We Brave Few

Chapters

1 Unto the Fray
2 Peace Under the Stars
3 The 'Plan'
4 Gathering Intel
5 Looking over the Parapet
6 Understanding
7 Under the Wire

1 Unto the Fray

Luck, what does luck mean to you? Numbers? Probability? Coincidence? Or maybe a divine intervention? No matter what it is, there was no doubt that lady luck was with me as my bayonet lodged itself into the chest of this six-teen-year-old boy. His rifle parried to the side, while his blade a mere inches away from my own skin.

The tides of war slowed as I pushed his body to the floor. My muscles acting on their own as I screamed taking the bloodied blade out and plunging it back into his lifeless heart.

Could a man ever recover from taking another's life? How could you live on with the horrors you’ve seen and done on the fields of battle? Were we young enough that we could lay it to rest like we did to our names upon that dotted line? Every one of us were so full of hope and life that we promised our families we would be safe. How could they know it was just another lie from the frontlines.

Looking back up, I continued forward. Time kicked back into gear as the shells made their way downrange. I tried to focus on the task at hand as the battle amongst the trenches and mud waged on. I could hear their screams, smell the blood and taste the gunpowder filling the air.

My vision tunneled as I focused on the trench in front of me. I never ran so fast in my life as I jumped into it. My boots hitting the blood-soaked mud as I leaned against the wall. I didn’t dare look at the dead, should I soon join them.

Within seconds, whoever was left living this nightmare got into the trench and lined up. Their rifles already over the parapet firing at the enemy a couple feet in front of them. Our eyes bloodshot from the stress of long nights.

Hugging my rifle I looked over to the man next to me. His mud-covered coat was sprinkled with blood as he poked his head over the trench. Not letting up, the man fired his rifle at the other trench on the other side. For you see we had a rule in the trench, it was one everyone abided by. Most saw it as common sense, but with the chaos of battle, common sense is the first to go out the window.

It was to never poke your head over the lip for more than five seconds. Filled with adrenaline, I ran over to the man firing his weapon. About to pull him down the shot rang out. I looked at the man I was trying to save, his body going limp as he tumbled backward into the trench.

As much as I hated myself for doing it, I immediately scavenged his body for ammo. My hands pushing passed the blood and mud as I opened his pockets. I would have to pay my respects and wash my sins later for right now I needed to survive.

The tale-tell signs of howitzer-fire echoed in the background like thunder on the horizon. My eyes widening as the whistling of the shells stopped. Jerking my head towards the brass hat a couple of meters down, he rang his whistle once again. It was ironic how such a pure high pitched sound meant the death of so many as we once again climbed into the fray.

I didn’t have to look to know many men didn’t even make it over the ridge as machine-gun fire opened up. The crack and whistle of the bullets whizzing by as bodies filled the holes we had once dug. The enemy was at the ready, tossing in gas to slow our march down as we pulled our masks out.

They were like blinders on a horse, showing us what lay in front while hiding the massacre behind. Just like before, I ran as fast as my legs could take me. My bayonet at the ready as the trench behind me exploded from the artillery. Pieces of wood sent flying into some unlucky few. More screams, more gunfire as the battlefield received more scars.

Reaching the next trench, I jumped screaming with my eyes closed. Bayonet fixed I felt it dig deep into the mud. Another soul spared as my eyes snapped open. Expecting to be in a trench, I was surprised to see that I was in a small village devoid of war. Instead stood multiple horses staring at me with wide eyes.

Yanking the bayonet out of the dirt, I quickly crouched down and leveled my rifle. Switching from horse to horse as I assessed my situation. Did I finally snap? My rifle snapped to the next horse, Did I run farther than I could have thought possible? I questioned my eyes darted around. Where was everyone? Why are there so many horses here? My mind continued running a mile a minute as a scream came from behind me.

“Monster! Run!” She screamed as I quickly did a one-eighty. My turn came up useless as the horses started to panic. Before long I found myself alone in the middle of the town. All the horses spooked from the scream of the girl.

