I knelt down beside him, blood rushing from his head like a boat down the Equestrian valley, his uniform tarnished in ash and slag. I had dragged him to the tree line, clear from the line of fire that stood beyond.
“Jacob!” I pleaded, “Please, Jacob! Wake up!”
He only stared, watching the branches above. I gripped his collar. “Wake up god damn it!!”
Nothing.
I collapsed on his chest, my hoof intertwined in his dirty blond hair. “Please…” I muttered, “Please wake up…”
The forest suddenly erupted as a distant cannon blew off another round of magic. I held onto Jacob, shielding his cold body from the falling tree branches that rained down on us.
I promised myself I wouldn’t, but I began to cry, clutching Jacob’s chest, letting my tears stain his red uniform.
“Jacob…. Please wake up….”
Another bellowing bang erupted once more and I lost my footing, falling backwards. I lay there, letting the sticks and leaves pelt my face. I saw no point in moving, Jacob wouldn’t wake up, so there was no need to try any longer. I then spotted something through the trees above me, a glowing speck of light hurtling toward the woods.
Magic Fire.
Drying my eyes, I jumped up, yanking furiously on Jacob’s foreleg. “Get up Jacob!” I screamed, “Get up! Wake up!!”
He wouldn’t budge. Without a second thought, I threw him over my back, galloping through the tree line to escape the magic’s blast radius… but I was too late.
A mighty bang erupted from right behind me. I was flung through the air and I watched as Jacob flew with me. He slammed directly into one of the scattered oak trees as I tumbled atop the smoldering debris of dead wildlife. The forest was then coated in a blanket of dense smoke and ash. A small crater sat where the artillery made impact.
I felt a blistering pain in my leg, my bone cracking and limb rupturing under the slightest movement. I cried out, tears streaming down my cheeks as more explosions sounded in the distance. No matter what, through both pain and agony, I had to get Jacob.
Struggling to my hoofs, I held my broken leg while trying to peer through the fog and mist. I called his name, attempting to locate the tree I saw him hit.
I then found his limp body resting beneath the shade of a dying oak. A massive indent could be seen on the tree trunk, the damage left after Jacob’s collision. His face lay in the dirt and his back had been cut into, the fragile layer of his red uniform ripped to shreds. I fell to his side again, yet I didn’t see the point in trying to wake him.
Instead, I grabbed ahold of his shoulders, pulling him deeper into the wilderness. It was then another whistling noise sounded throughout the woods. More artillery fire.
I could make out the hurtling red spec growing closer and closer toward the tree line. I fell atop Jacob’s body, once again shielding him. The explosion was right next us, fire and mud flew like a geyser as a massive oak slowly fell downwards. Jacob and I were tossed again, but this time I felt as my hoofs left the floor and tumble through the air.
I hit my head against a tree and all went pitch black.
My memory is a bit hazy after that, yet I do remember the continuous booms of distant magic artillery as more wood fragments and leaves fell atop my body.
I woke up to the sight of a star speckled sky, branches and twigs scattered around me, and the faint smell of smoke. I tried to get up, but my legs wouldn’t move. I looked down, noticing my left hoof was missing, a bloody gash taking its place.
I wanted to scream, clutch the wound and cradle whatever remained, yet I stayed rooted to the floor. I simply lay there, staring up at the sky above.
The distant artillery fire had finally ceased, leaving behind a heavy silence in its wake. I wonder if we won the battle, and if we did, was it worth it? Was it worth what it cost? Was it worth the loss of my brother?
I remember that day, the day he decided to join the Lunar Republic as a loyalist. My mother pleading for him to stay, fight for freedom, yet his mind was made up. I was forced into the ranks of the Celestial Guard, determined to break the chains of oppression.
After that day I had blocked out my brother from every facet of my life. If he wished to serve under the rule of Nightmare Moon, I couldn’t accept him as a brother. Yet on that very day, as we met eyes from opposite sides of the battle field… I never knew it would come to this.
As I watched him fall, a bullet to the chest, his crimson wound matching the red of his jacket, I knew I couldn’t leave him.
When I pulled him towards the woods, when I tried to wake him up, I knew what the costs were. I had abandon my fellow soldiers, deserted them as the Lunar Republic most likely trampled our lines like ants beneath a boot. But I felt as though it was worth it, to somehow save my kin. But as the harsh reality slowly sinks in, it becomes apparent that I failed.
Failed my men, failed my princess, failed to save my only brother… Jacob.
I do not wish to search for whatever remains of my younger sibling; I don’t want to see him ever again. I don’t want to see anypony ever again, for I have failed them.
So I lay here, a blanket of cinder resting on my tattered blue uniform. I don’t wish to wake up from my slumber, I never will.
I just want to see Jacob again… I just want to hold him again, to say I’m sorry for all my bad deeds.
I just wish he had woken up…
