War torn

As ponies started to leave the bakery, I sigh in relief, stretching my wings. I myself was heading home, my steps sounding across the semi empty, cobblestone street. Thankfully, no one was paying attention to the *clip-clop* my walking was making. The sun was well past it's midpoint in the sky by now, but there was still a couple hours worth of sunlight left.

The familiar, large house comes into view, with Gilda waiting by the front gate. She looks at me with a cocky grin.

"So, you enjoy the party?" she asks, her grin growing. I grin back at her, my arms crossed.

"I've been invited to a mares house." I return. Gilda's brows shoot up at this, and she claps slowly.

"Who?"

"Eh, it's just Twilight." I smirk, and she guffaws loudly.

"Ah, the egghead princess. I should've known." At this, my brows shoot up.

"She's a princess?" I ask, and she gives me a funny look. Come to think of it, there aren't a lot of ponies with a horn... and wings...

I wouldn't be surprised if half the town could hear my face-paw. Gilda is in stitches, gasping for air between laughs.

"H-H-Holy shit, you didn't know? She's the only Alicorn in town!! Hahahahaha!!!" she says, trying and failing to catch her breath. My eyebrow twitches in irritation. Finally, she stops laughing and pats me on the shoulder.

"Hey, she's new to the whole princess thing, so don't worry about it. She probably just wants to introduce you to her friends, or ask about the war." my jaw clenches at this, and my eyes narrow.

"I moved here to get away from that damn war." I state, walking past her and opening the door. Grandfather hasn't returned home yet, and Scootaloo was off playing with her friends, so the house was empty.

"Hey, dude, chill out. Was it really that bad?" Oh, she did not just ask me that.

"Have you ever killed someone, Gilda?" I ask bluntly. Judging by her sudden halt, I'd say that caught her off guard.

"No, I haven't."

"Well, I have. Many, many lives ended because of me, be it directly or indirectly." Her face changes to a look of shock, and horror. "The worst part? Just over half of them were soldiers." A green tint makes itself known on her face as what I just told her sinks in.

"Shit..."

"See? I'd say it was pretty bad." I comment, as I sit in the chair I sat in before, to the left of the now dark fireplace. She didn't follow me into the living room, so I assume she went back outside. So, I just sit here, in the dark living room, the only light coming from the window, and feel my eyelids slowly close, the events of this crazy day replaying in my head. Save for a couple of things I'll need to adjust to, I think I'll like it here.

++++++

"Are you sure about this, young one? Becoming a Greyfeather is a very painful process, and there are many who would resent you for it."

"I don't care what they think, sir. If I can protect my comrades, protect my country and my king, by the ancients, I'll do it."

"...if you're sure, young one."

++++++

I wake up to the feeling of two small hands shaking my knee. Someone lit the fireplace, the comfortable warmth of the fire almost putting me to sleep again.

"Adrian, wake up! Ivan says dinner will be ready soon!" Scootaloo's voice breaks me out of my reverie, and I open my eyes. Just as I thought, it was Scootaloo. Wait, dinner?

"What?" I ask, my voice a little slurry from being asleep.

"I said, dinner's almost done!" she repeats impatiently. Kids these days...

"Alright, I'm up." I grumble, straightening up and popping my jaw.

"Hey, Adrian? If I'm Ivan's daughter, does that make me your aunt?" her question catches me off guard. I guess it does, but that's kinda weird.

"I guess, I don't know." I answer, popping my neck next. Gilda's voice is heard in the hallway,

"Hey Adrian! Someone's at the door for ya!"

"I'll be there in a second!" I call back, getting up. As I stand, my pants suddenly fall, to my horror, and I quickly bring them back up. Too late, apparently, if Scootaloo's confused expression was any indication.

"Wait... why do you have hooves?" she asks. I ignore her question, quickly leaving the room and approaching the door, throwing it open, and hurrying outside. No way in Tartarus I'm answering that.

At least, not yet.

Twilight was waiting outside, her eyebrow raised at my urgency. Didn't we just talk at the party?

"Are you okay Adrian?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I answer smoothly. If her face is any indication, she doesn't believe me, but she drops the matter.

"I know we just talked, but I was wondering if you wanted to meet up with me and my friends for a picnic tomorrow?" Now it's my turn to raise an eyebrow.

She's planning something.

"Sure." Eh, what have I got to lose?

I would later come to regret that choice.