Chapters Equestria: 19.5 years before Nightmare Moon
The cries of pain rang through a cave that drilled through canterlot mountain. The cries coming from a mother bringing her child into the world. Several minutes of this ensued as a white dragon and pony hybrid known as a dragonite stood over a light gray bat pony, urging her to continue pushing through the pain. A father was nowhere in sight, the two were alone in the cave, welcoming a child into the world.
“Come on, Moon Glide! You're almost there! I can see the head!” The purple maned dragonite exclaimed.
“Gyah! It hurts!” Moon Glider screeched out in pain.
“Almost there!” Suddenly, the cries of a baby rang through the cave instead of cries of pain. The dragonite held a small, dark gray bat pony filly in her claws. She chapped the baby in her arms and raised her so Moon Glider could see.
“It's a baby girl. Congratulations, Glider.” The dragonite claimed.
“L-let me see her, Galaxy.” The light gray bat pony begged, holding out her hooves motioning for Galaxy to hand her the baby. She obliged and let the new mother hold her child. Moon Glider corralled the newly born bat pony and moved its small mane from its eyes. As she did so, the baby stopped its crying and nuzzled her mother. The mother smiled and gazed upon her child with love and care.
“She's so beautiful..” the mother claimed, receiving a nod of agreement from Galaxy.
“I agree, she will grow up into a beautiful bat pony.” A mysterious voice came from the mouth of the cave, causing the two who thought they were alone in the cave to turn their heads. To their surprise, a tall, dark blue alicorn stood there, looking at the newborn with ambition.
“P-Princess Luna!” Moon Glider exclaimed in surprise. She attempted to get up to bow for the Princess.
Luna put a hoof up and explained, “Its alright for you not to bow. Thou should rest after going through birth.” Glider relaxed her body and laid back down. Luna gracefully walked over to the mother.
“I apologize if I offend you by asking this, but what brings you here, Princess?” Galaxy asked the approaching Princess.
“I wanted to come and see the newly born child of thy army’s second in command.” The moon princess responded, petting the mane of the newborn foal. “Thou hast birthed a beautiful, strong child, Moon Glider. She shall make a fine addition to our Lunar army when she is ready.”
“Yes, I hope she becomes as successful as I have been.” Moon Glider said as she nodded her head. Galaxy brought over a blanket for the newly born pony and gave it to the mother.
“So, what are you going to name her, Moon Glider?” The dragonite asked.
“How about.. Amil, Amil Letoh.” The bat pony said, nuzzling the infant.
“Amil.. Letoh?” Galaxy Glazer looked at the new mother with confusion. “An.. interesting name. Is there a meaning behind that name?”
“Ah, I see. Thou is naming her after that.” Luna exclaimed. She looked down at Amil, “Well Amil, thou is destined for great things.”
“So.. what is the meaning of her name?”
“Well…”
Author's Note
This is kinda my head canon that I put the Fam into. So yea.
19 years later
In the dim lit training grounds of the royal guard, the moonlight showed fierce battling going on. Bat ponies filled the ground, sparring with their counterparts. Many even matches, while fierce, none were too serious, except for one. A dark gray bat pony with a purple mane ferociously attacked a younger bat pony mare, who was countering most of his blows. She kept blocking, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Then she found the opening. The male swung his hoof right over her head, leaving his torso wide open for a great blow. She angled her body to deliver a hard punch to his side. Smelling victory, she cracked a smirk. Though it was short lived.
Before she could land the hit, she felt something swing her pivot hoof from the ground, causing her to fall to the ground hard. She let out a gasp as her body hit the cold, hard ground. She looked up to see a hoof and a head above her, the moon shining on the back of his head. She let out a little growl as he spoke.
“You should stop falling for that, Amil.” He explained as he helped her from the ground.
“One of these times I'll get you, Fengari.” Amil responded with confidence. This sparked a small chuckle from the slightly larger bat pony.
“Heh, one day.” He looked up to the moon and sighed, “I'd say we call it a night. The moon is set to lower any minute now.”
“Of course.. it seems like the night gets shorter everyday now..” Amil complained.
“That's what happens when we approach the summer solstice. That tyrannical Celestia..” Fengari shook his head and started toward the stage at the front of the training grounds. “Amil?”
