My Little Pony: Forever Stranger

Another night, another storm, another helmet. Smash, run, hide, repeat. Only the wind talked. Flint and Blitz were nearby, fighting the helmets shining in the torchlight, wheezing and shivering afterwards. Gale doubled over, shut his eyes, and did what he'd done ever since this mission went to the wolves.

He was sent to Bovaria to save the-

No.

He was sent to Bovaria to investi...find Slate. Yes. Yes, that was it.

He only joined with Summit to find Slate. Slate was a scientist. Summit...didn't like that and went to war.

But Slate hurt the oxen.

Ponies don't hurt other creatures. This was all just one big mistake.

He decided: all that mattered to him now was finding some way to make something good come out of this mess. Save Bovaria, end this before any one else got hurt. No one but him saw what had to be done, so he had a responsibility. Even if Flint, Summit, and everyone else ended up hating him for trying. He could live with that. Just like Slate said in his book: a scientist is only beholden to progress and the effectiveness of his results.

So wise, so certain. He'd built a machine, an amazing machine, to save all of Bovaria.

And yet...unless...

What was he gonna tell the Princess? Okay, maybe he'd overstepped and gotten in over his head. But he didn't disobey them, he didn't have a choice! What good was it investigating if he couldn't help? That's what royal guards were supposed to do! The princesses hadn't seen what he'd seen.

Oxen, sobbing and holding themselves by a fire.

Villages, mangled and buried.

Mountains, always taller and farther, mocking him because he didn't know what was happening and deep down he didn't want to, but the lost colt inside told him to keeping going, that he alone would set things right if only he knew the truth of what happened here.

But if the princesses were here everything would have been fine. They'd have waved their horns and fixed things like it was supposed to happen. But here he was instead. He only said 'yes' to Celestia because he knew if he did this, there was no way he'd spend the rest of his career guarding gardens and galas. He was going to go far. Now, he didn't care where he went as long as it wasn't here.

***

They'd arrived. But there was no finish line, no red carpet, no oxen loyal to Summit waiting to let them in. The splintery beams of the main gate loomed over them, spat on them with snow from atop its mountain wall frame. Behind them, the telltale sounds of the steel-clads grew.

Blitz supported Flint and her bad leg as Gale limped forward. His horn pulsed, flickered and sputtered. Spell barely singed the cold wood. Fell onto knees, then face. World going dark. Felt them shake him, Flint's words soft. He was so tired of all the fighting, the mountains never got closer, so tired of getting hurt, so

"Gale..."

tired of never being sure.

"please..."

Tired of being cold and away from home.

"we need you."

So tired.