"Come on. You can do this. Just a bit further." A young and happy voice cheered.
"I-I know. I'm taking my time. T-Taking in the sights."
"Come on! We are gonna lose the show!" The same voice scolded.
"You know she is gonna be mad at you for not showing up for dinner, right?" An older voice said pulling him up and lending their shoulder.
"N-No greater wrath exists in this land."
"You did bring this upon yourself though. However, it was for a good cause. We are the heroes of this one!" A voice that seemed to be going through puberty said while it sat on the edge of the path.
"Wouldn't have it any other way," He replied with a smile while exerting himself to climb the road.
A lonely stallion stumbled as he walked the narrow path. The mountain road wasn't the best place for a pony in his condition to be. But it was where he wanted to be. The soldier's body was heavy. He was breathing with his shoulders. But none of that mattered, not anymore.
It was over. The battles. The blood. The weight of cutting down the enemy. The voices of each of the fallen. They were all quiet now. The war between equestrians and blights was over. Blights, the damned things were creatures that were born from places that were filled with remorse and resentment.
There were no known ways for the equestrians to fight these creatures. So they resorted to contacting other races. Griffins, dragons, yaks, diamond dogs. All these species didn't have anything to offer. All of them believed that the equestrians should be left to their own devices. The Equestrian problems should be dealt with in equestrian terms at the end of the day. After all, they were the ones controlling the sun and moon. They could handle a couple of problematic creatures.
However, one other species was just as desperate about their situation. The changelings, shapeshifters who fed off love. Their kingdom was slowly decaying due to the lack of food. They had dealt with these creatures before. The mineral used to build their hive could hurt the blight. After hiding in the hive, they created weapons and armor before picking out the monsters one by one. Eventually, they got rid of the creatures and slowly began to rebuild. Only to find out that the creatures they fed off from left them while they hid to built up their army.
Equestrians needed the gear. The changelings needed the food. The fact that changelings could shapeshift was somewhat enticing and terrifying to equestrian citizens. But in the end, an agreement was reached. The Changelings would feed off from the equestrians while the equestrians would use the gear provided to defend their land.
Most don't know how or when. But during the wars to defend the land, a relationship between a pony and a changeling sprouted.
That relationship caused a big commotion. Not because they were from different species, that had become somewhat common by the time it came to light. The issue were the ones involved in said relationship. None other than the Sun Princess and the Queen of changelings, it was a scandal. The relationship between these two caused a slow process to begin. The union of the kingdoms had begun, which, in turn, caused changelings to join the equestrian military. Meanwhile, equestrians began to bring nature back to the badlands while slowly repopulating the area.
How did he know about this? This soldier worked with changelings in his unit. Chiten, Jet, Mera, and many more. This soldier wasn't the kind to keep up with the news. The changelings, on the other hand, told him that they were taught to keep up with news and trends. It helped them blend in during the times they were forced to sneak into Equestria in search of food. During their talks around the bonfire, this soldier heard about the relationship between the two rulers.
Things were going so well, that by the time he heard the news there was a date set to unify the kingdoms. According to his companions, there was going to be a big party to celebrate the occasion. At the time, he couldn't wait to see it. The big event that would bring his beloved country and the country of the ones who helped save it together. That would be such a wonderful sight.
The soldier finally reached the plateau. A field filled with colorful flowers surrounded him. Night-blooms were their name. He had seen them before. They decorated the gardens of his house. The house where his wife and children waited for his return. At that moment they would be resting by the fireplace. They should have had dinner at that time. His son would be making shadow puppets for his little sister while their mother continued to make those beautiful carvings she did.
The soldier loosened the straps keeping his armor in place. The metal plates fell as they turned to stone as they hit the ground causing the petals to soar. He kept walking towards the edge. When he was halfway there, all he had left were his doublet and trousers. His grip on his sword was standing strong. The tip of the blade dragged on the dirt without hurting the plants. The blade's surface was sullied with dry blood.
On his other hand, the mementos of his comrades. Their tags were held firmly in hands, along with a single piece of parchment. The only regret he had was not being able to deliver that note. But that was ok with him now. There wasn't much else he could do as he felt his hands become colder.
