>Raindow swung the axe down, grunting as the impact ran up her toned arms and her opponent flew away from her, split in twain by her mighty blow.
>Blowing out a heavy breath, she set the axe down on it's head, leaning on the haft as she wiped her brow with a towel draped around her neck.
"Half a cord. Heh. Beat that ThunderLAME."
>Turning her back on the clearing littered with the bodies of her slain 'enemies', she rolled her shoulders as she walked back toward her small cabin.
>Setting the axe against the wall, she pulled the door open and stepped inside, rubbing the excess sweat from the back of her neck and chest with her towel before casting it into the corner.
>Plucking at her drenched shift, she pulled it off after a moment and cast it aside as well.
>She ran a hand absently through her short, tangled hair, cursing softly as her fingers caught a snarl. She plucked more gently as she made her way over to her small bed.
"Hmmm. Hmmhmmhmm..."
>Rainbow plucked a few rough shirts from the floor, sniffing them lightly before grimacing and tossing them onto other piles. She had a system. The ones that weren't in piles yet were the ones that might be okay.
>Finally settling on one that didn't remind her too badly of a stable, she pulled it on before looking around.
"Thank the Gods Flutters is coming home soon. If she was gone any longer I might actually have to do some laundry."
>Cracking a grin she wasn't sure was brought on more by her being saved from the laundry or the savior, Rainbow plucked her harness up from beside her bed.
>Giving the cracked and worn leather a slight frown, she slipped it over her head, wriggling into it with little difficulty.
>Much to Rainbow's chagrin.

>Looking herself over, she could at least say the leather crisscrossing her chest accentuated what little she had to work with.
>With a sigh, she pulled her swords off the rack hanging next to her bed, sliding them into the crossed hilts behind her back.
"Get used to it, Dash. You finished growing a long time ago."
>She sniffed as she checked the hilts over her shoulders, snatching at them and pulling them half from their sheathes a few times to make sure the draw was smooth.
>The forest between her out of the way cabin and Cloudsvale proper weren't exactly dangerous, especially with Flutters and her friends doing their work, but you never knew.
"Maybe something nasty decided to crawl out of it's hole, and I can get some REAL action."
>Rainbow's earlier grin came back with a nasty edge. In one swift motion her swords leapt from their sheathes, their curved edges shining in the flickering lamplight.
>Her mother's swords, really, but hers now. She glanced over to the ladder leading to her small attic before slipping her swords back away.
"Guess I better get that wagon up here if I wanna eat this week. Thunderlame... I'm comin' for ya...~"
>Cackling roughly, Rainbow burst out her front door, legs pumping and bunching beneath her as she leapt fallen logs and low bushes, arms catching low branches to swing her through the air.
>Several pairs of eyes watched her progress toward the village. Some with indifference, some with malice, and a single pair with love.
>One pair of eyes grunted with the mouth attached to them, rubbing it's great furry head against a slim tree. A bark-covered hand reached down to rub the underside of it's muzzle before fading back into the greenery.
>The bear was used to it's duty, and ambled off after the swiftly disappearing Rainbow. To the forest's edge, no further. His friend needed his strength, his tenacity, and his help.
>As he ambled after the oblivious girl, several more pairs of eyes slipped back into the darkness.
>Not today.

>Rainbow burst out into the low fields surrounding the village, running full tilt for all the world as if an army was on her heels.
>Several farmers half rose from their toil before recognizing the characteristic mop of hair of their resident roustabout, settling back down to their work with a few rolled eyes and grumbles.
>Rainbow payed them little mind, cutting across a field to a few halfhearted shouts and leaping the drainage ditch to land on the single road running through Cloudsvale.
"Ah, the wonders of civilization..."
>Rainbow chuckled, slightly out of breath but not slowing in the least as her sinewy limbs ate up the ground before her, making for the largest building in town.
>Finally slowing as she approached the town's inn, and general center of activity, she slipped around the back while absently noting a bit more activity than usual.
"Huh, did I forget about a festival or something? Maybe a caravan came in..."
>She slipped the bolt on the back door with practiced ease, striding into the bustling kitchen beyond it and calling out.
"Hey, Maddy! Get your lump to hitch up the wagon, will ya? Got your firewood ready up at the cabin."
>A flour bedecked head popped up from the long table in the middle of the room, pinning Rainbow with a scowl.
>"No time for that now, girl. Town meeting in a bit. Everyone's to come. Not surprised no one bothered to trek all the way out to let you know. Barely part of the town as it is, out in the woods and up to who knows what?"
>Rainbow bristled silently, reminded again why she spent so much time away from town. She knew better than to snap at the woman, though. Her husband basically payed her bills.
"Yeah, too busy getting into trouble to settle down in town like a nice girl."
>Maddy's head snapped up, hearing Rainbow's muttered comment.