“Yes sir?”
“Meet me at the north edge of the forest, ok?” Amil was a bit taken back by his request. Usually captains don't ask their squad mates to meet with them outside of training and missions. However, she did feel a bit of a closer connection to her new captain than her previous captains.
“Yes sir.” She replied, receiving a smile from the captain. Fengari then flew to the stage and faced the crowd of sparring lunar guards.
“Squadron ten hut!” He yelled, echoing across the field. As soon as he did, all of the sparring stopped and every lunar guard stood at attention facing him. He looked over the guards with a sense of power and control. Standing tall, he continued, “the moon sets soon. Squad leaders take control of your squadrons and carry out the orders of the night! Control hut!”
Twenty minutes later, Amil set her helmet in her locker and sighed. She shut the door of the locker then heard a familiar voice come from the end of the hall.
“You looked good out there today, Amil.” She turned to see her mother in full armor, looking at the young pony.
“Oh, t-thank you, mother.” She replied, walking over to the general.
“You and Captain Fengari seem to be forming a tight bond. You two work well together.” Moon Glider said, approaching the young bat pony guard. “I want you to be careful, Amil.”
Amil looked up at her mother, “what do you mean?”
“Amil, you are 19 years old, you're an up and coming soldier of the Lunar army. Do not let something like a personal engagement get in the way.” The mother stated.
Was she talking about the meeting she was going to have with Fengari? How did she know about it? Why was she so concerned?
“Mom, he's just my captain, nothing more. I merely look up to him and want to learn everything I can from him.” She defended herself.
“Dear, I've seen the way you look at him. I've been around the military long enough to know what a pony seeing their captain they look up to looks like, and that is not what I see when you look at Fengari. Honey, I just want you to be successful and not make any mistakes that-”
“I can take care of myself, mother.” Amil spat, getting a look of shock from her mother. She realized what she did and softened her tone. “I'm sorry, it's just.. I'm an adult now and I can take care of myself.”
Moon Glider stood firm, but looked at her only child with care, “I know, dear. It's just a mother's instinct to want to make sure her daughter loves the way she deserves to.” She turned to the exit and walked away. “Get some rest soon, dear. The big training exercise is tomorrow night.”
“I will mother.” Amil replied.
“Good day, love.” The general said as she departed from the locker room.
“Good day, mother.”
Chapter 4: The Beginning of the End
Sirens sounded across the castle, causing Amil to jump out of her bed as fall onto the floor. The steps of ponies running outside of her dormitory made the floor shake violently. She opened the door to see Fengari ushering the Lunar guard outside. She ran over to him against the flow of ponies.
“What's going on?! It's still daytime!” She asked in panic.
“That's the thing, Amil. It's still night! Luna didn't lower the moon!” Fengari’s words shocked Amil. She looked out the window and to her amazement, the moon and stars were still out. She stared outside in awe until she saw a flash of orange light being chased by a flash of blue light across the sky.
“What was that?!”
“It's Nightmare moon and Celestia, they're fighting! We need to go give her as much support as possible!” Fengari explained.
“Nightmare moon?” Amil questioned.
“That's what Luna goes by now. We must support her! The night shall be eternal!” Amil was shocked by the statement. An eternal night.. what they always wanted, it was happening. Luna, no, Nightmare moon was bringing them their dream. She felt a surge of energy flow through her, like a foreign entity came into her body and wanted control. It was a good feeling.
“I'll go get my armor!” Amil ran to the lockers and retrieved her armor. About 5 minutes later, she joined Fengari on the battlefield. As the two princesses fought in the sky above, the now dubbed Lunar republic fight with the Celestial empire. Amil and Fengari fought side by side, fending off every attack that came their way.
Suddenly a spear flew directly at Fengari without him knowing. Amil saw it and turned to block it with her own spear. When she faced the pony who through it, her heart sank. In bright gold armor stood a pony she never thought she would face in war. Moon Glider, Amils mother, quickly grabbed her spear and faced her daughter. As soon as she realized that her daughter was the one that blocked the spear, she froze.
“Amil..”
“Mother…”
They stood for moments, staring at each other, enemies of a war. To them, it seemed like he entire war halted, as if it were only them standing in the fields. Water filled Moon Gliders eyes.
“Why are you doing this?” She asked her daughter.
