said, laughing. "I didn't do too badly though. All things considered."

Tangelo slowed down as she neared Sundance and the Ice Ferret sprinted past her, almost at full speed. It was surprising to Sundance just how fast the lighter Mechs could move. The two of them had crossed almost two times the distance he had in the same amount of time.

"How are you doing? Feeling alright after yesterday?" Tangelo asked over a private comm channel.

"Yeah, I'm good. Turns out your theory about me feeling the damage my 'Mech takes was correct," Sundance said as he rubbed a sore spot on his shoulder.

"That's interesting. It doesn't affect your concentration too much, does it? It seems like it would be distracting to feel pain every time you get shot."

Sundance shook his head. "It was at first, and it's also a little annoying, but I'm starting to get used to it. It's actually kind of helpful to know where I'm getting hit without having to look at my damage indicator. I don't have to look away from what I'm shooting at to know what's happening to my 'Mech."

Tangelo nodded. "That makes sense. I guess it would be kind of a useful thing for somepony like you. I won't really be taking too much damage, as a scout and all," she said, giggling. "On that note, they've got a few other 'Mechs for me and Fern to try out later. There's a really fast light I want to try out. Commander Juniper said it can sprint up to one hundred and fifty kph."

"Damn, that's quick. Eighty-five is pushing it for me, and Chartreuse can barely hit sixty-five," Sundance said with a shake of his head. He frowned. "Fern? The pony who was still in the infirmary yesterday? How did he get better that quickly?"

"He didn't. Commander Charcoal told Cornsilk to just give him painkillers and send him out anyway, since he isn't contagious or anything. Poor guy's barely conscious," she said as she glanced after the 'Mech disappearing through the trees. "He really shouldn't be going that fast in his condition."

Sundance shook his head. "Normally I'd be upset about that, but seeing as how they cut our training time by two years, I can understand why the Commander doesn't want anypony taking time off."

Tangelo nodded. "Yeah. This whole situation is a mess, isn't it? Ethics aside, it makes more sense this way when you think about it, though. If they're gonna split us up at some point, they might as well do it sooner and save time and resources."

"I guess so. I'm still not happy about it, but it's not like there's anything we can do about it. I wonder if the other freeborn Sibkos in the Clan are in similar situations?" Sundance wondered.

"I'd imagine so. The Commanders aren't happy about having less time to train us, so it can't have been their choice, and they're the highest authority here. The Khan probably was the one who made the decision. He needs more soldiers fast unless he wants to lose the war."

Sundance nodded, reluctantly agreeing. He'd probably choose to lose the war over throwing foals into it and destroying the economy it if he were Khan, but he could at least see why the decision was made, even if he thought the reasoning wasn't sound.

"Anyway, are you going to talk to the cadet who left you the letter?" Tangelo asked.

Sundance nodded again. "Yeah, I think I'll do that before I eat. If you hear somepony scream like a little filly, assume it's me yelling for help."

Tangelo giggled again. "Got it. Just be careful, alright? I still think it could be a trick. Their wording was pretty suspicious."

"I will. I'll be right next to the mess hall though, so I don't think anything is gonna go wrong. We're just cadets. What's the worst that could happen?"

Vermilion set his tray on the table and sat down in the uncomfortable plastic seat. He glanced at Sundance's empty spot at the table across from him. "I still don't think he should have gone. I think it's a trap."

"You worry too much, Vermilion. Why would somepony try to trick Sundance?" Mist said as he fell into his usual seat and shoved a forkful of broccoli into his mouth. "We're all on the same side here. And if the Clan wanted him hurt, dead, or blackmailed, they wouldn't do it this way. He'll be just fine."

Chartreuse thwacked the top of Mist's head with her spoon as she walked by, then sat down across from him. Mist let out a cry of pain and placed his hooves on top of his head. "If Sundance hadn't gone, I'm sure he would have told you to chew with your mouth closed for the thousandth time," she said with a smile. "I think he should have stayed, but I agree there probably isn't anything to worry about. Not anything serious, anyway."

"I don't know. Some of the other ponies here can be pretty terrible, and Sundance comes into the infirmary a bunch," Tangelo said, walking over to their table. "Is it okay if I sit here with you guys?"

"Yeah, that's fine." Chartreuse stabbed her fork into her salad as Tangelo placed her tray down next to her. "Just not there. That's where Sundance sits."

"Oh, okay. I'll just sit here then." Tangelo slid her tray over one spot and sat down before tucking into her lunch.

The four of them sat in silence for the next few minutes, all of them worrying about Sundance to some degree. All of them except for Mist, who was too busy focusing on his lasagna to pay much attention to the others.