>Rainbow was surprised to see less of the woman's usual scorn in her expression. There was a touch of something she wasn't used to, and it actually gave her pause.
>There was fear in Maddy's eyes.
>"You don't joke! You don't joke about that now, girl! Just, just get out front and listen to the mayor you little chit! Just, listen."
>Rainbow nodded slowly, confusion keeping her mouth shut as she made her way through the kitchen and into the inn proper. 
>Maddy WAS scared. And if Rainbow had to guess, it was as much FOR Rainbow as it was OF her.
>She was used to that edge of fear brought on by Maddy not understanding a girl like Rainbow.
>Anything that didn't involve cooking, cleaning, getting married and popping out a few brats was foreign to Maddy. Most of the village women, for that matter.
>Different was scary, and Rainbow was sure different.
>Shrugging aside the old wounds, Rainbow strode across the strangely deserted inn floor and out the front door to see a milling crowd of villagers, more trickling in from the various lanes even as she watched.
>Down the raised porch that the inn sported, the grizzled village elders could be seen in a half circle around a tall man that stood with his back to the rail, talking to him animatedly.
>She gave the man against the rail an appraising eye, as she always did. Clad in chain mail with a brilliant lightning bolt striking through a pair of angelic wings emblazoned on his tabard, Soarin' cut a commanding figure.
>Vice-captain of the legendary Wonderbolts, regional commander of Equestria's military, he was second only in her eyes as the greatest hero the country had.
>Spitfire was number one, of course, and didn't that stick in the old biddies around town's craws.
>As interesting as it was to see the man, it meant trouble. Soarin' was a man of the people, but he didn't make visits like these for no reason.
>Rainbow slipped off the porch, landing softly and filtering into the crowd.

>Rainbow watched silently as a broad shouldered man stepped out of the inn, striding over to the elders and speaking with them for a moment before turning to Soarin' and slapping him on the back.
>Unlike their usual interaction, Soarin' didn't let out a laugh and slap him back. He slowly shook his head and extended his hand, shaking it quickly before striking up a discussion.
>'Soarin's all business today.' Dash thought, watching Tempest Twist, the town's mayor. His expression darkened, and he glanced out over the crowd as Soarin' spoke.
>Rainbow's eyes widened as his gaze fell on her with an unreadable expression before turning back to Soarin' and nodding.
>They both turned around, facing the gathered throng in the town square. An elder stepped up behind the two men, placing a glowing hand on each of their shoulders, then stepped back.
>Tempest coughed into his fist, and a blast of sound swept through the square, making several people jump, including the mayor.
>Rainbow chuckled lightly at the sham. Tempest made that same 'mistake' before every one of his speeches.
>"Sorry, sorry all. Confound that sonorous spell. Wouldn't use it if my little village hadn't grown so big and strong I have to shout myself hoarse to be heard."
>Typical pandering. Rainbow sighed. Maybe this wasn't going to be as interesting as she'd thought.
>"That being said. Just because we've gotten big and strong doesn't mean we need to throw our weight around, right? Wouldn't want anyone to say we were bullies, right?"
>That bit caught Rainbow's attention. She didn't think she'd ever heard the mayor espousing anything but rapid expansion into any territory he thought they could hold.
>But that sounded decidedly like a word of caution.
>"Soarin' tells me there've been some rumblings to the west. Our forest's not so quiet as it's been these last few months. Goblins roaming around and the like."
"W-what?" Rainbow blurted out, her comment thankfully washed away in the murmurs of the crowd.

