Twilight, Soldier of War

“What are you talking about!” Twilight demanded. “Everything I told you was the truth,”

Luna looked back out the window. The night time view of the city was slowly being consumed by a fog. Was this a reflection of Twilight’s mental state or something else? She couldn’t be sure. Every dreamer interpreted things differently, and she was so unfamiliar with the human mind. “Perhaps I miss spoke. It is not that you lied intentionally – you may not even be aware of it—but, Twilight, I have walked among the dream realm long enough to know a fantasy when I see one,”

“A Fantasy!” Twilight spit the work back. “You think everything I’ve been through, everything I’ve fought for was just a fragment of my imagination?”

Luna seemed to pay little attention to Twilight’s rant, as she walked over to the chair in front of the fireplace, and picked up one of the books stacked next to it. “If that is truly the case, than what could be so horrible that you would prefer such a world?”

Twilight looked to her hands, her voice spoke more to convince herself than Luna, “It was real. I remember the weight of my rifle and the recoil of its shots. I remember the smell of blood and the feeling of pain every time I failed to save someone. I remember—“

“It’s time to go home,”

Twilight froze. The very temperature fell around her, until each breath was visible as a puff of air. “What did you say,” Twilight asked slowly.

In answer Luna flipped the book she was holding around to show off the pages. Each page was filled with the same words, repeated endlessly: It’s time to go home.

Twilight’s body shook like a vibration was running up her spine, but whether it was from the cold that warped her or the strange fear gripping her, she didn’t know. “There is nothing written in that book, and those words mean nothing,”

“Is that so,” Luna’s head tilted to the side, her face emotionless. “Can you truly not see the words before your very eyes? Then how about these?” With the back of her hoof, Luna knocked the pile of books to the floor, there pages spilled opened and their secrets laid reveal. Though the cover of the books differed, each one of them bore the same five words as the one Luna still held.

“N-no!” Twilight shut her eyes tight as she stumbled back, but tripped over her own feet and fell on her butt. The fall forced Twilight’s eyes open and that is when she saw it. Carved into every surface, written on every wall, were the same words: It’s time to go home.

“What does it mean?” Luna stepped forward, demanding to know.

“Nothing, it just meaningless words!” Cried Twilight, her hand clapped over her ears.

“You can lie to me, Twilight, you can lie to your friends, but you cannot lie to yourself,” Luna looked to the window, it’s image slowly morphing into something else.

As Twilight followed her gaze she felt a scream caught in her throat, rendering her speechless. It was already too late.

***

Rather than trying to brave the Arrowhead once more to find an exit, Twilight and Skyler elected to climb down its side though the bridge window. They touched the ground once more just as the light of the new morning reached them. The escorting forces of Rats were nowhere to be seem, having already retreated farther back. The chaos that the retreat order had caused was evident everywhere, vehicles crashed into one another while others were simply left abandoned. Twilight had a feeling that a similar scene was playing out all across the Rat line.

But that didn’t matter anymore, as far as she was concerned her part in the war was over. “Do you think it’s really over?” asked Skyler. He took off his helmt and looked with his own eyes at the broken buildings and scorched marked road, yet for once Twilight saw a hint of hope in his eyes.

“It will take time for the fighting to die down and for treaties to be signed, likely months, but yes it’s over,”

They began the long walk back to the Inner City, one step at a time. “What will you do now?” asked Skyler.

“I think it’s time I go home,” It was strange for her to think that by this time tomorrow she may be home. What in the world would she tell everyone. She would think of something later.

“Ponyland, right?” said Skyler. He was quiet for a long moment, and Twilight didn’t have the energy to correct him. “I don’t think being a pony would be too bad— I mean, I would prefer to stay human if that was an option— but a pony isn’t too bad either,”

Twilight stopped in her tracks and turn to stare at him. “What are you talking about?”

He shrugged. “War’s over, Twilight, and I don’t know what I’m going to do anymore. I don’t have much of a family left, and Osana will get by just find without me. So what do you say, care for a traveling partner?”

To say Twilight was speechless would be to underestimate how far her jaw fell. She considered for a moment how to possibly approach the topic. She considered saying that it may not be possible for him to come along, though she had no way of knowing for sure, and she thought to say that she couldn’t guarantee he could stay human, and that life as a pony would be a difficult transition. Yet the only thing that came out of her mouth was, “I would love one,”

With a smile from ear to ear, Skyler through his arm around her shoulder. “Come on, Spotlight, it’s time to go home,”

Bang!

Skyler’s body felt heavy, too heavy. His arm slipped off her shoulder and he hit the ground with a thud. Twilight didn’t look to him. She pushed that small voice that cried out to the back of her mind as her instincts took over. Turning fast she fell to one knee and brought her rifle to bare. Before her stood a half dead Rat soldier pointing a pistol right at her, the clicking of its empty magazine echoed in the silence.

With two quick pulls of the rifle, the Rat fell to the ground, this time fully dead. Twilight around, seeing that there were no more dead about to rise, like an unholy zombie plague. Only then did she turn to check on Skyler.

