His Duty

”Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.” ~ David Ogden Stiers

His Duty

The Promise

September 23rd

The railcar was fairly quiet for a lone stallion. He was seated in the rightmost row of the passenger carriage, right next to the window facing the peaceful world outside. The foliage of the green Equestrian frontier flew by the pane as the engine chugged its way through the countryside. The smell of the old leather seats added to the antiquity of the carriage, at least for the stallion’s sake. He breathed in the aroma of it as his hoof reached into his pack, withdrawing a piece of parchment from its pouch.

        A prolonged breath blew from his nose, his eyebrows scrunching downward as he began scanning the beautiful script print that belonged to a pony that was skilled with writing in a fancy font. He flipped the paper over in his hooves, a scripture of Be Safe was written on the back of the paper, which was clearly a letter to him now. He flipped it back over, his eyes beginning to take in the words as his brain read them aloud in his head.

Dear Cousin,

It’s been quite a while since you’ve sent a letter to us, let alone me. Five years. I can’t believe you ran the family farm for over half of that. How’d you manage to do it without Aunty Melody and Uncle Ragtime? Whatever you did, it must’ve worked. Maybe you can start your own again, one day.

I’m glad to hear that you’ll be coming to Ponyville, especially since you’re just coming back from deployment. So you told me about the other stallion you fought with in the last days of the war, McIntosh Apple if I recall correctly? We I’ve known the Apple Family here in Ponyville for the last couple of years. They’re some of the greatest ponies I’ve known since we moved here about ten years ago. It’s a damn shame that they lost Big Mac to the zebras. I know that the filly and elder pony will probably take it hard, but the sister will probably take it the worst. That pony can’t even stand to see one of the citizens get hurt. I hope you’re prepared for that.

But cutting back to the chase, you’re a good stallion for making that promise to McIntosh. If I were in your horseshoes, I probably would’ve soiled myself rather than say the words you did to him. It must be amazing to see the comradery out there with the whole battle going on. You’ve got some stories to tell me and Bon Bon once you get settled back in!

Before you get here, I’ll give you as good of a rundown as I can on each Apple. As for the sister, Applejack, she’s an honest, hard-working and no-nonsense mare that bucks like a bronco. She could buck every apple from one of those trees with one swift kick.. No joke too! If you can get on her good side, you’ll be set for your stay in Ponyville even though I don’t want you to leave.

Moving on to her sister, Apple Bloom is a cute little filly that could knock even the coldest of ponies out of their ice-shock. She’s so eager to get her cutie mark, I swear she’s going to drive her sister nuts. Still, she a good filly both inside school and on the farm. She’s got her heart in the right place, and she’s got a family minus one stallion who will support it.

Last but not least, we have Granny Smith. I’ve sat down quite a few times and talked to the elder Apple about how she raised all three of the younger Apples. Every time, her answer is that the whole Apple Family contributed to their success, both on the farm and in their lives. She is a nice old mare, and she’s got a kick to her as well. One day we should go buy some zap apple jam from her. She let me sample a spoonful and I was already in pony heaven. Good stuff.

All in all, I really can’t wait to see you. You’ve got to tell me what happened on the farm before you sold it and all the war stories that you’ve accumulated. And in return, I’ll tell you about Nightmare Moon returning in OUR town. It’s going to be fun, Cousin. See you soon!

Love and Hugs,

Cousin Lyra

        P.S. When you go to take the paper to Fluttershy, you must be very, and I mean VERY, delicate about it. This will break her heart either way, and she’s going to need someone to be there for her as well.

        The stallion chuckled at first, but his laugh died with the post scripture that his cousin had put after signing it. He put it back in the same fashion, using his other hoof to aid him in the movement. His hoof rolled around in the pouch again, searching for another article within its confines. After a good scoop of his hoof, he managed to find a small notebook deep in the bottom of the pack. He gripped and pulled it out, along with almost nearly everything else within the confines of the bag.

        The brown hooves of the stallion held the notebook open now, revealing another piece of parchment folded into quarters. There was something different about this one from the one he had held moments before. Instead of crisp, creased folds like the ones that Lyra had folded into the letter to him, it seemed that the paper had been folded and unfolded multiple times. The grit and dirt that stained the corners could tell of land fought for with the hooves of the previous owner of the parchment.

        With careful movements, the stallion removed the paper from his notebook, unfolding it to reveal the scratchy handwriting of another pony who wasn’t there to witness their words being read by the eyes of his fiance. Still, the stallion making the delivery of the paper took a read to make sure they would understand what he was trying to get across.

My dearest Shy,

I am sorry to say,

But my soul must fly,

Right into the fray.

Do not be sad,

I will be up there watching over you,

Do not be mad,

I will be there next to you.

When you move on,

And find someone to share your love,

Just remember that I will never be gone,

I will be in the soul of your favorite dove.

It had been written from the start,

That I love you with all my heart.

        The stallion’s smile faded away as he continued to read through the piece, leaving him as a saddened mess with a ball in his gut. To him, the words that he meant for his lover couldn’t be more well-put. And it also reminded him of the upcoming deed that he would need to complete before day’s end.

        The stallion remembered the face of the creator of the piece, a red coat and a menacing set of green eyes that could scare anypony out of their wits. Yet when he looked upon the face of his comrade, he felt a sense of safety. It was as if he was his own family, more than just another body out in the field of battle. He felt as if he were… a brother.

        The stallion’s eyes closed, the salty tears from his thoughts of his best friend’s death being in vain. He knew it should’ve been him being buried on the edge of town. It should’ve been him writing this little masterpiece for what little family he had. Heck, if it hadn’t been for him finding Lyra’s name on another fellow’s letter, he would’ve never found out that she was still around. He really didn’t have family, so he should’ve died and not the stallion who needed to get back home to his two sisters and grandmother.

        He couldn’t take it. The stallion quickly folded up the paper and stuck it back in his notebook before shoving it back into the pack and closing the flap over the pouch. He moved a hoof to wipe away the small stream of tears starting to run down his brown cheeks. He knew it wasn’t fair, but why would his best friend just lay his life down for somepony he only knew for a short three days? Without his savior there to tell him, he’d have to live with that unanswerable question for as long as he lived.

        The stallion laid his head against the windowpane, his eye watching the rolling green pastures pass by him as the train chugged along towards his destination.

        “Celestia bless him,” he said quietly as he let silent tears fall from his eyes. He knew it wasn’t fair, not in the slightest. But he had made a promise to the deceased McIntosh, and he intended to keep it. “Come hell or high water, I have one last duty.”