>Rumblings in the forest? Rainbow certainly hadn't noticed anything, and she lived there, for fucks sake!
>Her thoughts were interrupted when Soarin' stepped forward beside the mayor, his usually kind if boisterous voice's edge cutting through the murmurs of the crowd like a knife.
>"It's true. There've always been a few goblins wandering around in pairs and trios. They hunt the forest just like anyone else. But bands of more than ten have been spotted moving about, and these goblins don't just have bows. They have spears, and axes, and the look of which they mean to use 'em. Something's stirred 'em up."
>Soarin's words were met with silence, before a voice spoke out among the crowd.
>"But, they're just goblins! Spindly little things, you know? Who's scared of them?" Murmurs of agreement sprung up in the crowd, but another thunderous cough from the mayor cut them off.
>"Think so, Gust?" The mayor picked the man out with little difficulty. It wasn't just bluster that he knew every man in his village by name. He leaned over the railing slightly.
"Still be thinking that when you're surrounded by a dozen of 'em, only to get hamstrung by the one you never noticed creeping up behind you because it was just a 'spindly little thing'? You a knight now? Got some fine armor to protect you holed up in that sprawling firetrap of yours?"
>The man opened his mouth angrily, but as his neighbors slowly edged away from him and the mayor glowered down at him he seemed to think better of it.
>"S'pose I might be in a bit of trouble if that came to pass." Gust said slowly, his brow furrowed, and the mayor leaned back from the railing with a nod.
>"Well, that's the only way they fight, so that's the only kind of trouble you'll find. We've got two options here, folks. We can get every man worth his salt to gear up and sweep the forest, drive them goblins out, find their holes and rid the forest of 'em for good."

>The citizens seemed a bit confused by this, as it was essentially the opposite of the advice the mayor had been offering, but he wasn't done. With a somber look over the crowd, the mayor continued.
>"We'll lose people that way, though. Maybe just a few, maybe far more than we can afford. It won't be bloodless, that's for sure. In my mind we can't afford to lose a single man." His gaze locked in on Gust again and he smiled grimly.
>"Not even you, ya idjit."
>Sparse laughter filtered through the crowd, but it was obviously strained.
>"No, best we take the second road, which is leave them be. We grow enough food, have enough trade, we can let the forest lie for a bit. Import our meat, kill a few more cows the next little bit, buy our lumber from Ponydom over the way there."
>Aggrieved murmurs rose up from the crowd, Rainbow's among them. There weren't many of them, but she wasn't the only one that lived in the forest.
>"I know!" Tempest roared. "I know some of you'll be givin' up your homes. I know lumber and meat ain't cheap!" He turned to Soarin' and gestured him forward, and the man took the rail again.
>"Equestria isn't blind to your plight. Subsidies will be set aside. Taxes will be eased. An engineer corps has been dispatched, and in two weeks they'll be here to erect homes for the ones abandoned."
>Soarin's eyes seemed to gaze over the roofs of the village to the forest not so very far from them. "And perhaps a wall." He said softly, before blinking in surprise as his words were still broadcast to the crowd. 
>Alarmed murmurs sprung up among them before the mayor stepped forward and slapped Soarin' on the back again. Hard.
>"There's the Soarin' we all know! Slipping a bit of humor into a sour situation! Ha!" Scattered laughter met the mayor's guffaws, slowly growing to a genuine squall of mirth.
>Rainbow was silent. Her eyes stayed on Soarin', who's eyes had strayed back to the forest, narrow and pensive.
"Yeah. Great joke Soarin'..."

>Rainbow moved to leave the square. That load of wood seemed not so important at the moment. Her home... There were things she couldn't leave behind there.
>And a friend that had no idea what she was walking into making her way there.
>"Hold!"
>Instinctively, Rainbow stopped. She looked over her shoulder to see the mayor's arm stretching out, his finger pointed directly at her chest.
>"Rainbow, don't make trouble. Anything in your house can be replaced. I'll give you a place in my own house until a new one can be built. Stay."
>Rainbow cocked her head before turning to face the mayor, fists on hips.
"Well, you know? That might have held more weight with me if anybody had actually told me about this little meeting in the first place."
>Tempest gulped audibly. REALLY audibly. His voice was still amplified by the spell. 
>Before he could reply he was spun around by an apoplectic Soarin'.
>"Is this true? You didn't warn her even though she LIVES IN THE FOREST?!?" Soarin's face was a mask of rage. Rainbow had never seen him like this, and was shocked again when Soarin' twisted a fist in Tempest's shirtfront and pulled the bigger man onto his tiptoes.
>"You left a citizen to fend for herself in this time of danger? Tempest, we will have words about this..."
>Knocking Soarin's hand aside, Tempest took a step back.
>"She was coming in to town today anyway! To deliver wood! We couldn't waste a runner when she was coming in anyway..." Tempest started off strong, but as he spoke the words came out weaker, and he snuck a furtive glance in Rainbow's direction.
>To find her glaring directly at him.
"Settin' aside the fact I might have been late getting the wood together, not likely I know, but anyway... Could you also not spare a runner for the Druids? Fluttershy's coming home today."
>Tempest's eyes narrowed before a look of dawning horror overtook his face.
>Rainbow didn't waste another word. In a moment she was at the edge of the plaza, and the next she was gone.

