Shining Armor wiped the sand off of his goggles and trudged a little further into the desert. Wind lashed out at his face, pushing him back as hard as it could. Particles of sand and the occasional pebble stung at his skin with every two steps. It had been so long since Shining had seen anything other than darkness and occasionally a tinge of orange here and there. It hadn’t shown any signs of stopping for the past few days, but Shining had no intention of letting that stop him.
He had left home a week early to get there on time, for he had made a promise to himself, an obligation that he would see through to the end. He had traveled this road nine times before, and had no trouble with finding his way back, even without being able to see ten feet in front of himself.
His goggles did a good job of keeping the sand out of his eyes, but he constantly spit it out of his mouth every few minutes. Grains of sand still managed to get through the mud colored scarf tied to his face. It wasn’t the best, but it was better than nothing. He opened the saddlebag he wore on his side. Shining grumbled to himself as he rummaged through a sea of unorganized tools and supplies. A minute passed before he finally found what he was looking for and pulled out a dingy old compass. He tapped the dial lightly, and sure enough, it pointed due west. He stared for a few seconds before letting out a sigh of relief. The wind cruelly whipped at him again as he slipped the compass back into his bag and continued forward.
Shining himself had seemed to age rapidly. He resembled his father more than he did to a stallion his age. He scratched at his middle-aged wrinkles, feeling more rugged than usual. Nights spent wondering if he could, or even wanted to carry the weight of his actions had left perpetual bags under his eyes. His mane looked like it had never touched a comb before. It was longer than he usually kept it and thin strands occasionally fell over his eyes. He looked like he hadn’t slept for over a week. Twelve years in the military left his body scratched and scarred to the point where he just no longer carried a mirror in order to avoid looking at himself.
A battle out in the Badlands allowed him a scar down the side of his cheek. Another skirmish with a band of Griffon mercenaries left him with a long streak of discolored fur where a near fatal sword strike had hit him. Finally, a permanent mark on his lip from spending a generous amount of time trying to fix a sink. Years serving in the military had changed his life for the worst. Sometimes he sat for hours dissociated from things around him. Lost, trapped in his own memories, and only snapped back into his normal self when his wife would hold him and slowly bring him back to reality. He could only wish that he was a decade younger. Back when the most stressful thing to think about was how to propose. Shining closed his eyes and reminisced as the sound of wind fell away.
The moon shone down over the Crystal Palace, illuminating the long hallways. It felt almost nostalgic and even a little sad. Shining Armor had added a new part to his schedule. His nightly walk. Most nights he wasn’t able to sleep unless he collapsed under the weight of his day. He’d be lucky to wake up after four in the morning, but that was a rarity. Most nights he’d awaken around two or three. He found it very calming to just get up and start walking in any general direction. Often, he’d end up walking until the sun came up. Other times, he would pass out and awaken again in the warm hooves of his wife.
Back when he was a much younger stallion, on his wedding day there was a massive battle in Canterlot. To say the least, it was a total miracle that nopony had gotten killed. Thinking back to it, Shining wished that could be the case every time. He had never actually faced legitimate wartime back then. He still wished he could have kept it that way. Spending years sitting in bed, wondering if his next day could be his last drained him. The shine of his eyes dulled and eventually one wondered if there was anything behind them.
He wasn’t too far off now. Barely forty miles left in his journey. The storm was too thick to see through, but Shining took a guess that it was noon. He calculated that he could reach his destination before nightfall if he picked up his pace now. He took a quick break behind the cover of a large rock to shield him from the storm a little bit. Shining licked his dry lips, and cringed at the taste of the sand. Lifting his scarf for a second, he tried to spit, but nothing came out. He was totally dry.
Pulling the satchel off of his side, he rummaged through and pulled out a round canteen half full of water and took small sips every few seconds, swirling the water in his mouth to try to get whatever dust had gotten past his scarf and spit it out. The roar of the wind died down and dust started to settle. Shining decided to wait until it was a little clearer to continue since he could travel faster without the wind punching him in the gut every few seconds, or the sand slicing and stabbing at his pores.