“Why are you fighting us? You're a bat pony..” Amil responded.
“My job is to protect the ponies of Equestria.. we need the sun as much as we need the moon..”
“No!!” Amil yelled, “the moon is our caregiver! Our breath of life! It's light will guide us to greatness!” She stood her ground, standing tall in the face of her mother.
“Don't make me do this.. don't make me fight you..” Moon Glider begged, clinging onto a sliver of hope that her daughter would see the error of her ways and leave the Lunar republic.
“If you won't join us… then you are my enemy..” Amil said, getting into a battle stance. Then a tear ran down Moon Gliders cheek. She saw the shadow in her daughter's eyes.
“The Tantibus has taken over her as well…” Moon Glider mumbled through her tears. She forced herself to take up a battle stance against her daughter. Then the battle truly started for Amil and Moon Glider.
After a moment, Amil lunged at Glider with full force. Glider was ready with her spear and blocked the incoming attack. Amil turned her hoof and swung her spear the other way, hoping to make a connection. However, Moon Glider was aware of this and ducked her head. This move left Amils torso exposed. There was nothing she could do to block any attack Moon Glider initiated. This could be the fatal blow, and usually she would deal that blow. But she hesitated. While they were enemies of the battle, Amil was still her daughter. She decided to use the blunt side of the spear to jab Amil, sending the young bat pony to the ground. Thinking she had dealt a blow that would immobilize her, she walked over to her daughter and stood over her with tears in her eyes. She closed her eyes for a brief moment trying to get all of the tears out.
Then, Amil jumped up from the fetal position and smacked Moon Glider across the face with the blunt side of her spear. Glider stepped back, shocked that her daughter could move. So this was the power of the Tantibus. Amil began to unleash a fury of attacks on her mother. Glider blocked most of them, but lost her balance when Amil slashed at her legs, cutting her front hoof.
With a yelp of pain, Glider fell to her knees. Now at the mercy of her daughter, she looked up to see a spear in her face. Amil, staring down at her mother with vengeance in her eyes. Glider stared into her daughter's eyes only with love and compassion.
“Tonight, the moon will rise forever. The day is gone, and you will be too.” Amil said, ready to deal a final blow.
“Do what you must..” Glider said, tears filling her eyes. She gave a slight smile as she continued, “I will always be proud of you… and I will always love you..”
That last statement made Amil hesitate for a moment. The Tantibus lost control for a flicker of a second. This was her mother she was about to slay. The one who brought her up, cared for her and nourished her. The one who loved her for all of eternity.
No! The only ones that truely love you are Fengari and Nightmare moon. She is nothing more than a nuisance preventing you from getting to your dream. Kill her now!
Amil twitched, then pulled back her spear, ready to deal the final blow.. then, it was dealt.
An explosion could be heard from the sky, before Amil could strike her mother, a glowing light came from the sky. Everyone looked up to see Nightmare Moon in the middle of the light, screaming in agony.
“She used them! Celestia used the elements of Harmony!” A pony yelled out from the battlefield.
“She actually used them?!”
“I didn't think she'd use such drastic measures!”
The elements of harmony? Thank you Celestia.. my daughter is going to be- Moon Gliders thought was interrupted by her daughter gasping.
“What is happening to me?!” Amil yelled. Glider looked up to see Amil glowing, particles of light rising from her body. Gliders heart sank deeper. Her knees were weaker than before. Tears swelled in her eyes.
“N-no… No no no no!” She reached out to grab her daughter, but her hooves went right through her as if she was just a hologram. “No, not her too! Please no!” Amil began to rise among with the rest of the Lunar guard. She looked around in shock. They were being sent to the moon along with Nightmare Moon. In that moment, the Tantibus lost full control of the bat ponies, and Amil watched as she was being taken away from her mother.
“Mom?! Mom!!” Amil cried out.
“No! Please don't take my daughter away! Don't take my Amil away!!” Moon Glider stood underneath Amil as she was being taken to the moon. She wept tears of sorrow and agony as she could only watch as her daughter, her world was being banished to the moon. “Please! No!” She screamed out. But what's happened happened. Her daughter was gone, banished to the moon along with Nightmare Moon and the Lunar Republic. She was left in tears, possibly as many tears as Celestia wept as she sent her sister away.
