Supporting an Equestrian Warrior
Being a member of Equestria's defense was, without, a sacrifice most of us would be willing to make.
Trust me, I know. I've been there.
I've made the sacrifice, swearing to protect Equestria with my life and my honor. But in doing so, I have seen the horrors it comes from being in the Equestrian military. I've seen my fellow ponies die in the field of battle and those whom have survived with me end up suffering from the trauma that comes with the job.
Now as prince of the Crystal Empire with my wife, Princess Cadence, I have felt the need to give back and support those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. On this night, dressed in my uniform that I wore at my wedding and Twilight's coronation, I am now in Ponyville at a fundraiser run by my friend and fellow soldier Spearhead with the goal of raising enough bits for them.
"Spearhead, it sure is a delight that you are taking the time to raise bits for our troops," said Mayor Mare, the mayor of Ponyville walking over to Spearhead. "Your art sure speaks to a lot of ponies."
"That's what I do ever since I left, Mayor," replied Spearhead. "Our fighting ponies need all the support they can get."
"How much have you raised so far?"
"About 50 bits," remarked Spearhead. "It's a start, but we need more. I need more ponies to come in here."
Looking over towards me and Cadence talking to several guests, Spearhead felt that our presence would draw the attention of more ponies. After all, we were more than celebrities in Equestria, we were ponies just as much as anypony.
"How's it going, Spearhead?" I asked, walking over to him along with Cadence. "Do you think we raised enough for the ESO's yearly drive?"
"Honestly, Shining Armor. We need more ponies walking through these doors if we are to reach our goal. Where is your sister, Princess Twilight? She could generate some ponies to come here."
"Somepony had to watch Flurry Heart," chuckled Cadence. "This event was just too important to miss."
…
No sooner did Cadence say those words did a flash of light appear and there was Twiley, wearing a light blue dress with her mane done up.
"Of course," she said, much to our surprise. "Sorry if I came on a such short notice."
"But whose watching Flurry Heart?" I wondered.
"Spike is, but don't worry, he knows how to handle her," chuckled Twilight. "I've left him some instructions. Anyway, how have things been going?"
"It's been good, Twiley, but according to Spearhead here, it could be better. As a matter of fact, now that you're here, maybe we can get some more attention since you and Cadence are here."
At that moment, a small gray colored male pony came up towards us and right away, I could tell that he was harboring some emotional scars, not to mention physical scars. Looking at his back left leg, a piece of his leg was missing and he had on an eyepatch over his left eye. Walking up to us, he took out a bag of bits with his magic aura and dumped them into the bit bucket.
"Uh, thanks, Arrowhead!" stammered Spearhead, much to his surprise. "How much were those?"
"Do you think that matters, Spearhead?" asked Arrowhead. "All that matters is that ponies like me get the help they deserve. So, they don't suffer like I did in aiding the Americans."
For the past decade, Equestria had been sending a group of us to the Middle East to aid the American military in their war on terror. While some like Arrowhead had come home alive, there were others who weren't as fortunate.
"You must have fought in Afghanistan?" asked Twilight, walking over to the pony and placing a hoof on his chin.
"I did, Princess Twilight. I saw my fellow soldiers die and Celestia knows how I was able to survive. Ever since I got back from this War on Terror, my life has never been the same and I don't think it will get better. This is why I attend as many of these Equestrian Services Organization fundraisers as possible because it's my sanctuary and my purpose in life."
A small tear flowed down the pony's eye as he looked away, trying to hide the tears from us. Walking up to him, I flung my left foreleg over his shoulder and directed him to look up at me.
"It's just that…" he cried. "…every day, I fear I might get sent back to that hellhole. Do you know what its like, dealing with evil humans or creatures?"
"We've all been there," I said, motioning for Spearhead, Cadence and Twilight to come forward. "Trust me, we all know what it's like."
"You don't know what's like to have PTSD, Prince Armor!" he cried, pushing me away. "I can't find a job, I can't do anything because I fear that I am going to get killed!"
"Take it easier, Arrowhead," cried Spearhead, trying to calm him down as several ponies turned their attention away from the artwork presented to the situation that was happening right then and there. "Relax."
"How can I relax? I'm just going to be sent back to the battlefield anyways."
"You won't be sent back to the battlefield!" I cried, grabbing Arrowhead and looking at him right in the eye. "I promise you that you won't. Do you think that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would send you back to fight in the condition that you are in?"
"We promise you that we will give you the help that you need," said Cadence, walking towards Arrowhead. "In fact, that is the reason why ponies like Spearhead do what they do, to support ponies like you."
But, there was no doubt in my mind that he needed to be taken to get professional help. Trusting my instincts, I decided that there was only one thing that needed to be done.
"What's going on, Shining Armor?" asked Cadence as I slowly led Arrowhead away towards the door.
"I'm taking Arrowhead to the hospital to get help," I answered firmly. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon."
…
Without saying another word, everypony watched as I lead Arrowhead away towards the hospital with a pair of royal guards escorting us away. Almost immediately, everypony at the fundraiser came over to Spearhead, dropping in more and more bits into the bucket until it was overflowing at the brim.
When I came back about an hour later, I couldn't believe what I saw.
"When did this happen?" I asked Spearhead.
"Right after you left," he answered in a shocked voice. "Maybe seeing that pony go bananas must have caused an effect on everypony here. Some were even saying that all veterans of Equestria's Military like Arrowhead will and should get the help they all deserve. Why else do you think I turned to art after I left?"
Once again looking at the overflowing bucket of bits, I reminded myself of why veterans like Spearhead do what they do and all I could do was hope that Arrowhead would get the help he deserved.
…
THE END