The soldier had blood staining his coat and mane. But his expression was serene. After all, he was happy. Because there was nothing more to be afraid of. There were no more threats. Equestria was safe. The soldier continued down his path towards the edge until he could see the forest beneath him. Once he was there, he sat down and made the sword rest on his chest as if he was hugging it. Which he was, that blade had helped him cut down the last of the blight.
How did he know this? His unit and five others were given the mission to exterminate the last known force of blights. The plan was ready, the scouts got in and out without issues, and gave them information about the creature's camp. Their numbers were small, however, not everything went as planned. The blights had set up a trap. When they entered that place, it was a massacre.
They fought their best fight. By some blessing or miracle, he managed to survive the ordeal. His companions, on the other hand, weren't so lucky. But even with his luck, the soldier was running out of time. He used every drop of his magic to protect himself and those around him, even when it was a lost cause.
The soldier's fate was now set. And he accepted it with open arms. As he sat down on the edge of the plateau, he looked down at his home. The sun was setting on the horizon. The sky was painted with a mixture of red, orange, and blue. The last of the sun rays reflected on the rooftops of the Castle of the Two Sisters and the town creating a small pool of stars in the middle of the forest.
The soldier smiled as his eyes rested on the area where his home was. A lonely sparkle by the edge of the pool that shone brighter than any of the other stars slowly beginning to populating the skies. The soldier looked down at his body. The sight of his body turning gray along with the clothes he wore made him sigh. Vines began to grow over his body that was slowly turning into stone.
He was paying the toll of using his life to cast magic combined with the wounds from his battle. Those struck by the blight in a weakened state had their fate sealed. The soldier tilted his head and made it rest on the blade's blunt side. His mind began to wander to thoughts of his family. Deafening explosions blasted in the distance. The soldier opened his eyes and saw a spectacle of colorful lights above the city.
"Told you it was worth it," The childish voice said as the soldier saw an image of his child form.
"Y-you were right. I'll give you t-that much," He replied with a chuckle before coughing up for a bit.
"And we got to see our house again. They must be waiting for us," Another version of him spoke, this one only a bit younger than him. From when he joined the army.
"W-what matters now is that we made the world safe for them," He said while leaning against the blade and closing his eyes.
"Let's just enjoy the show. We are going to rest real soon. Just take in the sights. Like we always wanted," The soldier's teenage form said lifting the soldier's chin.
The soldier gave a faint laugh and smiled again at the sight. There it was, the union of the two kingdoms. He made it. He was a part of that. He was along with the ones that helped that kingdom blossom forth. That was an honorable death. His life had been a life worth living.
The memories of growing up, meeting his love, joining the army, his comrades.
Then the memory of the battle. Their screams. He could remember it all so clearly. The sight of the blight's inner sanctum, a terrifyingly astonishing place. How could a group of supposedly insane creatures born of nothing but regret to build such a beautiful underground base? Did they have some purpose other than causing pain?
It didn't matter anymore. They were gone. Erased. Extinct.
They did give one hell of a fight though. Their blades danced all over the base. Claws and fangs glistened with crimson colors as both sides caused damage to each other in a bloody exchange that resulted in great losses on both sides until only one was left standing. The soldier used his magic to shield his comrades and they replied in kind. Both ponies and changelings stood side by side as brothers in arms.
Chiten, Jet, Mera, Crimson Hoof, Phalanx, Tharsos, Emerald Glow, Calvaria, Silver Thread. They fell one by one. However, they were by his side as the soldier continued his fight. The other squads fell too. But not before the soldier tried to save them. As each of them fell, the soldier felt his body become heavier. It was as if each life they lost was placed on his shoulders.
However, with every pound that was added to his shoulders, he could feel his grip get stronger. His body ignored the fatigue. The strikes he received began to affect him less and less. It wasn't from the adrenaline. He knew what that feeling meant. He had been taught about it in school. That was the first stage of magic exhaustion. That meant he was using up his life force since his mana pool was drained.
Then he felt something hitting his chest. The sound of something cracking. A dulled stinging pain spread throughout his chest. He was done. But something else happened. Something far more important than a wound on his body.
