Numbness, then pure grief hit Skywind, knocking her out of breath.

Icerain, dead? But that can't be true. Her brother, Icerain, dead?

Then grief turned into anger and hatred. Hantred for Icerain, for herself, for war. Though every pony knew that war means deaths, and they all know that every battle means a knock at death's door. But still, no one can fully accept their loved ones death until the wound goes old and he or she became a faint, happy memory of the past, maybe occasionally mentioned at gatherings, only bringing sorrow to those who loved them late at night when everything goes quiet.

Skywind's parents stood up. 'We'll leave you with your nurse.' Her mother said, 'Listen to her advice, and don't... well, I'll leave it to the nurse to tell you.' And they left the room.

'The nurse busied her self in the next room, and a few minutes later, a steaming cup of tea appeared in front of Skywind. 'Drink it, Miss Stormcloud, it will do good to you. And I have something em... to tell you.' Skywind lifted her head slightly and drank, the tea was warm but her body still feel like ice, frozen, never melting. She faintly heard the nurse say something through the rushing of memories of her brother in her head. His faint little laughs, his jokes, his pranks, the days they spent together as a filly and a colt. The nurse repeated her words. Something about her left wing. Skywind has completely forgotten about her body condition. Sure, her whole body was aching as if every bone was broken and her mussles groan at the faintest move, but there was no particular pain, so she thought she was aright. Of course, not actually all well, not the jumping and running sort of well, but she supposed that she would be perfectly fine after a few day's rest.

The third time the nurse repeated, Skywind finally caught her words.

Her left wing, had been cut off.

The daisies in the meadow in ponyvill was exetremely beautiful. They were Skywind's first memories of land. She used to wonder why earthponies and unicorns didn't live on clouds like them, why stand on those rough earth and live in those wooden or brick-lade houses wheb there was something as comfortable as cotton just waiting to be shaped, But as she grew older, she found that it was't because they would't, but because they could't. Sometimes life goes that way. You're so used to something that you forget that thing isn't possible for everypony and you go around wondering why people live in those conditions when there's so many better things lying around, begging to be used. But Skywind didn't think that the ground isn't as good as the cloud now. She like standing on the firm earth, knowing that it would never change. And she knew that somepony had to live on the ground, to grow food and make things to support the war. Oh, the war... Ever since the return of Crystal Empire, the war was always the centre of attention. New deaths names and wins or loses were reported in the newspaper everyday. Ponies work on fields or factories to produce food or clothes for the war, and thousands of millions of young ponies joined the army. Every member of the Wonderbolts who were healthy joined the pegasus divisions, including her mother and father. She joined the army too, and her brother too. Yes, Icerain did. Icerain was in almost every single battle with her, flying with her, fighting along her side, but...

'Icerain!' Skywind shouted. She opened her eyes. She was in a dimly lit room, the walls were white and there was a lamp on a bedstand. She was in a bed.

Suddebly, the door of the room was opened. A nurse came in. 'Ms.Stormcloud! You're awake! No, there's no need to sit up yet, you just lie here and I'll get captain Stormcloud.' The nurse left the room.

Skywind was confused. Why is she in a hospital, and where is Icerain? She has to find him, she has to, atleast to thank him for saving her...unless... No, there's no way Icerain could be...dead, there's no way. He must be busy training, or he would have been here. Yes, after the training ends he will.rush into the room and laugh, teasing me for beeing a blind soldier.

'Skywind, you're awake.' Captain Stormcloud, Skywind's father came in, followed by her mother and the nurse. Skywind tried to get up but the nurse gently pushed her back down again. 'I know the rules Miss, there's no need to remind me, but you'll open your wound, so no sitting up for you for a few days.'

There was a moment of silence in the room, and Skywind observed her parents faces closely. Neither of them was smiling, their faces were stony, as if they were facing a stranger instead of their daughter who has just escaped from death's hand.

'Skywind, Icerain's dead.' Skywind's father said.

• Being born in to an military family, Skywind was well trained in physical abilities from a young age. She was able to finish a marathon in average time at about eleven, she could knock a un–trained pony out cold within three minutes wheb she was forteen, and she became the glory of the family when she made it into the lightning division, one of the most elite divisions in the army, at the age of nineteen.

• But Skywind's life was completely chaged in a battle against King Zambra and the Crystal Empire, five years after the war broke out.

• Lightning Division and Thunder division were working together to break though the tough guard line in a valley. Skywind was battling a pony from the Crystal Empire when a huge bolder fell from a nearby cliff, Skywind's elder brother, Icerain, who saw the bolder, didn't think before he lunged and pushed Skywind out of the way. But he didn't duck quick enough, and the bolder landed on him. Skywind saw the blood slowly dye the earth red. The pony Icerain battled against lunged at Skywind and managed to open a gaping gash where her left wing and her body met, Skywind tried to throw the pony off but he was too heavy. The pony's back hoof connected with her skull.The last thing Skywind knew before she blacked out, was her brothers blood and her blood, pooling and mixing on the ground.