Clouds Swallow The Moon

III. There Will Be Another Time

“Y’know, Dusk, you have a very comfortable back. If you ever decided to get funky with a stallion, their hooves would be mighty cozy.” She muttered, making me glare at Twilight under my hood. Wait, speaking of hood, where the hell is Midnight’s cloak? Was it torn up when she was attacked and left behind? I hate to say it, but she was abandoned. One of the first rules when it comes to Moonlight XIII is never leave a fellow member behind! And they did anyway. Sad part is, Eclipse is a part of Bravo Squad. I just hope she wasn't the one to decide to leave Midnight. I don't know if I could love a mare who leaves others behind.

“Contact! Contact! Open fire!”

Twilight halted her movement at once, same with me as I glanced to her. She turned her head to look at me as more gunshots rang out, a bloodcurdling scream echoing in my ears. I trotted to her and took position beside her, trying to get a glimpse of what's going on. That voice sounds like Eclipse… I carefully picked up Midnight and placed her on the ground next to Twilight gently, yanking my pistol out of its holster, ready to investigate what the Tartarus is going on.

“Tw- Violet stay here and watch over Midnight.” I ordered, to which she hesitantly nodded and heeded my words, moving closer to Midnight and grasping her rifle in her magic and keeping it close to her body. More gunshots rang out and I broke into a gallop towards the source of the gunshots, swerving and dodging through the openings in between the trees, my hooves cracking the fallen leaves as I breathed heavily, my pistol in my right hoof. It was difficult to run with the pistol in my hoof, but I focused and ran as fast as I could.

“Starsky!” That was Eclipse again, her voice sounding strained. I changed course and began galloping left, three gunshots ringing out at the same time. Just what are they fighting that gives them trouble? We’re the best damn soldiers this country has to offer and not to mention the most skilled and trained, so whatever they're battling must be a formidable foe to give them some kind resistance. “Cover Starsky, Forgetful!” Eclipse shouted once again, her voice becoming more clear the closer I come to their location. I slid to a halt as I reached them, taking in what I saw.

Standing seven feet tall was a scorpion, its body reminiscent of an Ursa Minor. It had two large pincers dripping with saliva blood, whose blood I’m not sure. It had eight long, sharp legs and was jumping around all over the place, dodging most of their gunshots. The stinger was lodged inside of Starsky, her chest bleeding profusely. And finally, its head had several eyes, all focusing on Starsky’s maimed body. They were fighting a damn Scorpios, and they were losing to it, horribly.

With no more time to waste, I hopped into the battle, firing a single shot to the stinger, it whiffing past it at swift acceleration. All of its eyes turned to me, and its stinger ripped itself out of Starsky’s body, forcing her gasp loudly at the sudden dislodge. Eclipse glanced to me before turning to Starsky, dragging her away from the creature’s sight. Forgetful darted his eyes between me and Eclipse before reloading his rifle and firing a shot off at the beast, joining me in fighting it off.

“Nice of you to join us, Dusk!” He yelled at me, rolling to right as one of the Scorpios’ legs slammed down, barely missing Forgetful’s left hind leg. I quickly reloaded and jumped up in the air, my wings propelling myself higher into the air, landing on top of its back. I pressed the pistol’s barrel against the bases of one of its leg, letting a shot go as it blew off, landing on the ground with meaty impact. I leaped off of its back as soon as its stinger crashed down on its back, resulting in it stabbing itself in the back.

“The pleasure's all mine!” I replied as I reloaded, fumbling around as I ran a circle around the beast, confusing it as it kept trying to stay focused solely on me. Forgetful grunted as he reloaded his rifle, his horn lighting up as he jumped up onto the Scorpios back, following the same tactic I used and fired a shot into one of its legs, dismembering it. The Scorpios screeched in pain as it lost another appendage, its balance faltering a little until it recovered and continued to assault us.

We didn't say anything much after that, as we were too busy trying to kill the damn thing and not try to die ourselves. I reloaded one more time before repeating my plan once more, except instead of shooting one of its legs, I decided to shoot one of its eyes, the impact actually rendering two of them useless from the shockwave. We kept doing this until it had two eyes left and four legs left, it barely able to retain some of its sight and balance. The problem is… We’re both out of bullets, and the thing is still alive and kicking.