>Rainbow ran.
>She ran as hard as she could. As hard as she ever had. In a flash she was across the fields and into the forest's edge.
>She thought she might have seen a surprised brown face rear back from her as she hurdled the rough stone wall dividing the fields from the trees, but that was a problem for another time.
>Her mind swirled with two facts as she dipped and rolled past obstacles.
>'Goblins in the forest. Fluttershy in the forest.'
>But Fluttershy was a druid, right? The forest was a druid's home before any goblin.
>Fluttershy was a druid IN TRAINING. Green as leaves. Scared of her own shadow. 
>Rainbow grimaced and pushed herself harder. Fluttershy needed her. She knew it. Fluttershy always needed her.
>She saw the trees thinning and looked around, surprised to see the familiar woods around her home surrounding her. She was her already?
>Snapping her swords out, she rolled around the side of her cabin, coming up in a ready stance, eyes darting around to take in her surroundings.
>House, still there.
>Wood pile, still stacked haphazardly in the clearing.
>Fluttershy in her funny leafy green dress sipping a cup of tea on her porch.
>Oh.
>Rainbow collapsed to her knees before sliding backwards to land on her butt with a jarring thump. Her sword tips dug into the ground to keep her from falling back completely.
>Her mother would have killed her.
>"Rainbow, are you all right? You seem awfully tired. How about some tea? It's very restorative."
>Fluttershy's soft voice washed over Rainbow, calming her roaring heartbeat and loosening the noose around her throat.
"Dammit Flutters, you know I hate tea."

***

>Rainbow sat in her kitchen, nursing a steaming cup as Fluttershy dithered about, clucking her tongue at the state of the house.

>"Really, Rainbow? Two months without a single wash?"
>Rainbow waved a hand in her general direction tiredly, taking another sip from her cup.
>Fluttershy's tea was... Better. Two months in the woods seemed to have improved her technique quite a bit, and her fatigue seemed to be draining away as fast as the liquid in the cup.
"It's fine, Flutters. Who's gonna complain if I smell a bit? It's just sweat."
>Fluttershy gave the girl an odd look and took an involuntary step back.
>"You HAVE been washing... Other things. Right?"
>Was her nose wiggling slightly?
"Flutters! Come on! Eww! I haven't forgotten how to bathe. Jeez. More importantly, are you alright?"
>Rainbow looked the taller girl over carefully as she was regarded in turn.
>"Oh course I am, Rainbow. Why wouldn't I be?"
>Taller, and heavier. Not in a bad way, though. That extra weight seemed to know JUST where to go, Rainbow thought with a slight growl.
>"Umm, Rainbow?"
>Snapping out of it, Rainbow looked Fluttershy in the eyes.
"Well, there's the fact that the woods are apparently crawling with goblins!"
>Rainbow flung her arms wide, expecting Fluttershy to shriek in horror, but all she got was a pensive frown.
>"Oh, yes. Well, they don't seem to mind me, and they avoid Harry."
>Rainbow quirked an eyebrow. Two months really HAD made a big difference.
"That big lug still around? Oh, actually, I think I saw him on my way here. You finally bond with him?"
>Fluttershy giggled softly. "Oh, no. Harry's just my friend. Angelus is the one I bonded with, just like I told you."
>With that, she reached into her infuriatingly deep cleavage and pulled out a struggling, gasping white rabbit by the scruff of it's neck.
>Fluttershy leaned in to nuzzle the little fellow, then jerked back with a giggle as tiny claws flashed through the space her face had just occupied.
>"Oh! You're feisty today, aren't you my little Angel?"

