War of the Equines

I stared out of my window at the large balcony, feeling my mind numb slightly from the lack of sleep. I knew I had dark purple bags under my eyes, but I didn't care. Luna had called me for dinner, and I wasn't hungry for whatever reason. I gave myself a concerned and audible murmur of distrust, and then set off to the hall. It had been about five whole minutes since Luna came to my door and I answered. The time seemed to drift by like a butterfly in the wind, fluttering endlessly and aimlessly towards a single goal. I bumped into something as I was walking, and fell over with a concerned and distressed look on my face.

"Good heavens! What are you doing loose in the castle?!" It was a snobby voiced noble I had been told to avoid at all costs. She must be here for some sort of meeting.

"I apologize Madame. I'm just heading to dinner with the Princesses." She looked horrified, like I had just danced on her great grandmothers grave. I noticed her mane was restrained back into a strange bun. It looked like a professionally made up hairstyle that cost hundreds.

"You monsters can speak?!" She scoffed as I took in a breath and continued walking, ignoring her hurtful words.

"Madame I have somewhere to be." I continued walking, even when I heard an exaggerated gasp. I heard the clippity clop of hooves behind me, and the murmurs of disbelief as she stammered to speak.

"W-well I-I'd-! I'd never!" She scoffed as she jumped in front of me, holding her hoof up in my path and planting it into my stomach as she stood, glaring and humiliated.

"Madame, please understand I mean you no disrespect-" I was cut off when she snorted steam from her nose.

"Do you have any idea who I am?! I am Noble Fĺola Instruct!" I stared at her silently, and waited for her to speak again. I didn't wait long. "The greatest organizer of the royal orchestra?!"

"Madame, I haven't heard a single strum of classical or victorean- or any -music since the day I entered the war at the age of eight years old. Forgive me if I do not know who you- or anyone of importance -is." I stared down at her, my face void of emotion as I stared. My gaze was unrelenting and cold, like the sudden feeling of irritation that started to rise in my chest.

"I..." She seemed stunned, illiciting a sense of curiosity as her gaze melted to pity. "The age of eight you said?"

I felt a ping of regret when I slowly looked away, feeling shame start to build its raft in my head.

"I'm afraid I'm late for my meal with the princesses. They will require an explanation as to why I am late, because my recovery is based off of my self sufficiency." I hesitated. "Care to join me? I can see about getting you a chat with the princesses if your needs are as such offered."

She solmenly nodded, silently walking next to me as I walked. It was as if she could sense my depressed state- or my dysfunctional sleeping schedule due to my nightmares of memories from battle.

We walked in silence for a few minutes, niether speaking to break the silence that haunted and stocked us.

"What do you remember of your life before... the war?" I felt surprised when she spoke, her voice quiet and her head turned upwards towards me. I looked into her eyes, taking in her different features. Her body was a bit of a pale pastel yellow, and her mane was magenta with highlights of lighter pink from below her fur. She was clearly aged a little, according to her pulled back look. She was trying to hide her age?

"I remember... I remember very little. The face of my mother is a blurr. My father died in the war when I was about five. I remember... I remember feeling joy though. Because he was no longer being hurt. And he couldn't hurt anybody from your side." I paused and felt something trickle down my cheek while I spoke and looked away enough to wipe it away. "A-and... I remember my mother.. and my sister... Getting their hands on cake. For my seventh birthday. And... And a song my mother would sing. I remember my sister screaming as she clung to me... I remember the men hurti-"

She stopped me, hovering in front of my face and covering my mouth with her hoof as she looked at me with genuine concern. I dropped my gaze as she looked at me.

"The sone. Could you sing it for me?" She looked like she was on the verge of tears, her ears laying back a little. I gave in to my soldier reflexes and wiped my tears before obeying the request.

"The flowers they bloom. I hear your heart as it goes boom boom boom. You can be you, you can be you. Never forget me. I'll always love you. My lovely boy, my amazing girl. I love you." I gave a small gasp at reciting the words as my body shuddered, like I had just unearthed a tomb of forbidden secrets.

She was crying now, dishevled and on the floor, covering her face with the wings she had so expertly preened before coming here, attempting to disguise the fact that her makeup had run down her face. I lifted her up and held her, beginning to walk down the hall again.

She put her head on my shoulder and continued to quietly sniffle as she used her wing facing outer most to hide her face. I stopped before entering the dining room and stared at the door. I turned away and took her to the bathroom instead.

"Hush.. Come on and I'll clean your face." I gathered everything i needed to clean her up, a bucket warm soapy water and a rag, along with a towel and a little bit of make up remover I worked into a second smaller batch of solution.

"You don't have to deal with this, just let me- AcK!" I smothered her left face with the normal soapy water and gently rubbed like I was waxing a rifle. It was hardly different, except a rifle doesn't squirm.

She grumbled as I worked the rag over her face, smiling a little. She started to look younger now, the makeup having affected her face. She was gorgeous, though, the fur lolking spikey in the strange paterns I used to rid her of it.

"Alright. Just one more time and..." I went over quicker now, removing the last of the makeup that had ran from her eyes. When I was finished, she looked spectacularly young.

"Um... You're staring." I blinked a bit and apologized quietly, earning an awkward acceptance as I poured out the water. She stood up and I opened the door for her, setting the suff I used down for her.

Together, we walked down the hall and i stretched a little, finally hungry for something. Anything. I opened the door to the mess hall and waited for her to step inside.niether of us were aware of the piercing worried gaze of the princesses as we quietly conversed about music we both liked. Or more accurately for me, used to like.

"Well isn't this a surprise. Is this the reason you were late to supper, Trixon?" I stopped and looked at Celectia, my mind whirring.

"Oh yes, Princess Celectia, this is my friend Noble Fíola Instruct." Thd word carried weight to it according to how much her eyes narrowed.

I gave no chance of response and gave Fíola a portion of salad, oblivious to the looks around us. This was fun, being friendly. I felt something weird insids me, and i embraced it.

Purity?