“Skyler?” she spoke softly. Kneeling down next to him, Twilight shook him with her hands, her eyes not wanting to see where the bullet had gone through his head. “Skyler, please,” she begged, but no one was there to listen. She didn’t remember when she took out the Anizon, but she remembered the relief she felt when it flowed through her, having taken double her daily limit.

What followed was little more than a series of blurry memories of Twilight as she made her way back to the Inner City and took the teleporter home.

***

Luna looked down on Twilight with eyes of sympathy, and spoke as a mother would to a child, “Why hide this?”

Twilight slammed a fist into the ground and yelled out, “It was over! The war was over! I should have been able to save him, but I wasn’t paying attention. I couldn’t save him. I couldn’t save any of them,” Tears flowed freely down Twilight’s face. “I-I just wanted for one of my friends to have survived the war, but I was too weak. I have this damned power to protect others, yet I couldn’t save any of them,”

Slowly Luna trotted to the couch and sat down. She felt exhausted for having to push Twilight to this point, but they were not quite at the end just yet. “You of all ponies know just how powerful my sister and I are, you have been in our place and held our power, yet even with all of that power there have been so many times that we have been powerless to save those close to us,”

“I should have been better—“ Twilight tried to say but Luna would not let her wallow in self-pity.

“How could you have been better? From what I have seen and what you have told me, you were at the peak of your training, unfortunately people still died. That is the nature of war, it is a cruel mistress that cares little for the feelings of others or how hard they try. You are no god, Twilight Sparkle, you cannot expect to save everyone yourself,”

Twilight rose her hand and looked at Luna through tear stained eyes. “If I’m not the one to blame for this then who is?”

“You know the answer to that. They did their duty and died for what they believed in, honor them, morn them, but do not waste away from grief. You only dishonor their memory in doing so,”

“I don’t know where to go from here? What am I supposed to do?”

“I can only point you to the path, I cannot walk it for you,” said Luna as a hint of a smile touched her lips. “However, I know of five mares who would gladly walk this path with you, if only you let them,”

Twilight reached out with one hand and picked up one of the fallen books that littered the ground. She ran her fingers over the words, her eyes finally able to see what was in front of her. “I think I’m ready,”

***
Epilogue

The cool autumn wind blew over the Ponyville graveyard. In front of a alicorn statue Twilight, the pony, stood vigil. It had been six long months since her return to Equestria and this event was long overdue. Rarity and Applejack held the new plaque in place as Rainbow flittered in the air calling out directions, “A little to the left… no my left… oh wait, the other way is my left,”

Applejack blew out a puff of air. “Ok that’s good enough. Rarity seal’r up,”

Rarity cast a blue light from her horn that bound the plague to the statue base. She stepped back to admire her work and gawked at the crooked frame. “Applejack, you call that straight?”

“It’s only off by a smidge,”

Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy approached the grave, each holding a bundle of flowers. “Sorry it took so long for us to find some flowers,” said Fluttershy.

“And they’re scrum-diddly-umptious,” added Pinkie.

“That’s kind of why it took so long,” they place the flowers in a vase next to the grave.

“It’s beautiful, girls, thank you for doing this with me,” Twilight said. Stepping closer to the statue, she ran a hoof over the plaque. It was simple and a bit straight to the point, but they had never been ones for poetic words.

In memory of

Skyler Lessi

Teagan Lenden

Nadia Sandler

Davis Vinion

Len Cotreau

Though they do not rest here we honor the sacrifice they made. They were not perfect beings, yet their friendship and camaraderie was freely given. May they forever drink in the halls of their gods.

“Considering how long it took to get you out here, of course we would come,” said Rainbow. “So now that we’ve put up the new plaque and set out the flowers, what do we do now? I don’t really do a lot of funeral stuff so I wouldn’t know. Do we sing now?”

Twilight held back a chuckle as she addressed her friends, “For right now, do you think I could have a moment alone,” her friends shared a look, but the nods came quickly,”

“Of course, dearly, we’ll be at the edge of the graveyard when you are finished,” said Rarity

As they walked away she heard Rainbow ask, “What would we even sing?”

“Oh I know!” Pinkie quickly chimed in.

Twilight let their voices fade from her mind as she turned her attention back to the grave. “I’m going to be ok,” her voice was just above a whisper. She stared at each name individual, letting the better memories flood her mind before moving on. “It will not always be easy, I know this. There are days that the very thought of getting out of bed is the most terrifying thing in the world, and I cling to my sheets thinking that if I dare step hoof out of my bed I would lose everything. At other times I can almost taste the Anizon, and I crave it all the more strongly, even though I know it would kill me, so I’m thankful that I can’t get to it in this world,” Twilight looked up into the sky and for a moment felt the breeze on her face. “But those are the bad days and there are far more good days then bad. So please rest easy knowing that I will be ok, and that no matter what bad days lay ahead of me I will have friends who will help me through it,”

Twilight turned away from the statue and trotted back to her friends, and together they returned to Ponyville and to their happy lives.

The End.