Date: May 16, 2023...
Dear Family of Shutter Dance ,
As you may or may not know, there is a war brewing between this mighty nation of Equestria and the Griffon Nation. Your son/daughter, Shutter Dance, has been drafted into the Royal Equestrian Army, Second Bombardier Squadron. As of today, they will be entering service.
Notes: The Second Bombardier Squadron will be shipping out to the front at Clopton by the time you receive this letter. I wish you the best of luck in these times, and hope that your son will be able to return to you safe and sound at the end of his service.
-Regards,
Lieutenant Commander Ray Beam
Date: May 19, 2023...
Dear Mum and Dad,
How are things back home in Ponyville? I know I've only been gone for a few days, but I'm already rather homesick. How is little Pirouette? How is the business? How are the bunnies? Am I asking too many questions? I'm sorry, if I am. I just miss all of you so much. If it's this bad already, then I can't imagine how I'll hold up through the rest of my tour. Well, that's all I can really think of to write, right now. We had some basic training at base, and shipped out. The stallions (and two mares) in my squad seem nice enough, but I can't really tell yet. Well, write back soon.
-Your son,
Shutter Dance
Date: May 29, 2023...
Dear Mum and Dad,
Got your letter last week. Thanks for answering all of my questions. It helped ease my mind a bit. Well, I'm getting to know my squad mates a little better now. There are seven of us. Boomer, a red unicorn, is in charge of ordinance. He is from Fillydelphia, and he has a funny accent. Remmy, a white pegasus from Buckingham, has a great sense of humor, but we always have to stay on our hooves because of his pranks. I don't know why anypony even lets him near explosives. But he's good at what he does, which is stallion the mortar. He has the best aim out of all of us. We're all glad that the mortar uses non-explosive rounds. Suit Up, a pink earth pony from Canterlot, is our spotter, which means that she uses binoculars and a weird map to find the coordinates for our strikes. We put the coordinates into the mortar and fire. Thanks to Remmy and Suit, we've earned a reputation around base as having the best hit ratio in practice. Hopefully we'll be able to do as well when it counts the most. Questionnaire and Pamphlet, two unicorn twins from Canterlot, and I are the rifle-stallions. We use firearms to protect the rest of the squad. Then there's Two Fold, a blue earth pony. He uses the LAW, or Lightweight Anti-tank Weapon. He doesn't talk too much, and no one knows where he's from.
Enough about us, though. How are you guys doing? I hope nothing has come up. Well, write back.
-Your son,
Shutter Dance
Date: June 8, 2023...
Dear Mum and Dad,
How're you guys doing? I know I ask that every time I send a letter, but I just feel like knowing. It helps ease my homesickness. Thank you for sending my lucky silver coin to me in the envelope of your last letter. I'll be honest, I freaked out when I realized that I left it at home. It's silly, but that coin makes me feel more...secure. Well, turns out that we're picking up camp and moving out with the other squads, headed toward the front again. Were almost there, I can tell, because the sounds of gunfire and explosions sound closer, and I'm scared, and so are the others. Boomer won't admit it, but we can all tell that he is, too.
Remmy got thrown out of the tent for his latest prank. He put molasses in Boomer's pillowcase after taking out the pillow, and sewed the end shut, so that when Boomer laid down, the stuff came oozing out through the fabric and got all in his mane. It was all we could do to keep the poor stallion from pummeling Remmy. But he agreed to sleeping outside as a punishment. No one said so, but we all thought it was pretty funny. It took Boomer an hour in the shower just to get the stuff out of his mane. Write back.
-Your son,
Shutter Dance
Date: June 10, 2023...
Dear Mum and Dad,
Yesterday, we moved up with the First Infantry to relieve the forces fighting there. Our job was to provide artillery cover for them. Pamphlet, Questionnaire, Two Fold and I were ahead of the mortar team. We dug ourselves a few foxholes where we could defend the mortar if the need arose. Turns out that Two Fold also knows how to use a rifle. Makes sense.
Well, the team ran out of ammo, so Boomer ran back to camp to get more. It's good for him that he left, or else he wouldn't be alive right now. A few minutes after he left, we heard a whistling noise overhead, and all of a sudden, BOOM!!! A mortar shell landed directly in front of our mortar, right where Boomer had been, sending the thing flying. When Pamphlet and I got there, Suit Up was hurt real bad. There was blood everywhere, and she was screaming about her legs. We had to carry her back to camp, where the doctors took her into the hospital tent. Then we went back with Boomer. We haven't heard anything about her, yet. I hope she's okay.
Remmy was lucky, and only got a few cuts and bruises, but I still feel bad for him. When Pamphlet and I first got there, he was just sitting there, covered in blood and dirt, staring at Suit, his eyes all wide and his pupils so huge I couldn't see the color of his irises. The poor guy refused to move, and wouldn't talk. He was in the same position when we got back with Boomer, just staring at the blood pool where Suit Up had been laying. He still doesn't talk, unless to ask for food or water, and he hasn't cracked a joke since. We all kind of miss his pranks and cheerful attitude. It just doesn't feel like Remmy is there anymore, just a broken shell.
