The Birds Have All Flown Away
A Great Day to Die
By LonelyBrony42
Two armies. A beautiful green field between them. The sun was shining high in the clear blue sky. There was a cool breeze. Autumn drew near. There were birds chirping in the distance; they wouldn’t be for long. The day would be disrupted.
Princess Luna had garnered support for her insurrection against Celestia after touring the entire country, visiting town after town to instill hope and to rally the beleaguered and forgotten ponies.
Celestia had earned her sister’s disdain after she had banished Luna to the moon in an attempt to rid herself of a political rival. After Luna’s return as Nightmare Moon, and subsequent defeat by the Elements of Harmony, she began her insurrection. Eons of mounting tensions and hateful speech, it had finally come to this. Enough was enough. It had to end.
One side would rise. One side would fall. The shedding of blood would determine the victor, be it Luna and her small but loyal New Lunar Republic, or Celestia and her mighty Solar Empire.
The Solar Empire fought for tradition.
The New Lunar Republic fought for freedom.
There would be much mourning.
****
A scantily armed white earth pony glanced to the young orange Pegasus on his left who looked distraught.
“I’m known as Stout Guard.” He extended his hoof.
The addressed soldier nodded, shook Stout Guard’s hoof, and meekly replied, “I- I’m called Summer Sky.”
“Is a good day to die, no?” Stout Guard said to his newfound acquaintance.
Summer Sky said nothing, swallowed hard, and visibly clutched his shield bearing the New Lunar Republic emblem even tighter. He wanted to be anywhere but where he was.
****
The two shield-bearing ponies were part of a larger regiment, forming a straight and stalwart defensive line across the gentle fields. The line in front carried the shields, as they would be taking the brunt of the enemy fire. They were also prepared to advance, if necessary.
Behind the Shield-Bearers, lines of Unicorns stood, readying themselves for the coming battle. They would be doing the bulk of the ranged damage, at least in theory.
Behind the Unicorns, the few but deadly Ballistae lay in wait. Although few in number when compared to the bulk of the mostly-volunteer army, they were feared nonetheless. Anypony would be wary of a Ballista after witnessing a six-foot steel bolt passing through his comrades.
Standing on elevated land just behind the army, the Captains resided over their respective Platoons. They were going over and debating possible strategies and counter-strategies; they would have to try to outflank the Solar Empire’s army to mitigate their severe lack of numbers.
Located behind the Captains were three towering flagpoles bearing the emblem of the New Lunar Republic.
All were waiting with bated breath for the dreaded battle to begin.
****
“Look, just take a deep breath,” Stout Guard softly commanded. Summer Sky did so, but he didn’t seem to be any more relaxed.
“How did I end up here?” Summer Sky asked aloud, to himself more than anyone else.
“Heh. The same as all of us here,” Stout Guard replied. “Because our beloved Princess cannot fight the tyrannous Celestia on her own.”
Summer Sky gulped nervously.
“We need her blessed guidance,” Stout Guard continued, “and she needs us to fight for her and her ideals; for as long as that tyrannous Princess still reigns, we will know neither peace nor freedom nor hope.”
Summer Sky nodded slowly, as if contemplating his newfound purpose. He flipped up the face guard on his helmet to wipe the sweat from his eyes. But it wasn’t very hot that day.
A soldier. How did it ever come to this? I chose a side and now I must fight for my decision. A soldier. I never thought it would come to this….
Stout Guard gently patted his partner on the shoulder, having some clue as to his feelings.
Summer Sky turned to him.
“Must I kill?” Summer Sky blurted, already knowing the abhorrent answer.
“Verily,” Stout Guard replied flatly.
Summer Sky sighed nervously and closed his eyes for a moment. He, like the others on the front line, was given a basic suit of armor covering only his vitals, a helm, a shield, and a rather short, previously used sword. Not a whole lot to work with, but it was all the New Lunar Republic and its Princess could afford on such short notice.
“I don’t know that I can bring myself to take another pony’s life,” Summer Sky pathetically stated, his voice quivering slightly.
“Then you are doing our beloved Princess no favors. You may as well be aiding Celestia.”
Summer Sky quickly turned to his partner, a look of despair on his face.
