War of the Equines

I sat looking alarmed as I walked through the hall with the hybrid, past Mystics and Fliers, and the Earthlies, all wearing either tuxedos or armor, rather dapper in their outfits. They all seemed just as fearful of me as I was of them. I grunted and stared ahead, a sense of unease entering my stomach. I slipped into my old habit of staring blankly as I marched. It was difficult not to do, but my march fell into more of a distressed walk. She noticed this, the strange slippers becoming more of a way of torment towards me. I hadn't felt such soft comfort on my feet in years, and walking around in something other than flooded rubber boots was strange. I felt naked, although I was fully clothed. I was missing my armor. I gave a sound of disbelief as I tried to shift my course to be on the other side of the hybrid, to be out of sight of the rest of the staff that worked here. She took no note other than a curious glance, and then looked back forwards. I took a breath and looked at the floor. I focused on the one thing I could actually look forwards to.

Meeting Siren Bell after so long. How old was I? 11? She was so bright eyed through it all. I felt my body shake a little when we stopped outside a door that had a sign of a book above it, and a word under the book. It took me a moment to sound out the word in my head. L... Libra... Library. It was a library. It was filled with books usually, and big and the books were thick. I loved reading them back before I was in the war. Before I was in training. Back before Siren Bell. I remember, when I was young, reading a book on the rulers of the Equines, but the details were fuzzy.

I felt a tug on my sleeve, and when I looked, it was covered in a golden glow. It was the same color of the aura of the mystic part of the Hybrid. She guided me into the room and I looked around. I reached for a book when she disappeared a few rows away. It was a book written about a pony who had been held prisoner by some humans in the war. In a work camp. I began to read the over view. "I remember working in a camp, feeling a little sick as I looked at it. I would always see Mystics and Flyers wearing harnesses made of metal and leather. I would always, without fail, see a stray filly or colt walk around whimpering for help in confusion-"

I put the book away and covered my mouth. I imagined being forced to see that from the view of a child that was of the prisoners species. I remembered one thing about the fillies and colts though... We would take them, and not force them to work. We would put them aside where they would live while their elders and parents worked.

I closed my eyes as tightly as I could to hide my disdain. I felt eyes bare into the back of my head, and when I turned around, I felt my legs give out from under me as I fell to my knees. She had gotten so much taller, and her mane seemed longer now. She had teary eyes. She was absolutely beautiful. Absolutely stunning. She stood silently as she stared at me, and I sat on my knees in stunned silence. We both just kept our eyes locked. I had to try to speak.

"Y-you s-seem well..." One moment I felt fine, and the next, I was captured in an inescapable bone crushing hug of the likes of which I had never seen before. She teared up and I felt her watery tears hit me from her eyes as she buried her head into my shoulder, making me smile a little as I held her, becoming completely engulfed with the sensation of having to protect a single entity. Back in the field it was always fight to protect the entirety of the human race, but... Now? Now it was just protect to protect. I don't know where it was coming from, and I suddenly felt more free than I had even with the Hybrid. She let me go and I noticed that I had almost clung to her in despair as she tried to go. I released my death grip as she released hers, and I sat back on my knees watching her. My smile was big. Almost ear splitting. I swear to the stars that there was something wrong with me... And if there is... I don't want to ever be right again. She gave another giddy laugh and I looked into her eyes. I saw my own reflection staring back.

It was the real me, the one that I had been forced to lock away in the back of my mind. Why could she bring it out? Why could she bring it out, but not even the Hybrid could bring me back to my senses? I shook my head.

"You seem like you've been through tartars... How are you? It's been... Oh only Celestia knows how long. Five years??" She smiled and I leaned back against the book case.

"It's been many many moons. Almost uncountable." I teared up when I though about her, the young Earthlie now a strong and tall monster of a mare, able to likely gallop a mile a minute. Her name was Siren Bell. I had heard stories about her, after that night. She would be called the Screaming Earthlie, where she would scream a single word, and for miles around, humans would her it and know that she was coming. The newest members of the squadron were always telling stories about how she would come and steal souls, humans and Equines alike, if they refused to kill their enemies. one time, I but in and told them that I personally stood face to face with her and they practically worshiped me for about a year. All of this information, I spilled to her, and she laughed.

"I've heard stories about you too! They called you "Dolofonos tis Avras". That means Killer of Aura. You specialized in drinking the souls of Unicorns." I laughed and became a little confused as I looked at her. Unicorns weren't real, they were fiction.

"What's a unicorn?" I asked with my laughter dying a little and she almost, I swear to you, stared me dead in the face and went deadpanned. She was completely speechless when I asked that question. Either way, she circled me slowly to see if I was joking or playing a prank.

"You're not serious right?... You know what a Unicorn is?" I shook my head making a face.

"The Mystics use levitation, the Fliers use wings, and Earthlies are normal." I spoke with complete and utter honesty as she circled me, raising an eyebrow. She shook her head and sighed, looking at me like I was a lost cause. She bit the end of my sleeve and guided me to a table and I looked confused. She quickly stopped and trotted off after sitting me in a chair. "What are you doing??"

"I've decided you need an education and I'm going to be your teacher." She called from another row, and I felt my eyes go wide.

"CAN I READ BOOKS?!" My eyes lit up! Hours upon hours, sitting and reading instead of being forced to go out and fight in a war or eat cake with a hybrid!

"Sure." She seemed confused but dismissive of the request.

YES!!