I had yet to decide if knowing someone was around was a good thing or not. Seeing as they screamed monster, I assumed I was in some German town, maybe deep within their lines. What confused me was that they spoke English. So maybe it was the other way around and they were just prejudiced against soldiers.

How I managed to get here was another mystery all in itself. I decided to leave that question unanswered as I got up and looked more into the buildings around me. They were medieval in style. Cobblestone walls, wooden floors, and straw-thatched roofs. The whole place seemed pretty wholesome, a far cry from where I was moments ago.

Nonetheless, that didn't mean I was going to let my guard down. In fact, it meant quite the opposite as I racked the next round into my rifle. Three rounds were left, I would have to reload once I made it out of this open plaza.

Every step I took brought an unbearable sense of dread and anxiety. For all I knew, there could be a Hun hiding around any corner, or upon some house with his crosshairs trained on my forehead.

Taking off my gas mask I yelled, "come out you cowards, or let it be known that the Huns hid from Tommies!" I don't know if it was the silence or my anxiety that made me yell, but now it was painfully obvious I had given away my position.

My training kicked in when I heard a large explosion. Quickly ducking into the nearest alleyway I trained my sights towards the source of the noise. What showed itself made my mind spin. A lowly blue mare with wings and a horn. Even with it being a horse I continued to aim at it. My rifle leaning against the corner of the stone wall for support.

"We do not wish to harm thee-" was all it could say before I let a warning round out. The bullet whizzed by her head impacting a food stand behind her. Racking another round I placed the iron sights on her head. I didn’t know how it was able to talk, but now with it scared I spoke up.

"What type of Fritz trickery is this?" I yelled "some new drug that makes me think Huns are talking horses? I will die before you get any sympathy out of me!" I could feel the grip of the trigger against my finger tighten.

She didn’t respond, maybe it was all in my head. Throwing her a bone I called out again, “Speak, I know you can! Tell me why the next bullet shouldn’t go through your skull?”

“Nay” My mind immediately slipped back into the past.

“Nein, lass ihn leiden.”

Snapping back I was shocked to see the mare gone. Within mere seconds she reappeared in front of me in a flash of light. Acting fast, I butted her with the stock of my rifle tossing her to the cobblestone floor. Following up on the blow I pushed the blade closer to the mare’s neck, “I don’t know what you did to me, but you’re not getting anything from me.”

Her irises shrunk to pinpricks as her horn started to grow. Pulling the rifle back I gave her a good look at the blood-covered blade. The last thing I remembered was her eyelids closing as I jabbed the rifle forwards. My body going limp seconds before the blade could reach its target.

***

I was standing in the middle of a poppy field. The wind blowing the petals into the air like waves lapping against the stony shore. I looked in front of me, a Hun stood rifle at the mark. Reaching behind I shouldered my rifle.

He hesitated, I did not. I watched the life flow out of his eyes as his body hit the ground. The poppies all around me withered away replaced by mud. My eyes were still on the Hun. His blood seeping out of his head and into the murky water.

They say that the first time is the hardest time. Yet, here I was training my sights on the next one in line. My body pumped up on adrenaline as I let loose another round downrange. How was I supposed to know that the red mist that followed stained my mind?

I was at war, told by my superiors that they were ruthless killing machines. Each life a tally on my soul. Why didn’t I care? Why was the weight of my actions coming to me now when the deed was settled? Aiming at the next soldier, I could see his blue eyes staring right into my own, he was just a kid. His rifle still held in his grip as he fell to his knees, I could see the war had broken him. It felt surreal that he was the enemy with tears streaming down his face.

Another shot rang out piercing his helmet. Like tinfoil, it buckled as his lifeless body fell to the mud as more charged over him. Letting another shot ring, I continued to defend my post fearing that I would follow in suit.

That was the trick you see. The moment you stopped seeing them as humans was the day you became a good soldier. You had to get used to it, the killing. For no one wants to fight the battle back home in the comfort of your bed.