“Amil!!”
Author's Note
Again, this is just my head canon that Luna's soldiers were sent to the moon with her.
The moon is a dark, cold place to be stranded on. No one is aging, there is nothing to do and the Tantibus has full control of everyone. All they can do is plan their return. No remorse, no guilt, just revenge on Celestia and her ponies for sending them to the moon for 1000 years. Waiting for the day they could slaughter the royal guard and anyone who defied them.
Though one couple had all the time in the world to grow their bond and become closer than ever. Though a lot of it was the Tantibus manipulating Amil into continuing her love for Fengari, despite her knowing it was him who let the Tantibus into her. That kiss, that one kiss allowed the Tantibus access to Amils mind. But she didn't care, she couldn't. The Tantibus clouded her mind and judgement. She was stuck there, so she stuck to loving Fengari, the entire time on the moon. Until…
The day finally came.
Many know that summer sun celebration as the day that Nightmare Moon made her return and the day that Twilight and the others of the mane 6 turned her back into Luna, becoming the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. However, there is a much darker side to the story than many know. And the lack of knowledge is purposeful. If too many ponies knew that a secret war raged between the royal guard and the bat ponies that returned, mass panic would have ensued.
“Amil, you and jaw drop are with me, we are on the front line. You ready, dear?” Fengari said as they prepared to be transported back to Equestria.
“Of course, my love.” Amil replied. They kissed and began to teleport. When they got there, the path to the castle ruins was ravaged with war. There was now apparently a town at the edge of the forest and the castle was now abandoned, but they needed something there, and their leader was already there.
“Alright! Let's go! Make your way to the castle any way you can! Go! Go! Go!” Fengari ordered. Amil and her team rushed into the battle, fighting off any guard that stood in their way. Amil had to block spears and arrows that flew toward her. Eventually, there were so many guards they had to fight off that Amil got separated from her team. She looked around for them for a moment, but thought that they'd meet her at the castle. So she went on, battling her way through the warzone. Then she heard a voice through the chaos of war. For some reason, that voice sounded important, like it was not going to be the last she heard of it.
“Dika?! Dika where'd you go?! Shit..” Amil then came face to face with a blue Pegasus guard. He stood still for a moment, looking over Amil. She did the same to him. She could tell he was not like the rest of the guards and shouldn't be taken lightly. She stood in a battle stance and he did the same. The stare down caused the air to feel tense, like the air pressure suddenly raised. They locked eyes, waiting for who would strike first.
Then Amil leaped at the Pegasus with full force, lashing out her spear. He quickly planted his hoof and blocked the strike, sending Amil backwards. Before she could recover, he was already on the counter attack. She barely hit his spear away from her head. They stood face to face, spears locked together, eyes staring back at the others. It seemed as if the blue pony was trying to figure something out by looking at her eyes. She felt very uncomfortable with it and pushed him away. She prepared for her own counter attack, but stopped at the sound of a cry of pain. It sounded all too familiar to her.
“Fengari?” She mumbled. This distraction gave the blue pony the perfect opportunity. He lunged at Amil and before she could react, he slashed her front leg, causing her to shriek. He proceeded to slide and cut the back of her hind leg to completely immobilize her. Go good measure, he leaped and did a backflip over her and slashed the back of her neck. She cried out and fell to the ground. Blood dropped from her wounds, creating a pool of crimson red liquids around her limp body. The blue pony stood over her, looking like he would deliver the killing blow.
However, he didn't reach for his spear, but he leaned down and whispered something to Amil. Something she would never forget.
“No sounds are fatal. I'll be back to save you.” Then he flew off. The words shocked her. Was he showing remorse for her? Why? She was his enemy, remorse for your enemy means defeat. She remembered when she fought her mother, Moon Glider. She showed remorse and was nearly killed because of it. The thoughts didn't last long as blood loss was taking its toll. Her vision became blurry and the sound of war became muffled. She tried to stay awake, but lost the battle and passed out on the bloodstained ground.
Author's Note
Again... head canon
Beep. Beep.
What.. what's that sound?
Beep. Beep.
Am I.. am I dead?
Beep. Beep.
No.. I'm not.. where.. where am I?