"It's been almost ten minutes. I wonder what's taking Sundance so long?" Vermilion thought as he listlessly twirling his fork in his spaghetti. He glanced at the doors of the mess hall. "Something doesn't feel right."

A tray slammed down in Sundance's spot, jarring everypony at the table back into reality. "Can I sit here?" a gravelly voice asked. Without waiting for an answer, a dark pink earth pony with a long, blue and white mane and dark purple eyes sat down. She had an unusual cutie mark in the shape of a pink swirl. "My friends weren't feeling hungry, so they left early. I can't say I blame them. Never having to eat here again is scary, but exciting all the same," she said as she shoved the rest of a half-eaten brownie into her mouth.

Chartreuse opened her mouth to say something, but stopped as the pony sat down and just kept talking. Either she enjoyed the sound of her own voice, or she was just oblivious of others. Chartreuse sighed and stabbed her fork into her salad again. "Sure. Whatever," she said when the pony finally shut up.

"Good. I wasn't planning on getting up, anyway," she said with a grin. "My name's Carmine, by the way. Carmine Rose."

"Nice to meet you," Tangelo said. Vermilion and Mist nodded to Carmine. Mist normally would have said something, but his mouth was full of food again.

Chartreuse sighed internally. "This pony's manners are almost as bad as Mist's," she thought.

Carmine swallowed the rest of her brownie and looked around at the others at the table. "So what year are you guys? I haven't seen you around very often."

"We're all second-years. You?" Vermilion said. He had remembered Sundance's note was signed by somepony with the initial 'C,' so was it her? He wasn't sure, but considering she was here and he wasn't, it probably wasn't Carmine. Either that, or he was lying unconscious in the snow.

"This is my fifth year. Lucky me, I'm past the fourth-year cut-off point, so I'm getting shipped off today. Hopefully I can take out some fuckers before my inevitable death." She narrowed her eyes at Vermilion. "Really? You look older than thirteen. You look familiar, too. Are you related to Carnelian?"

"I started training a few years late." Vermilion frowned and nodded. "You knew my brother?"

Carmine shook her head. "Hardly. I saw him around a bit before he left, but I've heard about him a bit from Chalk. He said Carnelian was something of a prodigy before he, well... It's a shame he died so young. From his reputation, he probably could have become a Star Commander, even as a freeborn. A damn good one, at that."

Vermilion nodded. "He would have been." His frown deepened. "Who's Chalk?" He couldn't remember any cadets with the word 'chalk' in their name, so he was curious, especially considering Sundance's letter. They might be the pony who wrote it.

"Oh, that's not his actual name. Chalk is our nickname for Bittersweet. In war, Draconequus Warriors add a chalk mark to the outside of their 'Mech or tank for every kill they get after each battle. None of us have ever managed to beat him in a fight, so we decided that would be a fitting nickname."

Vermilion glanced at Carmine as his mind began racing. "Bittersweet's nickname is Chalk? What if he wrote the letter?" He glanced at his friends, but none of them seemed to catch on. "Tangelo said Sundance goes to the infirmary often, and I don't think it's to help out. Is Bittersweet still beating him up? Why hasn't he told me? I could have put a stop to it."

Vermilion stood up quickly, causing his chair to slide back and crash into the wall behind him. He turned and raced towards the exit. "Hey, where are you going?" Mist called.

"Don't worry about it," he yelled, throwing the doors open. "I'm certain Bittersweet wrote that letter for Sundance. I was right to be suspicious." He shook his head as he ran through the snow toward the back of the mess hall. "Please don't be too late. I don't want to lose another brother."

Ten Minutes Prior.

Sundance crept around the corner of the mess hall and looked around. "Hello? Anypony here?" he asked. He didn't see anypony around, so he stepped out further and turned to look behind him. He didn't see anypony anywhere. "Maybe they changed their mind?" he thought before a familiar voice proved that hope wrong.

"There you are. It took you long enough." Bittersweet stepped out from between the dumpsters with an annoyed look on his face.

Sundance winced and turned to face the bigger pony. "What did you want to talk about?" he asked, trying to sound as calm as he could.

"Just some things. Maybe amend some wrongs."

Sundance's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Really? You want to do that?"

Bittersweet smirked and stalked towards him. "Of course not. I'm not a pussy like you." He grabbed Sundance by the mane, eliciting a yelp of pain. "I just wanted to fuck you up one last time before I get sent to my death. I'm quite pissed about our whole situation, so I've got some tension I need to let out." He wrenched Sundance to the ground and swung a hoof into his stomach. Hard.