That was it. The last of the blight died to his blade. Not before it lifted its arms as if trying to beg for mercy. Nevertheless, the soldier ignored its plea. The creature fell, and the soldier didn't hold back. He finished it without hesitation. The future he had been fighting for demanded the death of every last blight.
And now, he could rest in peace. The last of his memories played in his mind. The echoes of the fight fell into silence. He felt his lung expand less and less. The embers of the fireworks in the sky began to look so cold. The sound of the explosions began to dull into nothing more than a distant muffled sound. His eyes couldn't move anymore. His eyelids got heavier. And then they finally closed.
"Hey there, partner," A familiar voice called. The soldier looked up and saw one of his companions extending his hand. "The others are waiting. Let's go, my friend."
Instinctively the soldier reached out for his friend's hand. Jet pulled him up. And then hugged him.
"Thanks for trying to save me. And I have to say, you picked a beautiful place for us to rest," The soldier looked back to where he had sat down.
The Night-blooms were letting out the sun rays they had absorbed during the day. Purple, blue, and white. Those colors danced towards the sky illuminating a statue. The soldier kneeled and looked at it. The tags along with the letter had turned into stone as well. He gave out a defeated sigh before his comrade's hand rested on his shoulder.
"It's alright. There wasn't much you could have done about it. You were kind enough to try so hard. And that's more than enough for me."
The soldier looked up to his friend with tears in his eyes. He was grateful for having fought alongside that creature. He was glad for calling it his friend.
"I guess this is it then," He said with a smile as he inspected the ornament. The statue had its eyes closed and was smiling as its head rested on the blunt side of a blade. A small fragment came out of its chest. An oddly-shaped fragment seemed to pierce the statue's chest.
Night-blooms covered its back like a blanket. "Let's go, my friend," The soldier said getting up and turning to his comrade. "We've seen the fall of our nations. And the birth of a new one that marked our end."
"Now, it's with great joy. That I, Princess Celestia, Ruler of Equestria, would like to announce my marriage to the being I came to love. Queen Chrysalis! The queen of Changelings!"
The trumpets announced the entrance of the Queen. Wearing a beautiful green and yellow dress, she entered the room escorted by Equestrian soldiers. Chrysalis bore a beautiful smile. As she walked towards Princess Celestia, more than half of those present simply dropped their jaws at the sight.
Chrysalis took her place by Celestia's side. The soldiers escorting her made sure Chrysalis's dress didn't remain in the staircase.
"Citizens of Equestria. Seeing so many of my children free of starvation brings me nothing but joy. And as our alliance persisted, I slowly began to admire the love, my dear, Princess Celestia had for her dear subjects. And as my children connected with your citizens, all of the Hive began to yearn for the feelings you shared."
The Queen began to cry, but her voice didn't waver.
"The bonds you created. And now that we, standing as one, have completely obliterated the blight from BOTH our lands. I cannot hold back the tears of joy from the official union of our kingdoms. Nor can I hold back the tears of sadness from the lives lost of both changelings and ponies during our efforts."
Queen Chrysalis extended her hand to Princess Celestia. The Sun Princess held the Queen's hand. Both of them raised their hands and then spoke in unison.
"MAY THE FUTURE OF OUR NATION SHINE EVER SO BRIGHT!"
Hundreds of years later, in Canterlot castle. There was a single statue in the gardens that hadn't been placed in there by the decorators. No one in the castle knew exactly where it came from. But it had always been there.
The statue of a unicorn holding a blade while overlooking the Everfree forest. The level of detail in it was outstanding. It became a tourist spot. Because no one in Eqous could understand how someone was able to sculpt such a serene expression.
There was no name or any sign of name or a way to identify the sculptor. However, by using a spell, they identified how old it was. And it was around the age of the new empire. But that was all it was known about the statue.
Thousands of years later, there was a tourist spot in the gardens of Canterlot Castle. A special tree that created a wide shadow in the gardens. Plenty of ponies and changelings would come over to sit under its shadow, some said the area brought serenity to them. Over time, the statue was forgotten near the tree's trunk. The few who saw it called it, the smiling statue.
Author's Note
Here it is. I wanted to try something a bit different. This one is short. Hope you enjoy it.
Thanks for reading!!!!!
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