Amils eyes flickered open. The sun shined into the room she was in, almost blinding her. She winced at the light, but allowed her eyes to adjust. She looked around the room she was in. To her right was a heart monitor hooked up to Amil. The walls were white with a warm feeling. She turned her head and saw a white unicorn pony. It looked like he was writing something down on a clipboard. He then looked up to see Amil looking at him.
“Ah, you're finally awake. I was wondering when you'd come to.” The white unicorn said, putting down his clipboard.
“Where.. where am I?” Amil asked, trying to get up. She winced in pain as a sharp pain shot through her hooves and neck.
“Woah woah, don't try to move. Your injuries were severe, but treatable. You're very lucky you fought who you did.” The pony walked over to the monitor to check her vital signs. “But to answer your question, you're in the Ponyville hospital. CZ brought you here despite you being.. a republic soldier.”
Amil felt a little offended by the statement. She rolled her eyes. Then she came to a sudden realization.
“Where's Fengari?!” She asked with a spark of panic. The doctor stopped what he was doing and turned to Amil, giving her a serious look.
“Look, I'm not going to sugar coat this.. but it's a miracle you're alive. Only about 3% of your army survived..” the doctor's words hit Amil hard. The odds of her boyfriend surviving were so horrible. She had almost no hope. “I can give you a list of the survivors if you'd like. They are scattered across Equestria, but there's a list I have.” Amil nodded at the offer as soon as it was made. The doctor levitated another clipboard to her. She grabbed it and stared down at the paper. Even though he had told her that only few survived, but she was still shocked at how short the list was. Her name was the first on the list, of course. As she got down the list, which was in alphabetical order, she got to F. To Amils dismay, there were no names under F. She let out a sigh. Her boyfriend didn't make it. He was dead.
Even though he was gone, she didn't feel as sad as she thought she would. She had spent the last millennium with him on the moon, but she didn't feel like she did when she was taken away from her mother.
My mother!
She began to panic, thinking about how her mom would react to her being back. Then it dawned on her. It's been 1000 years. Her mother had to have passed away. That's when tears started. She looked down and started to pout. The doctor must have seen this.
“I'll give you some time alone. Just a heads up, you will be getting a visitor soon.” The doctor said before he left the room. Amil didn't know why, but being alone usually made her more capable of getting over something. But knowing her mother is gone was bad enough, but knowing the last time they saw each other was in battle against each other. She couldn't get over that alone.
Just as she began to tear up more and was about to weep, a familiar voice came from the hallway, along with an unfamiliar voice.
“I'm just saying, she's a bat pony for Nightmare Moon. I don't see why we're personally bringing this. She wanted to kill you.”
“I saw it, I saw it in her eyes. The Tantibus was controlling her. It wasn't really her I was fighting.”
The door was opened by a small, white-gray dragon with blue spikes. Beside him was the blue Pegasus she had fought in the battle. Amil tenses up and backed herself up to the head of the bed.
“Hey, no need to worry, we're not here to hurt you.” The blue Pegasus’ words didn't really comfort her. She stayed tense, ready for anything. He saw this and opened his wings. “See? No weapons. We are here on business.” Amil relaxed a little bit, but stayed on alert.
“What are you here for?” She asked.
“Oh so she does talk.” The dragon said.
“Dika! Really?” The blue pony scolded the dragon. “I'm sorry, but we're here to give you this.” The blue Pegasus held out an envelope with Amil Letoh written on it. “It's a check. Compensation money to help you get on your hooves.”
Amil looked at the envelope for a moment and then took it, setting it down on the table next to her bed.
A moment of awkward silence ensued, Amil looking down at her lap, thinking about her mother. The blue pony saw this and seemed like he was about to say something, but hesitated. Then, the dragon known as Dika got up.
“Welp, im gonna see if I can find some food around here. Have fun you two.” He began to walk out of the room casually.
“You're leaving me alone?” The pony asked between his teeth.
“Eeyup! See ya!” Dika shut the door, leaving Amil alone with the pony. He looked a bit unsettled, not like he thought she was going to attack her, but more nervous about talking to her the wrong way. Though she didn't care, she had her mind on other things.
He talked his hooves on the ground, trying to figure out what to say.