“Move, you stallion!” I heard Twilight shout at me, from behind me. Forgetful glanced at me before we began beelining it for the trees, the Scorpios not able to follow us inside. The next thing I know is a very loud gunshot, it sounded as if it was amplified, and the Scorpios’ head exploded into a thousand pieces, blood and bits of brain matter splattering against the bark of trees. Wow. That was awesome! I shot a glance at Forgetful before I walked out to meet Twilight, who had Midnight laying on her back, her eyes half-lidded and a small smile on her face.

“How’d you do that, it was sweet.” I complimented her, patting her on the back of her neck. If she didn't have her hood over her head, I could swear she's blushing. I holstered my pistol and yanked down my hood, my long mane cascading over my face, forcing me to brush it out of the way. Forgetful did the same, his short orange mane a big contrast to his black coat and purple eyes. His horn poked through his mane atop his head and it lit up a purple aura as he slid his rifle into his holster. Twilight went to pull her hood down before she stopped, letting her hoof drop to the ground as she put her rifle away.

“Magic.” Twilight simply said, causing a small smile to form on my face. Forgetful walked up to Twilight and took Midnight off her back, placing her on his. If I remember correctly, Forgetful likes Midnight. And Midnight being herself, is completely oblivious to it. Poor stallion, but as the saying goes; Don't stick your dick in crazy. Before we could speak anymore, a loud scream half sob sounded out, sounding like Eclipse. I turned around and booked it straight to her, stopping by her at the sight.

Eclipse was on her haunches, her two front hooves holding Starsky, who was staring weakly up at her, her eyes glassy. Her belly was ripped open and blood oozed from it, and you could even see her… Ugh. My shoulders slumped at the sight bestowed before me, Forgetful and Twilight following behind me, not saying anything at what was in front of us. I slowly walked over to Eclipse before I wrapped my hooves around her back in a tight hug. She buried her face into my chest and sobbed loudly, her hooves still holding Starsky.

“W-W-Why? W-Why s-she have to g-g-go!” Eclipse screamed into my chest, tears flowing from her eyes as she cried at the sight of friend. Starsky was Eclipse’s best friend, they been friends since they were fillies and joined Moonlight XIII together. Outside of doing missions, I always saw them together, they did everything together. I can't deny in saying that I’m heartbroken over her death. I really am. It's one thing to die at the hooves of an enemy… But, it's another when you die in the hooves of family.

“Shh. It's okay. Shh. Everything will be fine.” I whispered to her, rocking her back and forth in my hooves. Forgetful motioned for Twilight to leave into the opening, walking out himself, with Midnight shedding tears as she cried silently on his back. Twilight glanced to me before exiting the treeline and into the opening, leaving Eclipse and I alone. She continued to sob into my chest for a while, her wailing eventually turning into heavy breathing. I looked up and saw the Moon lower under the Horizon and the Sun rising high up into the sky, a ray of sunlight shining down on the two of us… Celestia might have felt Starsky leave us.

“T-Thank you, Dusk. For being here.” Eclipse whispered up to me, her white coat gleaming in the morning sun and her black mane waving gently in the wind. She leaned up and gave me a gentle kiss on my lips before she retreated back into my chest. I glanced down to Starsky, her cloak torn and tattered, her hood ripped to shreds. Her rifle lay by her side, and I narrowed my eyes to read the words engraved on them. I grimaced at the sight of the words and averted my eyes to not see them again, the words bringing me sorrow.

Live happily and life will reward you with the most cherished of gifts:

Eternal Rest.

* * * * * *

Eclipse and I sat there together for a while, just enjoying each other’s company as we dealt with the pain of losing a friend. There were no words to say, so silence reigned in the clearing as the Sun was now higher up in the sky, grey clouds casting over the woods, rain eventually pouring down, rain drops pattering effortlessly against our cloaks, but our manes were getting soaked. I pulled Eclipse’s hood over head and did the same before it got any worse, which it did. The white mare glanced up to before sitting up, gently removing her hooves from Starsky, me following suit.