Sundance clasped his forelegs around his stomach in pain. His stomach collapsed from the impact, and he vomited a small amount of bitter dark yellow liquid. "I'm glad I didn't eat lunch yet," he thought wryly as Bittersweet hit him again.

"Have I ever told you how much I enjoy these little meetings of ours? I'm glad you were retarded enough to come to this one." He slammed his hoof down onto Sundance's face and pushed his head into the deep snow. "You probably would have stayed safely in the dining hall if I had signed my real name or initial. I couldn't have that, now could I?" He brought his face down next to Sundance's ear. "And don't even think about fighting back or calling for help. If anypony comes around that corner I'll slice them up, and once I'm done with them, I'll cut out that annoying little tongue of yours," he said, flashing a knife from his pocket.

Sundance nodded feebly. "Why does he have a knife?" He shut his eyes tightly. "This is bad. Really bad."

Bittersweet stood back up. "Good. Now where was I? Oh yeah, beating you senseless," he growled before slamming his hoof onto Sundance's head again. The metal of a horseshoe dug painfully into his flesh. "Thanks for being my personal punching bag for so long. I never realized just how much stress I had built up over the past five years."

The edges of Sundance's vision started going black as he was hit in the head a third time, and he tasted blood in his mouth. "Fuck... I can hardly even think straight." He felt himself being lifted off the ground and slammed into the wall. "Vermilion's probably gonna be angry with me."

Bittersweet hit him over and over again, to the point where Sundance could barely feel it since almost his entire body was in mind-numbing pain. "Can't... keep going," he thought, retching for the fourth or fifth time. Sundance wasn't sure since he lost count a while ago. He blinked sluggishly, the back of his throat burning from all the bile passing through it. "Maybe death wouldn't be so bad."

Bittersweet's hoof crashed into the side of Sundance's face so hard he felt the blow reverberate through his whole body and he tumbled to the ground. Sundance ran his tongue over a loosened tooth and cringed when it popped out of his gums. He groaned in pain and spat out the bloody object. "Gross."

Sundance felt a hoof plant itself on his throat, a familiar feeling, and he gasped for breath. "I wish I could spend all day doing this, but the WarShip is leaving in half an hour," Bittersweet said, breathing heavily from exertion. He pressed his hoof harder against Sundance's throat, cutting off his air entirely. "Now be a good boy and go to sleep. I'll probably be planets away by the time you wake up, so don't bother telling anypony."

Sundance clenched his hooves weakly around Bittersweet's foreleg. "Not again... I'm gonna... miss training today..." Sundance's eyes rolled to the back of his head and his forelegs flopped to the ground as his mind slipped from consciousness.

Bittersweet sighed and stepped off of Sundance's motionless body. He rolled his shoulders. "I really needed that." He thought for a moment and glanced back at Sundance. "I think I might be able to stick around for a little longer. I have plenty of time to get on the DropShip." He took the knife out of his pocket and twirled it around his hoof. "I guess I could have a bit of fun with this. But what to do?" Bittersweet tapped the blade against his chin. "I think a massive scar across his face would suit him just fine. Something to remember me by every time he looks in a mirror." He grinned and brought the knife slowly to Sundance's face, but stopped when he heard a pony skid to a stop in the snow behind him. He spun around, making sure to hide the knife in the snow.

Vermilion glanced at Sundance's unconscious body and back to Bittersweet, his face contorted with rage. "What did you do?" he growled.

"Oh, nothing. We were just having a bit of fun." Bittersweet smirked. "Sorry to leave you out of it. Care to join in?"

Vermilion roared and charged at Bittersweet. Vermilion lunged at him, and he scrambled out of the way. "Shit, somepony's angry," Bittersweet said smugly, pulling himself to his hooves. The two of them circled for a moment with Bittersweet's knife still concealed.

Vermilion growled deep in his throat and lunged again, his hooves outstretched. Having expected this, Bittersweet sidestepped and smashed his hoof into Vermilion's face as he flew past. He tumbled into the ground, but quickly pushed himself back up, unfazed.

This time Bittersweet went on the offensive, rushing forward and swinging the knife at Vermilion. He reeled back, surprised, just in time to avoid losing an eye. He felt the blade slice neatly through the flesh on his cheek, and he winced.

Bittersweet grinned and spun the blade around before quickly jabbing it at Vermilion. He jumped away, fearing for his life. He hadn't thought Bittersweet would take it this far, but now he was fighting for survival. "So be it. If he's not holding back, neither will I," he thought, turning to face his opponent.

Vermilion sidestepped as the knife jabbed towards him again, and he grabbed Bittersweet's foreleg. He slammed his own hoof towards his opponent's face and felt it connect with an eye. Bittersweet howled in pain, and Vermilion jumped back to avoid the knife that sliced through the air where he had been moments before.