Well, the mortar was destroyed, so we can't fight anymore until a new one comes in. The first infantry is still out there, without artillery cover. I honestly don't look forward to receiving the new mortar. None of the squad does. Write back.
-Your son,
Shutter Dance
Date: June 24, 2023...
Dear Mum and Dad,
Sorry about not writing to you lately. My squadron has been caught up with the war effort. We won at Clopton. Now we start advancing into the Griffon Nation. I don't like that idea. Unfortunately, we lost Suit Up. The doctors said that she lost too much blood. That means we don't have a spotter. Luckily, Questionnaire knows how to set coordinates too, so she's standing in until we can get somepony else. Last week, we finally got to see Two Fold's LAW in action. An enemy armored vehicle came a little too close, and Two Fold pounced on the opportunity to use the rocket launcher.
In other news, Remmy is talking again. He's still not his old self, but he's doing better. We pick up camp tomorrow, and none of us are enthusiastic about it. Well, wish us luck.
-Your son,
Shutter Dance
Date: July 25, 2023. Dance Residence...
*Knock, Knock, Knock.*
"Ballet, honey," said Sorte Dance. "Can you get that? I'm currently busy with Pirrouette."
When Ballet Dance opened the door, she was graced with the sight of a completely white pegasus in a patched up hat standing on her doorstep.
"Excuse me, ma'am," the stranger said, stretching an apparently broken wing that was laying uncomfortably in a large cast. "You wouldn't happen to be the mother of Shutter Dance, would you?"
"Why, yes, I am!" Ballet replied. "Why do you ask?"
"Well," said the strange pegasus, "my name is Remmy. I was in your son's squad."
Ballet was dumbstruck. What could this young stallion be doing here? He was obviously hurt, but still...
"Well, mister Remmy, do come in!"
"Gladly, ma'am."
"Oh," Ballet said,"you just call me Ballet. Sorte! Come here, would you? A stallion from Shutter's squadron is here!" Turning back to Remmy, she asked, "Would you like some tea? It's my own barley tea, nice and fresh!"
"That sounds wonderful ma'am, but I must decline. I'm not much of a tea drinker."
"Well then," said Ballet, leading her guest to the main room, "do sit down, Remmy."
As the pegasus obliged, Sorte Dance walked into the room, immediately greeting Remmy.
"Hello, sir! It's nice to meet you in person. See, our son wrote about his squad quite a bit in his letters. He wrote highly of you."
Remmy settled back into the plush arm chair he was sitting in. "Well," he said, beginning to frown rather deeply, "I am flattered. But I came here for a very important reason."
Ballet Dance cocked her head. "And what reason would that be?"
Remmy shed a single tear, which rolled down his face, splattering on the floor. Pulling an envelope out of his saddlebag, he replied. "I asked the Commander personally if I could deliver this to you. I'm off to Fillydelphia next."
Ballet took the envelope from him, opening it and reading the letter inside. Suddenly, she broke out in tears, sobbing uncontrollably.
Sorte glanced at Remmy, then back at his wife. "Honey," he said. "What's wrong?"
His wife made no response other than to give him the letter.
Dear Family of Shutter Dance ,
We are sorry to report that your son/daughter has died/gone MIA at the battle of Griffonicus. We offer our condolences, and hope that you understand that Shutter Dance died fighting for his country. We request that you write back with when and where would be convenient for you to attend the burial/ceremony.
Notes: I am sincerely sorry that your son was not able to return to you. I offer my condolences and wish you the best.
-Lieutenant Commander Ray Beam
Sorte was speechless. His son was gone. He just couldn't believe that Shutter was gone.
Seeing how distraught the couple was, Remmy explained. "It was an ambush. We were setting up the mortar when an entire platoon of griffons jumped us. Your son and the other rifle stallions fought valiantly, but it just wasn't enough. In the end, we were overrun. I got lucky. They shot me in the back of the helmet, but the bullet actually went around the edge of the inside of it. It seems impossible, but that's what kept me alive...I just wish the same could have happened for the others..."
"The griffons must have thought I was dead, as I was out cold. I guess one of them started beating on me with his rifle. That's how my wing broke."
His explanation wasn't helping, so he skipped to the point. "Mister and Missus Dance, your son was one of the bravest, kindest stallions I have ever met. He saved my life more times than I can remember...when I woke up, I checked all of the bodies, and I found this in one of his pockets."
Setting the mentioned object on the table, Remmy got up and turned to leave. Before walking out the door, he turned around one more time to look at the two ponies. These wonderful souls didn't deserve this. None of the families did.
And then he left them. He left them crying and staring at what he had set on the table.
A single silver coin.