“So.. I don't think I've introduced myself yet, hehe.” He paused, seeing if she'd respond. When she didn't, he continued, “well, um.. my name is CZ.. nice to meet you, Amil.” Try as he might, CZ was unsuccessful in his attempt to strike a conversation. He tried to think again about what's a good way to start up a talk. He then became curious as to why she was looking depressed.
She did lose most of her friends.. maybe she's really upset about that.
“Listen.. I'm sorry that this all happened.. I really wish my guard mates didn't use as much lethal force as they did..” CZ said, hoping she would say something.
She shook her head, “thanks.. but.. I don't care too much about that.. we were enemies.. enemies should always use lethal force..”
CZ tell she was hesitant about that statement. She used to live by that philosophy, but she was doubting it. He shifted his position and leaned in.
“I can see you're going through a lot of thinking. Do you want me to leave you alone to think?”
Amil shook her head again, “no.. I mean yes.. I mean..” she sighed, “it's just.. complicated..”
“Listen, I understand that you're going through a lot. You're in a new millennium, everything's different and it's a lot to take in. I can help if you want.” CZ offered.
“How so?”
“Well, I can show you around town, help you settle in, get a home and job. It's the least I can do for.. well, putting you in here.” CZ’s words made her think about what happened.
“Why did you let me live? I'm an enemy of Celestia and Equestria.. you should've killed me.”
“You're.. mad I didn't kill you?” CZ asked
“No.. no… it's just, I don't understand why..” Amil admitted.
“Well.. when I looked in your eyes, I didn't see the blood lustful look I expected. Instead, I saw a pony being trapped by an evil entity, and it's my duty as a guard to save everypony I can.” CZ’s explanation didn't seem like much, but to Amil, it lifted the weight of guilt off her shoulders. He truly cared for her and her safety. Well, sort of.
“Then why'd you slice me up?” Amil asked, half sarcastically and half serious.
“Well.. my comrades might not have been as sympathetic. And if they saw you wounded, but still able bodied, they'd kill you. I had to make you look dead. So.. you may be a bit.. scarred.” CZ explained. Though it was a bit harsh, Amil smiled at the kindness CZ showed. She proved that even enemies can show remorse and still win.
“I see.. well, I guess I'll take you up on that offer. I should get to know my new home.” Amil said.
“Great! Once you get out, I'll come by and pick you up. I'll have the doctor keep me updated.” He got up and started towards the door. “I'll see you later!”
“Thank you.. CZ..” He stopped in his tracks. He turned to her and smiled.
“No problem, Amil!” He turned around and walked out of the door. She sank down in her bed and stared at the ceiling. All of her worry, all of her stress and all of her sorrow had gone away, because of him.
Chapter 8: Past and Present
Amil and CZ walked together, touring Ponyville and its rustic charm. CZ showed her the town hall, the golden oak, the apple orchard, and many other places that Amil found rather amusing. She was used to being around training buildings and castles her entire life. This was the first time she'd really seen a town.
While they were touring, they began looking for a home and job for the bat pony, which proved difficult. They received many responses like:
“Oh.. s-sorry, we're not hiring at the moment.”
Or..
“Well.. our home is.. reserved, yea..”
This frustrated CZ more than it did Amil. She knew it would be difficult at first because of who she was. Though her black skull and sword cutie mark didn't help either. CZ however, visibly frustrated, kept trying and failing to get her kick started in life, and that made Amil smile. No pony since her mother had tried so hard to help her in life.
While they were trotting on the edge of the town, Amil saw a different path toward a creepy looking forest. She looked down the path and it somewhat looked familiar to her. As if she had been down the path many times before.
“Hey CZ? What's down there?” Amil asked.
CZ looked to where she pointed with her wing. He flinched a little bit, “oh, that's the Everfree forest. No pony goes there. It's too dangerous for normal ponies.”
The Everfree? Dangerous? What had happened to Amils old home to make it so daunting?
“What happened to it to make it dangerous?”
“From what I have heard, the fight between the two sisters at the old castle. The burst of magical energy from the elements created an entity that took control of the forest. Well, that's my theory.” CZs explanation made Amil think about her old home and how she was taken away.
The burst of energy did reach us in the battlefield, so it is possible for it to effect the forest..
“What's there now?” Amil asked.