>Rainbow shuddered slightly at the sight of her arch nemesis. How a druid couldn't tell the difference between a bunny and a demon, Rainbow would never understand.
"See, this is why I worry about you, Flutters. Lakes has an eagle for a partner. Mossy has a freaking tiger."
>She gave Fluttershy a look, but the girl just quirked an eyebrow.
"You, have a Rabbit."
>Fluttershy waved a hand in the air before plopping Angelus down in her lap, where he promptly bit her. Fluttershy winced slightly before reaching down and stroking the animals back slowly.
>'An evil fucking rabbit I'm convinced would rather kill and eat you than help you.' Rainbow thought as the beast slowly released it's grip on her thigh.
>"Now Angel, we agreed. No biting when I'm not in my armor, or no meal. That's your lunch you just took out of me." Fluttershy's tone was slightly exasperated, but Angel just looked up at her and slowly nodded.
>Fluttershy gave Rainbow a pained smile and laughed weakly.
>"Angelus is very fierce, Rainbow. If it came to it, he'd be more than adequate protection. Not that I'd ever want him to put himself in danger like that."
"I'll... Take your word for it, Flutters. Don't bother with the cleaning though. Apparently I'm moving into town. Tempest's house, even. Movin' up in the world, heh."
>Fluttershy's face clouded over before giving Rainbow a pained look.
>"It's really that bad? The goblin problem? You're going to give up your home?"
>Rainbow gave a weak laugh. She waved a hand above her head, looking around the sparse cabin.
"It's just stuff, Flutters. Just a place. I was gonna leave eventually, anyway. Ponydom to join up, Canterlot to train, then the world with a lightning bolt on my chest."

>Fluttershy nodded slowly. She'd heard the plan often enough. She'd agreed to leave the forest behind once she was far enough along in her training just to help 'The Plan' succeed.
>But she couldn't help but watch Rainbow's eyes wander to the loft. She knew Rainbow was lying to herself if she thought there was nothing important to her here.
>"Just... Put it on, Rainbow, then we can go."
>Rainbow sighed, rolling her neck lazily and ending up looking at Fluttershy with tired eyes.
"I can't, Flutters. I haven't earned it. Plus, illegal? I can't wear the symbol before I'm a 'bolt. It'd be like... Wearing the sunburst without ever stepping in a church."
>Fluttershy tapped her lip for a few moments then shrugged.
>"So wear it inside out."
>Rainbow scoffed. She rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth to make a witty retort.
>And couldn't think of anything to say.
"Uh... Maybe that would work?"
>Fluttershy made a shooing motion toward the ladder before settling back into her chair and stroking Angelus' back softly.
>Rainbow nodded, ascending the ladder to the loft slowly and moving forward to kneel in front of the lone heavy chest against the back wall.
>Rubbing the latch, she flipped it up after a few moments and lifted the lid. Inside was a tabard with the Bolt and Wings emblazoned boldly across the front.
>She slowly pulled it out, laying it to the side and patting it gently with a soft smile. She had a lot of memories of that piece of clothing. Mostly staring at it as opposed to her mother's disappointed face. Or crushing her own against it on the days her mother came home after a long tour.
>Next came out the matching leather greaves and vambraces. They looked like leather anyway. Rainbow had seen her mother block a sword's edge with them, and no damage had been down to the unmarred surface. It hadn't saved her arm from being broken, but she hadn't been CUT, anyway.
>Rainbow set these aside as well, pulling out the last piece in the chest.

>The dull green mail slithered through her fingers until she found the sleeves, pulling the surprisingly light shirt out of the chest.
>And just like she remembered it, there was the same winged lightning bolt the tabard sported.
>Shrugging, she flipped the coat inside out and stared at the dull metal staring back at her.
"Son of a bitch..."

***

>Rainbow tightened the last strap on the greave and stood up, twisting back and forth and bending this way and that.
>The chain mail fit her like a second skin, allowing almost total freedom of movement.
>Which was very weird.
"Flutters, mom was bigger than me, right? That's not just some 'kids perspective' thing, right?"
>Fluttershy tapped her chin for a few moments.
>"I think you might actually be taller, but her shoulders were MUCH wider. Also her bust."
>Rainbow ground her teeth for a moment, taking her time to get back on the subject at hand and away from idle fantasies of strangling her best friend.
"So, why does this fit me so well?"
>Fluttershy stared at Rainbow for a few seconds, seeming to process something before shaking her head with a sigh.
>"Rainbow, you understand the armor of a Wonderbolt is heavily enchanted, right? That suit of armor is probably the most magical thing in all of Cloudsvale. Well, you said Soarin' was in town, so maybe not actually. I'm sure part of the enchantments function is making it fit well."
>Rainbow stared at the girl before cracking a sickly smile.
"Sure, sure. Duh, right? 'Course it's magic shape-shifting armor. Uh, you know, maybe I should just..."
>"No Rainbow. You wanted to wear that armor, and I'm sure your mother would have wanted that, too. Now, lets go back to town, say our goodbyes, and get this plan of yours in motion." 
>Fluttershy leaned forward, hands on hips, and stared into Rainbow's eyes. The intense emerald gaze seemed to bore into her soul.
"Gah! Hey! You promised not to do that anymore!"
>Fluttershy blinked, breaking eye contact and blushing heavily.