Stout Guard realized what he was thinking, and reassured him. “But I don’t doubt your loyalty.”
Summer Sky said nothing but looked visibly less distressed.
A moment of silence passed. A murmur among the rest of the troops grew to a dull roar.
****
On the horizon, a moving mass of shining metal slowly came into view. The ground had a slight vibration in time with the approaching steps. They were coming.
There was an increasingly nervous chatter among the ponies in formation, especially near the front. Some were beginning to shift about uncomfortably.
“Stay your ground!” shouted a Captain, the message being relayed by the other Captains as well. The nervous soldiers froze, and waited as still as death. Each one stared forward at their encroaching doom.
****
Half an hour passed.
“You ready?” Stout Guard asked. His brother-in-arms shook his head.
Summer Sky hesitated, but finally asked, “Am I to d- die this day?”
Stout Guard waited a moment, whether for emphasis or merely deciding on an answer, and then answered:
“Aren’t we all?”
Summer Sky felt the words fall upon him like a hammer. He already half-knew the answer, but something about hearing it being spoken crushed the vestige of hope he had been clinging to. Tears began welling up in his eyes.
Stout Guard stared at his partner as if contemplating him. Part of him wanted to berate his comrade for showing weakness on the battlefield, but another part of him could relate. After all, neither of them were soldiers by choice.
No one wanted it to come to this. Another bloody battle. Another massive loss of life. Another chaotic mess of violence all just to prove a political point.
Stout Guard cleared his throat and began, “We may die here, on this glorious day, for our beloved Princess Luna, but at least know this.”
Summer Sky turned his wet face to his stoic compatriot.
“We fight for those who cannot defend themselves. We fight for those who otherwise would be slaughtered or enslaved by the tyrannous Celestia. We fight because we must.” Stout Guard’s eloquent voice grew in loudness and intensity.
“We fight for our Princess, who dared to challenge the despotic Celestia on our behalf. We must honor her brave act of rebellion. Fate can be a cruel mistress, but take heart!”
Many of the discouraged soldiers nearby had overheard the impromptu speech and begun to listen.
“We die for our ideals! We die for those who cannot defend themselves! We die for our beloved Princess who would die for any one of us! We die because we must!” Stout Guard had unknowingly caught the attention of even the Captains by now.
“The battle seems unwinnable, and perhaps even it is. But the least we can do is our damned best and give these Solar Empire whoresons what for!” He paused, took a deep breath, and shouted, “For our Princess and her new Republic!”
The entire army had heard his rallying cry.
“For our Princess and her new Republic!” The entire army cheered in unison. The shout of solidarity startled a flock of birds and scared a deer out of the surrounding woods.
After the rousing speech given by Stout Guard, the army as a whole felt at least a little bit better about their morbid ordeal. They would die, yes, but they would take as many of Celestia’s soldiers with them as they could.
****
By this time, the Solar Empire’s army had moved into formation, facing the New Lunar Republic’s army. The echoing decry of the New Lunar Republic soldiers did nothing to shake the wall of gleaming shields approaching them. The Solar Empire stopped its march.
Not a sound could be heard. Each and every soldier contemplated his own victory or demise. All held their breaths waiting for the dreaded first shot.
Nothing.
Perhaps an agreement had been made? Celestia and Luna put aside their differences to avoid another vicious battle? Would the vast field avoid being muddied with the blood of the warriors?
With a sickening impact, a magic bolt pierced the right eye of a brave but poor earth pony farmer. He slunk to the ground beneath his New Lunar Republic standard, which was now stained with a small spot of blood.
An eerie silence permeated the air. A small pool of red wet the grass around the lifeless corpse, the first to die for his beloved Princess and her new Republic.
Seconds later, a magic bolts blanketed the sky.
The roar of battle shattered the dome of silence encapsulating the field as the New Lunar Republic charged at the Solar Empire
It had begun.
****
A few grey clouds drifted lazily above the cacophony of war.
The birds had all flown away.
It was a great day to die.
Author's Note
This is actually an old writing exercise of mine, written about two years ago. I decided to pull it out, polish it a bit, and put it up here. Hope you enjoyed it.