“Well, besides a bunch of nothingness, down this path is a very old cemetery for the guards that defended the old castle. There's a ceremony every year where the guards protect ponies while they visit the graves.” CZ explained.
Immediately, Amil knew what she was looking for.
“Can we go there? Like, now?”
“Now?! I-I don't have my spear, we could be-”
“Please?” Amil looked at CZ with pleading eyes, and something about them prevented CZ from resisting. He let out a sigh and motioned her to follow. She gave a smile and obliged.
As they walked down the eerie, dark forest, CZ stayed on guard, looking for anything that may attack them. Amil on the other hoof kept her eyes on her goal. The cemetery came into sight and she darted towards it.
“Wait! Amil!” CZ chased after her, hoping nothing would reach out and grab her. She entered the cemetery with no resistance and began scanning the headstones. One of them caught her eye. It was larger than the others and seemed worthy of a general. She ran toward it and read the name.
“Amil, don't run off like that, you could-” CZ stopped as he looked at the grave. “Moon Glider? Did you.. know her?” He asked.
Amil nodded with a tear running down her cheek. “She was… my mother..” that's when it sunk in for CZ. She was looking for her mother. She took a few moments to say a few silent prayers, thanking her mother for everything she did, and apologized for everything Amil did. Then Amil felt a warm hoof touch her shoulder. She looked at CZ who was looking to comfort her.
“I'm sure she's nothing but proud of you, and is happy you're still alive.” CZ comforted. Amil teared up, but smiled. She was home, she was here for a reason and she was going to live the life her mother would want her to live.
“Thank you.. for everything.”
A few weeks passed by, Amil was finally able to get an apartment to live in, but the job wasn't coming around. Nopony wanted to hire a pony who used to kill for a living. She became as frustrated as CZ was that day. Speaking of CZ, she hadn't seen him in a few days. She had thought he was on leave for a while after the battle. It kind of made her sad because she was enjoying his company, even if sometimes it involved his little dragon friend, Dikanogi. Though she had met a few other friends through CZ, he was the best company she had now.
Amil had been job hunting all day and was getting tired. She began to think of what to do without CZ there.
Maybe that Double Lemon girl is free? She seemed nice. Crazy but nice. No, she's probably working. That Dani guy? Wait, hell no, he'll probably try and mate me again.. Anga seemed nice, but he's very wired.. he likes to focus on my wings.. ugh..
She kicked a rock and continued walking. She then heard that familiar voice that somewhat annoyed her.
“Hey Amil! Wait up!” Dikanogi ran and stopped in front of the bat pony.
“Hey, Dika. What do you want?” Amil asked
“Oh, well CZ wasn't able to ask you himself, but he wanted me to ask you if you wanted to get a bite to eat later.” The dragon said. Amil looked over him, noticing he had a few cuts and bruises. He was supposed to be on leave too. Why did it look like he got back from a mission?
“Ok.. tell him to meet me at the cafe we like to go to in an hour.” Amil responded.
“Coolio! Bye!” The dragon ran off in the direction of his and CZ’s home. Amil rolled her eyes and went home to get ready.
An hour later, she walked into the cafe expecting to have to find a table for her and her company. However, when she arrived, there he was. CZ sat at a table set for two. She smiled a bit and walked over to him.
He's early? Wow.
She sat down across from him and smiled.
“Hi, CZ.” Amil greeted.
“Hey, Amil. You look great today.” CZ complimented. Amil slightly blushed at the compliment. She noticed he looked a bit more freshened up than normal. As if he tried extra hard for today. She looked over him and saw he looked a bit nervous. She decided to start a conversation to ease him.
“So where have you been the last few days? I thought you were on leave.” She asked.
“Oh, well, I am.. it's just, I had to.. get something.”
“Oh, and what was that? A date?” She giggled a little bit, half joking and half hoping he wasn't actually looking for a mare.
“Well, kinda..” this made Amil nervous. She didn't know why, but she was getting a little jealous.
“Wait really?”
“Sorta, I went to Celestia to ask her where something was and went and got it.” CZ pulled out a bag from under the table and set it on top. Amil looked at the small bag with curiosity. What was so important that he had to ask the princess herself where to find it. He then reached into the bag and pulled out a rope necklace with a green gem that seemed to glow. Amil didn't know why he needed to ask Celestia where a necklace was, but she could tell it was important.