Not giving him time to recover, Vermilion lunged at Bittersweet and quickly landed two blows on his head before jumping away again. The green pony roared, the knife swinging around him wildly. "I'm going to slice you open!" he shouted, swinging the knife in a wide arc at Vermilion's throat.

Vermilion ducked under the knife and hissed as he felt it slice through one of his ears. He planted his hooves on the ground and slammed his shoulder into Bittersweet's chest. He heard a satisfying grunt and swung his hind legs around, sweeping Bittersweet's hooves out from under him. Bittersweet let out a breath as he crashed onto the ground, and Vermilion clambered on top of him, grabbing the knife by the handle and wrestling it away. He tossed the knife out into the trees, far out of reach.

"You cunt!" Bittersweet slammed a hoof into the side of Vermilion's head, knocking him flat on the ground. Bittersweet clambered to his hooves and turned to face Vermilion.

Vermilion shook the stars from his vision and glanced at Sundance, who was still lying motionless. "I can't lose. Who knows what he'll do to Sundance if I do." He stood back up and glared at Bittersweet. He clenched his hooves. "I'd rather die than fail here. I won't lose another brother."

"I've always hated how you look down on everypony," Bittersweet spat, gasping for breath. "That's why I'm going to enjoy turning you into a drooling mess."

"You can certainly try." Vermilion rushed forward and swung a hoof at Bittersweet's face, then ducked to avoid the return strike. He jabbed quickly at his opponent's chest then dashed away, before charging back in to slam his shoulder into Bittersweet. He kept doing this, hitting with quick, successive blows, while avoiding the slower, but more powerful, return attacks.

"Stand still, you motherfucker!" Bittersweet shouted shakily, swinging a hoof downwards toward Vermilion's skull.

Vermilion dodged the sluggish attack and slammed a hoof across Bittersweet's head. He dug his forehooves into the ground and spun around on them, before smashing his rear hooves directly into Bittersweet's face with all of his might. This sent him flying a few meters before he crashed into the snow, his tongue lolling from his mouth as he briefly blacked out.

Bittersweet planted a hoof on the ground and tried to pull himself up, only to fall to the ground, completely incapacitated. "Piece of shit," he growled. He struggled shakily to his hooves and shot Vermilion a look of pure hatred, blood trailing down his face from a cut on his forehead. "You can't protect everypony. Your naïve nobility is going to get you or somepony you care about killed one day. I look forward to when that happens." He spat blood out of his mouth and turned to trudge down the path, drops of blood falling from his face as he went.

Vermilion sighed and took a step towards Sundance, but stopped when he felt a tingling in his flank. "What..?" he thought, glancing back at his side. He turned his head just in time to see a glowing sphere appear over his hind legs, before shifting into shape and changing colors. "It's my cutie mark. It's finally appearing."

He frowned as the shape stopped changing. It was a black and white heater shield enveloped by bright orange flames. "A shield? But... that's what Carnelian had." He shook his head and took a deep breath, before turning towards Sundance. "Now's not the time. I can think about that later."

"Vermilion! What happened?" he heard a voice call. He turned to see Tangelo standing at the corner of the mess hall, a hoof over her mouth as she glanced back and forth between Vermilion and Sundance. Chartreuse and Mist charged around the corner behind her and stopped when they saw the two of them. Carmine followed behind at a slower pace and eyed Vermilion's bloody state.

"It was Bittersweet. He wrote the letter for Sundance," he panted, still breathing heavily from the encounter. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, he was starting to feel the aches from the fight.

"Really?" Mist glanced at the green pony slinking off through the trees. "I guess it makes a bit more sense now, knowing his nickname. I'm surprised you figured it out before me, though."

Tangelo rushed over to Sundance and shook him gently. She turned back to the others. "We need to get him to the infirmary. Bittersweet went way too far this time."

Vermilion walked over to Sundance and Tangelo. "I'll carry him."

"Can you in your condition? You look almost as beat up as him," Tangelo said as she looked him over.

Vermilion nodded. "I'll be fine. Just help him onto my back."

"Okay." Tangelo helped wrestle Sundance's unconscious body onto Vermilion's back and he started walking carefully towards the infirmary.

Chartreuse walked over to help keep Sundance balanced. "Is he going to be okay?" she asked.

Tangelo nodded. "He'll live, at least. Hopefully there's no permanent damage."

Mist glanced at Vermilion's new cutie mark and shook his head. "It's a good thing you were so paranoid. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't run out here when you did. I guess your cutie mark fits."

"I'm not so sure. It's really similar to what my brother had. I don't know if I can live up to that."