“We can't leave her like this.” She quietly said, and I nodded in response. I glanced to Starsky’s body, trying to avoid looking at her midsection. She looks so peaceful, almost as if she was fine with dying. If her choice of words on her rifle were any significance, then I guess she didn't mind leaving this world. Some Ponies accept that one day you'll pass on, and she was one of them. I still haven't quite accepted it yet, most likely because I’m afraid of what comes afterwards instead of death itself.

To me, when you die, you will see, hear, smell, taste, and feel nothing. You won't even be aware of it either, because your consciousness died off with your vessel, your body. You will be left to rot in pitch black for the rest of eternity, your memories of all the good times and of your family and friends fading away, vanishing completely. You won't be able to react or talk or even think, your mind, along with your identity and life you, as a pony, are gone, forever. Just… Nothing. Nothing at all.

I think of it this way. When you are on your deathbed, you are allowed one final look at your life, some would explain this as ‘my life flashed before my eyes’. You experience the times you were the happiest, whether it be when you found your first best friend or the love of your life, or even if you found solace in doing what you enjoy doing. Then you see the bad moments, the ones where you wish you could purge from your mind permanently. It could be when you hurt somepony or lost somepony or worse. Regardless, you get the chance to live your life again for a brief moment.

Then, when your eyelids begin to drop, it all stops and your mind ceases to work. Once you close your eyes for the final time, you're gone. It's as if you went to sleep, except you never wake up. You are locked in an endless slumber, not even able to dream or cower in fear before a nightmare. For some, it's a paradise, for they are finally able to rest and not deal with life’s most cruel moments. For others, such as me, I find it to be terrifying. I even lay awake at night at thought of me, as a pony, ceasing to exist and not able to see what's happening. For me to be erased from existence like that… Well, that's why I try not to die. I don't think I’ll like the results, honestly.

Of course, some choose to indulge themselves in the fantasy that when you die, there's a land of peace and tranquility, where you lay your sights upon your most cherished family members and friends. Some call it Paradise. Others… Heaven. And this line of thought brings them to believe that the evil ponies get sent to Tartarus, where they're tortured for all eternity. Now… What or who determines who is sinister or not? This means that they live their lives seeing life as black and white. Two defining sides. One good, the other being bad. But, that's not true. I've seen it myself; life is grey. There will come a time where the two interconnect and you won't be able tell which from which. Trust me… I've been there.

I joined Eclipse in gathering flowers after catching onto what she was doing. We remained quiet as we plucked flowers and roses, only occasionally sending each other a quick glance before returning to our task. Princess Celestia must know Starsky has passed away, otherwise it wouldn't explain the ray of sunlight beaming down on the resting Starsky. I wouldn't put it past her, though, she watches over every single pony in Equestria, even if she never saw them before. She's a benevolent leader, and it shows quite a lot. I just wish I had her strength… To carry on like that, I mean.

After a significant amount of time, we both brought our bundle of flowers to Starsky’s resting place, the Sun filling us with warmth as we gave our friend a proper send off. Placing the flowers carefully, we both formed a circle of flowers around her body, making sure to make it look decent. The flowers were all facing the same direction, and all overlapping together like a row of dominoes, but not enough for the flower itself to be covered. I snatched yellow and purple flowers while Eclipse took red and magenta colored flowers, and we made a pattern of the colors, starting with purple, then magenta, then red, then finally yellow. It looked pretty good, if I say so myself.

Finally, Eclipse propped up Starsky’s hooves on top of her own chest, and laying her hind legs out so they're touching each other. The white mare’s eyes watered as she closed her friend’s eyes with her hooves, tears cascading down her cheeks. She sniffled loudly before she picked up a bundle of flowers and dropped them gently onto Starsky’s stomach, covering up her grisly wound. Eclipse glanced to Starsky’s rifle before she picked it up and slid it inside of her holster, it fitting in with her own rifle. I never opened my mouth, just content with being there for Eclipse in her time of need.