“What is it?” She asked.
“Well, this is a gift for you.”
For me?!
“It's a special necklace I made myself. Well, I put the rope on it. It's a special gem that has magical powers specific to bat ponies. Celestia explained that it would give you a new cutie mark and talent so you could get a job easier. It also helps suppress the remains of the Tantibus in you.”
He went through all that trouble to help me get a job? How sweet.
CZ reached over and put the necklace over her scarred neck. When it touched her fur, she felt a surge of magical power flow through her. As if someone injected magic into her bloodstream. She took a few deep breaths and looked up at CZ, who looked at her amazed.
“What happened?” Amil asked.
“L-look!” CZ pointed to her flank. When she looked down, instead of her scary, deathly horrid cutie mark had turned into a green, flaming soccer ball.
“I guess you like soccer enough that it decided you should be a soccer player.”
Amil stared down at the cutie mark with shock. She watched a bit of soccer since she got here. It interested her, but she never thought it would be her job. She continued to look at it for a few more moments, then looked up at CZ with teary eyes.
“Thank you.. thank you so much.” Amil thanked with pure joy.
CZ rubbed the back of his head and smiled, “it's the least I could do for you. Especially after I hurt you like I did. Plus I really like y-” CZ stopped mid Sentence. Both of them blushed. They looked at each other for a moment. Was he saying what she thought he was saying?
CZ sighed, “well.. I guess there's no turning back now..”
“What.. what do you-”
“Amil.. I.. I like you.. a lot. You're beautiful, kind and fun to be with.” With a giant gulp, CZ continued, “will you be my special somepony?” He closed his eyes and looked like he braced for a slap or punch. However, Amil didn't feel like doing that. She felt like she did that day she kissed Fengari, in fact, she felt even warmer and happier.
She reached over the table and placed her hoof on his cheek. This caused him to open his eyes and blush.
“A-Amil? I-”
“Shh..” she leaned over and closed her eyes. With what happened next, she assumed he did the same. Their lips locked into a wonderful, passionate first kiss. Energy filled them both with love and passion.
In that moment, her fate was not sealed, but it was complete. She had found her purpose and she had found her love. Her life would now take a turn for the absolute best.
Amil now lives with CZ in the fam house. They had married and had a single child named Nova star. Amil had joined the Ponyville soccer team and is working to become one of the best players in Equestria. She's living a happy, normal life with the fam. Every night she looks up to the stars and thinks about her mother, and how she knew that Moon Glider was looking down to her, watching her, and was very, very proud of the mare her daughter had become.
Amil pushed through the thorny brush of the everfree forest, using the moonlight to spot any thorns that may cut her pelt up. She soon came to a small opening in the forest, one where the moonlight lit up the entire area, as if it were a spotlight on the clearing. In the clearing was a blanket with two plates and a basket full of food. She stood, frozen in awe.
“I see I did well.” The voice of Fengari shocked her out of her awe.
“Sir, w-what is all of this?” Amil asked.
“Amil, no formalities are needed here. This is 100% casual. Come on.” He took her hoof and led her to the picnic blanket, causing her to blush. He sat her down and opened the basket, giving her food.
“What's going on? Why are you doing this for me?” She asked.
“Why not? I saw that picnics made a great time for a date.” Fengari explained.
A date?! She was on a date with her captain! This was so wrong. This could compromise the chain of command. However, Amil didn't argue, she relaxed and ate with the bat pony. They shared a couple laughs, a few life stories and enjoyed the setting moon light together.
After about an hour, she found herself leaning on his chiseled body, looking up at the stars with him.
“I wish this beauty would last forever..” Amil said.
“It will. I can see it.” Amil thought he was talking about the stars, but when she turned to look at him, he was staring right at her. Amil blushed deeply as their eyes met, causing a spark to ignite a fire inside of her. At that moment, she didn't have any other card in the world. She saw what was in front of her and wanted to keep it forever. She didn't care what her mother thought, nor what may happen to them in the guard. No one could tell her she couldn't love who she wanted, and who she loved was standing in front of her, leaning in. In that moment, Amil sealed her fate. They locked lips and held each other in a sweet embrace of love and passion.
Though this love would soon make Amil find out that her life was nowhere near as normal as she thought.