"Don't worry about living up to your brother's legacy. We don't want your brother, we want you. You protected Sundance and fought off Bittersweet, not Carnelian. You're our older brother, so just be yourself instead of trying to imitate somepony else," Mist said with a grin. Vermilion smiled and nodded to him.

"Welp, I'm gonna go. The DropShip is taking off soon, and they'd kick my ass if I missed it. There's no other way up to the WarShip and sending the DropShip back down would be a huge pain. Maybe I'll see you guys in a few years if I manage to survive." Carmine waved to them and turned to follow the trail of blood that led through the snow. "I'll try to talk some sense into Bittersweet. Maybe he'll be all fixed up next time you see him. Cheers!"

Mist waved at Carmine, being the only pony who wasn't busy trying to handle an unconscious pony. "See you!" He turned around and trotted to catch up to the others. "So I'm guessing we're going to be late for training?"

Meanwhile in Chaosville…

Discord groaned and fell back onto his couch. "This is all so tedious. Why can't I just do whatever I want anymore? I haven't seen some good old fashioned chaos in half a millennia,"

"Because your powers aren't what they used to be," Fluttershy said as she phased through one of the walls. She had been busy counting the number of bricks that make up Discord's home for the hundredth time. Being stuck in the realm of chaos for over five hundred years got old real fast, and not being able to leave or see what was going on in the world of the living was torture.

"Spare me your pity. I could snap you back to the afterlife as easily as breathing," Discord said, rubbing his thumb and middle finger together.

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. "Please do. I love being here, but I miss my other friends. I haven't seen them in so long."

Discord sighed and snapped his fingers, and Fluttershy's ghost was enveloped in a bright flash of light. Nothing else happened.

Fluttershy shrugged. "It was worth a try." Discord had brought her spirit from the afterlife at some point after her natural death, too distraught to continue without his closest friend. Being the kind pony she is, or was, rather, Fluttershy agreed to move between the afterlife and Chaosville, seeing as how the two were connected in a strange way and she could travel back and forth with a little help from Discord's magic. Now that his powers weren't nearly as strong as they used to be, however, she was stuck in Chaosville.

"Anything new happen today? Did you make a new friend?" she asked.

"Of course I didn't. None of these ponies are worth being friends with," Discord said bitterly.

"Spring Bud was."

"Spring is dead, all thanks to those stupid Clans and their bloodthirsty nature. There isn't another pony out there like you or him," he spat. "It's a bit ironic that the Clans formed from the House of Loyalty. You'd think that out of all the Great Houses that made up the Inner Sphere, they'd have been the last ones to betray us and leave."

Fluttershy rubbed her hooves together. "I remember that. Rainbow wasn't very happy when it happened. She wanted to go down there and knock some sense into them." She glanced out the window. "You should find another pony to keep you company. A living pony. I shouldn't even be here."

"But you are, and you can't leave."

Fluttershy sighed. "I know. It would still do you good to talk to a living pony every once in a while, though. I'm sure Princess Celestia could point you to somepony you would like."

Discord frowned. "Yes, well, about Celestia..."

Fluttershy gasped after hearing him explain his plan to overthrow Celestia and Luna. Seeing as he couldn't use his magic to do it, he would have to resort to more traditional means, which would probably end with Celestia and Luna's deaths.

"Discord, that's not right! I know you're angry about the Clans' invasion and how the war killed Spring, but taking over the Inner Sphere and using the military for your own personal revenge is wrong. Spring wasn't killed in cold blood, he died fighting a war that the Inner Sphere started when they chased out the Clans. They're not the bad guys here," Fluttershy said firmly. She rarely ever raised her voice, but this was a serious matter that she couldn't back down on.

"So what, you're saying we should have allowed those bloodthirsty savages to live on our doorstep, waiting for them to inevitably attack us?" he challenged.

"Yes! They didn't do anything wrong and now you're just continuing the chain of revenge. Wiping out the Clans won't solve anything or make you feel better, Discord. It's time to let go." Fluttershy shook her head. "This isn't like you. What happened to that kind, chaos-loving draconequus from a thousand years ago?

Discord snorted. "He died along with Spring Bud." He snapped his fingers and a zipper appeared across Fluttershy's mouth, sealing it shut. "Hah! How's that for weakening powers? Now stay here. I have to go put this long plan into motion."

Discord teleported himself to the Canterlot portal and stepped through. He found it almost impossible to teleport between dimensions nowadays, so he had to do it the common way. "Your final years as rulers have begun, Princesses. Once this plan is finished and the two of you are gone in five year's time, there will be a new leader at the head of this alliance. And his name is Discord."