When War is Close by

I find myself surrounded by tall, sharp shadows. I can't see my friends anywhere... Did I miss the call for retreat?

The shadows all grin and look at me like I am dinner. Suddenly they begin to close in. One behind me faster than the others. I jump forwards to avoid a swipe from it's claws only to be tumbled around and land on my belly.

Everything is spinning and blurry. Stumbling onto my hooves as fast as I can, I dash forward only to fall and the off putting feeling that one of my back hooves was now shorter than the three others made me shake my head.

The tallest of the shadows, now right in front of me, levelled it's head so it could look down at me yet still look me straight in the eye as the others set the field around us on fire.

It spoke to me but it's words were unclear and hard to make out yet what of it I could make out was gibberish to me. A different language entirely... But it didn't matter much. Soon I'd be food and all this horror would be over.

But as it opened it's mouth to place my head inside it was suddenly ripped away as a chestnut brown shape of a pony made contact with the shadow's lower half.

The tall shadow recovered quickly and called on it's friends before attacking the chestnut brown pony but it never got that far. Seemingly out of nowhere a silver armoured blur joined the brown pony and together they made short progress of the tall shadow.

The other shadows were quickly returning and the two ponies were making haste towards me and while the spinning had settled a little everything was still blurry yet I could tell that the two ponies were having a heated argument. The one in the armour seemingly angry and displeased, he had no helmet over his red muzzle and darker than black hair.

I knew they were her for me. My strength had run out a long time ago yet they were here for me, a dead weight who couldn't move any more.

The two ponies reached me but for a moment they are off guard and suddenly the chestnut brown one is only half in size.

There is no time. The chestnut brown one speaks his last words as his assailant lies next to him.
I can tell the armoured one is upset and doesn’t want to leave him behind yet he turns to me. I can tell he is crying... I can almost feel how it burns him.

His teeth takes a hold of my mane pulling me and somehow I clash with his armoured back then he makes a run for it and suddenly I fall.

I sit up breathless, heaping for air. I'm sweaty and hot like I have been working out for hours. I can't see a thing... but a nurse shows up with a candle. She gives me a hug while I drink cold water that she took out for me telling her about my recurring nightmare.

She lets go of me and I flop back into bed. “Feeling all better?”, she asks with a cute smile.

“Yer, thanks nurse Shy.”

She giggles. “You don't have to call me nurse, you know.” She has told me that countless times... to use her full name yet it doesn’t feel right to me, like I'd be intruding on somepony's private ground without permission.

She is at the door way now. “Good night, Gold Plate. I really hope you will be sleeping better now”, she quietly cheered at me.

“Good night--”, I hesitate... I want to say it. I want to say Fluttershy. “-- nurse Shy.” Damn, I really envy her special somepony... unless... unless she doesn’t have one.