“Y-You wanna’ say any words, D-Dusk?” She sniffled loudly under her hood, staring at me silently. I let out a big sigh, glancing down to Starsky as I made my way to my hooves, keeping my eyes on her lovely mane. I never did tell her she had a nice mane, but I guess Eclipse would… I’m not going to finish that thought, it's too soon.

“I… It’s… Star was a wonderful mare. She was pretty and funny, and generous, and thought of others ‘till the end,” I don't think I should have said that last part. “She was our teammate and she didn't deserve this… We will all miss you, Starsky, but you finally got you wanted; Eternal rest… I just wish I got to you sooner.” The last part was a tiny whisper, nopony could hear it even if they wanted to. Eclipse nodded and turned to look behind me. I twisted my head to take a look, noticing Twilight, Forgetful, and surprisingly enough, Midnight Blossom standing up, although she was using all of them as a crutch to walk.

I honestly blame her death on myself. I know it's stupid to think that way, Eclipse once told me it is a dumb way of thinking, but I can't help myself. If I just found them sooner, instead of waiting around and talking, I could have prevented her from dying and Midnight from being injured. But, once again, I found myself deep in my thoughts, a habit I find myself in too much for my liking. Eclipse said it's not good to dwell too much on things you can't control, even Moth mentioned it to me once, but it's different when you know you could have saved somepony if you just did something differently. An innocent mare was brutally killed because I decided to think… Luna, forgive me.

“Damn right.” Forgetful exclaimed, walking up to us with Midnight in between him and Twilight. Oh, I bet Forgetful is loving how close he is to Midnight. Too bad she doesn't pick up on your affection towards her, tough luck, buddy. Twilight glanced to me and I returned it before I turned back to Eclipse who was staring at Starsky. I hate to force her to leave her friend when she's grieving, but we do have a mission to accomplish. One that resulted in Star’s death… And maybe even more if we're not careful. We'll just have to extra cautious and watch each other's back.

I slowly approached Eclipse, whose whole posture screamed that she was about to snap. The slouching but shaking shoulders, the heavy breathing, and the tightness in her boots indicating that she's clenching her hooves. Sighing, I wrapped a hoof around her back and gently tugged on her, motioning for her to let go. “I’m sorry Eclipse, but we still have mission to do.” I muttered to her.

“Where were you?! If you got here earlier, maybe she wouldn't have died! She's gone because you decided to take your sweet ass time!” She shouted at me as she shoved me away. She yanked her hood down angrily to reveal her flaring nostrils as she breathed in and out heavily, her eyes staring daggers into me. Sighing, I pulled my hood down and gazed into her beautiful cyan eyes with pity. Twilight, Forgetful, and Midnight all stared at the two of us silently, not saying anything to avoid Eclipse’s wrath. Unfortunately, as her closest friend and technical coltfriend, I had to endure it and bring her back to reality, even if her words stung true.

“Eclipse, listen only to the sound of my voice… There was nothing I could have done, it was already too late. I’m sorry, but we need to move on… You need to let go.” I stated, holding my ground as she darted her eyes around my face in search of something, but she just yelled and dropped to ground, defeated, now openly sobbing. Even if she hurt me with her words, I still love her, even if she doesn't know it. So, I comforted her, letting her cry into my chest as she let out all of her sadness and frustration in the form of tears. And I let her. I may have not been anypony by my side when I was at certain moment in my life, but I won't allow her to be subjected to that pain.

The Sun rose higher into the sky as we sat there, Eclipse once again unable to bear with the pain of losing her best friend… Sadly, I've been there, I just didn't have anypony with me. Midnight, Twilight, and Forgetful all began walking past us, seemingly warning to continue on with the mission, and I agreed. I leaned down and planted a kiss atop Eclipse’s nose, prompting her to look up at me with tear ridden eyes. “There will be another time.” I simply said to her, and she finally understood, kissing me on the cheek as she stood up. I walked alongside her as we followed behind the other three, both of us pulling our hoods back over our heads. What I said to Eclipse is what I used to say to myself when I began thinking about all that I've done wrong.

There will be another time.