For the first time in twelve hours, Shining sat down and rested. His eyelids struggled to keep up, and he felt his muscles relax a little bit. Without hesitation, the wind whipped harder than it had ever before, sounding more like a train than a breeze. He didn’t have much of a choice. There was no way to continue safely. His best bet would be to sit and wait until the storm had calmed down some more. Shining grumbled and reluctantly, pushed himself between two large rocks. It seemed to be the best time to truly rest up. As soon as he set his head down, his his eyes felt like anchors. Struggling to keep them open, but slowly failing seconds ticked away as he felt himself sink into the sand.
“Let’s go boys! The enemy is just over that hill!” the commanding officer screeched. Shining Armor felt his knees twitch a little bit. He had always tried his absolute best to avoid combat at all costs. Sure, he was a part of the Royal guard, but it was ceremonial for the most part. He was taught how to fight, but never had really seen actual combat. Ever since the attack on Canterlot, the air sat dry in Equestria’s lungs. Nopony felt safe any longer.
The princesses had decided that the best course of action to ease the citizens of Equestria was to create an official military to ensure the safety of the population. Originally, she had hoped that she wouldn't have to actually deploy it, but growing tension in surrounding countries worried her. As soon as Princess Celestia announced that Equestria would be getting an official military, surrounding countries started to build up their own. It wasn’t exactly their fault either. If one of the most powerful beings on the planet decides to form an actual military, there was a problem that they needed to prepare for.
Shining had felt that he had an obligation to try and help protect his country. His Princesses. His wife. Even if it meant that he would have to fight. Shining was a part of battalion 43, a ground unit that specializes in the isolation and capture of military leaders. After many hours of training, he felt slightly more comfortable, but nothing could prepare him for the hell that awaited beyond the hill.
“GET OVER THAT HILL AND FIND YOURSELF SOME COVER”
Magic mortar rounds exploded on both sides as Shining sprinted through the killzone, towards the next set of large rocks. Sand and dirt covered his once clean uniform with the sounds of distant screams blending in with the mortar fire. As he got closer to cover, he spotted droves of griffins flying towards the killzone. He threw himself behind the rock as he heard the familiar whistles of a nearby falling mortar. Chunks of stone irrupted as dust rose, temporarily blinding him. He stumbled as the ringing in his ears became more and more poignant. Shining felt his stomach drop, his lungs taking shallow breaths as his blood ran cold. The killzone was overcrowded with the dead. The sand soaked in red, and various body parts littered the area.
Shining looked down to see that he, himself was covered in blood. A sight that momentarily snapped him out of his daze. He felt himself over and didn’t see any cuts or holes in his clothing. The blood wasn’t his. The rest of battalion 43 was nowhere to be seen. His eyes shot back and forth, looking for anypony that even looked vaguely familiar. Nothing. Shining slowly lifted his head to look over the rock, but the whizzing sound of a crossbow bolt whizzed past his head almost instantly. He ducked down again and opened his satchel. Frantically, he pulled things out, and tossed them aside until he found a small mirror from his shaving kit. Taking it into his magical grip, he slowly levitated it upwards and at an angle over the rock. The mirror then peeked over the top of the rock. Shining looked closely at the mirror, before a crossbow bolt shattered it, sending shards flying in his face.
“Gah!” He screamed, falling with a thunk on top of a deceased soldier. Shining saw red for a second before he blinked it out of his eye. Rubbing his forehead, he found a trickle of blood running down the side of his face. A shard of the mirror has split his forehead open. He felt a nudge of his side and incoherent yelling. Turning to face the voice, he saw a mare bellowing commands at him.
“Are you deaf!?” The yellow earth pony mare grabbed shining by the collar and hoisted him up. “Command is counting on us and I don’t plan on taking another pony home in a body bag.”
Shining, tried to say something, but the words died in the back of his throat. He tried again, but with the same result, so he simply nodded in the mare’s direction. She extended a hoof out to him and he took it. With a surprising amount of strength, she pulled him up and motioned for him to follow. A shell detonated behind him, causing him to stumble forward for a second. Fortunately, he found his footing and galloped behind the mare. Her saddlebag had a big red cross, signifying that she was a medic. Other red liquids covered her saddlebag, but he really didn’t want to guess what they were.
“Just keep running! Orders are to retreat! It’s a slaughter, we need to get to safety! Come on!” She called over her shoulder, picking up her speed to a level that Shining could not believe from a mare a her size. His veins pumped battery acid and his lungs felt like a combustion engine as he forced himself to keep going. He had to keep going.
A whistling sound came from above, and Shining fell into blackness.