* * * * * *

By now, the Sun was at its peak in the middle of the sky. You have to crane your head backwards even glance at it, and I didn't feel like attempting it, so I merely acknowledged it was there and continued on, the heat not really bothering me. It’s Fall, and it's my favorite season, so of course I’m going to enjoy it. Most ponies say Summer or Winter, but I like Fall. Perhaps it's the nice blend between warm and cold, an even cool temperature. Or the changing of the leaves’ colors. That, and it's the best season to eat pumpkin pie!

Eclipse walked lazily by my side, not saying much. I draped a wing over her back and kept her close to me, enjoying her company, even if the circumstances could be better. I also wish I could confess my love to her, but I’m pretty sure I would be the stupidest stallion in the whole of Equestria to tell her at a time like this. It will just have to wait, but not too much longer. I've been meaning to for awhile now, and I don't know if I'll ever get the chance again. It all depends on the time, situation, and the type of mood she's in. So, I’m going to have to manage and keep track of all of those factors and choose the perfect time.

Of course, I don't even know if she will reciprocate my feelings. I mean, we've been dating for awhile now, and it first started as a ‘friends-with-benefits’ kind of thing, but I want something more. I want a family… And foals… I can't imagine myself with anypony else other than her… She's just perfect, and I won't see her as anything else. She's just so damn beautiful, she's hilarious, she's kind, and she's not afraid to get dirty… Which also applies to the bedroom. Glancing over to Eclipse, I nuzzled her a bit before I kept on walking.

“What was that for… You getting soft on me, cowboy?” She teased me quietly, making me chuckle a bit. We didn't say anything else after that, I didn't want to start bothering her right after Starsky passed… It seems wrong. Up ahead, Twilight and Forgetful helped Midnight, who kept embarrassing both of them and making herself laugh. I shook my head and remained in the pace that Eclipse was walking. I don't mind walking slow if it's for her. Gee, now that I think about it, maybe Eclipse is right. I am getting soft.

“Ugh, stop it, Eclipse! Dusk! Help!” Twilight yelled out to me, the three of them stopping and turning to me, Midnight with a huge grin on her face. Forgetful pulled his hood down with a shaking a hoof, revealing a deep red blush forming on his black coat. Twilight didn't move her hood. She must not be ready to reveal herself yet, which is fine by me. Although, I don't know why she didn't choose to show herself so early to us when she barely knew us. But, we are her team, so I guess she didn't want trust issues between the four of us. Makes sense. To me, at least.

“What? Can't handle our Midnight, Rookie?” Eclipse giggled, Twilight exasperated at Midnight’s lack of shame. I didn't even hear her talking and I already know what Midnight was talking about; the infamous cucumber story. It's a horror all of the initiates had to endure when they first joined. Even I had to listen to it, and it's horrifying how much detail she puts into the story. That's the worst part. Forgetful has been in Bravo Squad before Midnight and he was scarred by her tale. I don't want to get into it now, because it's another story for another time, but it's bad. Really bad.

“Ugh, I feel dirty just from hearing that story.” Twilight muttered, stepping away from Midnight, who started to tilt from the sudden lack of balance on her right side. Forgetful quickly picked up and her placed her on his back, where all of her hooves dangled off his back. I chuckled at their antics, and sat down on my haunches, Eclipse placing her head in my chest. I wrapped a hoof around her neck and held her as Twilight kept muttering about ‘Shower’ and ‘Cucumbers shouldn't be used for that’. Oh, to be a Rookie. Fun times. Fun times indeed.

“So, where should we start looking for Princess Luna?” I broke the awkward silence, hoping someone would propose an idea as to where we can start. Twilight’s plan to start with the Badlands wasn't that bad, but Midnight is injured and Forgetful and I are tired from our fight with the Scorpios. So, that rules that out. But, something clicked in my mind, something that somehow made sense and defied logic at the same time. Princess Celestia said something when she first summoned us, and ordered us to conduct an investigation.

“You all may be wondering why you've been summoned… It's with a heavy heart that I inform you all of my sister’s disappearance. She has been missing for several days, and so far, there has yet to be a clue to be found pertaining to her location. I, however, know of one of one small piece that may help in deciphering her location. She is not on Equiis. Still, I suggest that you search the land before taking more… Extreme measures.”

This just got a lot more complicated, didn't it?