***

Warm? For the first time in months, I was warm. Under the polyester covers of an old oak bed, I looked up towards the ceiling. I didn’t want to move, my mind was at ease here I didn’t have to worry about the war.

If I perished in this spot right now I wou-, I snapped myself out of the traitorous thoughts. I had my comrades back in the trenches and here I lay in a bed made for a king! I sat up instantly, I had apparently been changed into a simple white gown, but that didn’t matter, what mattered was getting back into the fray. I would be hard-pressed if I let the Hun’s threaten to take the lives of my friends and family.

Tossing the sheets off, I got out of the bed. My feet coming into contact with the plush carpet I instantly looked around the room for my rifle. A bust of a pony made of alabaster adorned the only desk in the room, oil paintings of other-worldly scenery hung upon the oil painted walls, and in the distance lay a set of french doors fully open, letting the white silk curtains blow lazily in the summer breeze.

Stepping through the threshold, I gasped. The sun was just cresting over the horizon casting an orange glow across the sprawling city below. A haze hugged the ground where I came to see the walls of a castle I was in. Looking over the balcony one could see a grand garden in front of the main doors, horses dotting in between.

Getting myself back together, I turned back towards the room; the large wooden door in my sights. I had to get back to the frontlines, my family was counting on me to get the job done. My mind went to dark places as I marched up to the door and turned the knob only to see that it’s locked from the outside.

I heard shuffling from the other side, getting next to the door I shout, “I need to get back to my detachment. I’m in seventh division, names Leo White.” Once again there were more shuffling until seconds later everything went quiet.

Things were too quiet, there were no screams, no whistling of the shells nor gunshots. Anxiety started to settle in as I looked towards the door handle. It was a simple single bolt lock which could easily be broken with a couple swift kicks.

Not wanting to escalate things any further than they were; I knocked on the door once again, “I need to be let out, I’m a soldier of the Br-” was all I said before it hit me. I didn’t know where I was and who brought me here. Last I saw was the blue talking horse which was probably some Hun drug to get me to talk. So more than likely I was being held captive.

Things, however, didn’t add up. If they truly were germans then why would they leave the balcony wide open for escape? Or why would they put me in such a luxurious room? Was it to trick me into a false sense of security, butter me up and then expect me to just spew forth all the information I had.

Steeling myself, I walked over to the hickory table and started to drag it next to the door. Going through the drawers reviled nothing of use, just a couple blank papers, and a quill. Shutting them closed, I once again heard shuffling from the other side of the door. Acting quickly, I took the bust and stood on the table next to the door.

Listening closely, I could hear a male speak up, “Majesty, I’ve been hearing some scraping from inside. I suggest you let me enter first.”

Then unexpectedly a feminine voice spoke, “It is alright, I’ve seen what he’s capable of doing. I do not wish to further frighten him with a guard bursting into the room. You and the other guards stationed here are all relieved for the day, I have a feeling that a slow integration is in order.”

“Yes Princess,” the male stated.

Princess? I thought to myself. They were once again speaking in perfect English. If they truly were Hun’s, then their accents were spot on. On top of that, the ‘princess’ seemed to be very confident that I would not try to escape. So much so that she even left the room completely unguarded for the sake of making me feel at ease.

Shaking my head, my grip on the bust tightened. I would not be tricked by them, I knew this was all some sort of drug it just had to be. There was no way I was talking to horses, that’s something only a mad man would do.

My thoughts froze as the lock clicked. Friendly or foe I had little time to think as the same blue horse entered the room. She only had enough time to look at the empty bed before I tossed the bust at her. However, as I let go I noticed that nothing flew forward. Looking up I come to see the bust glowing in a blue hue, the same color the horse’s horn was glowing.

Improvising on the spot, I made a split-second decision and jumped off the table at her. Eyes growing wide, I heard the bust behind me shatter as I slammed right into her tossing us both to the side. Having been tossed by artillery shells many times before, I rolled and slid to a stop before turning back towards the mare.

She, however, was nowhere to be found. Hearing a pop behind me my mind snapped back to the first time I encountered her. Turning around, I brought my foot out low and swiped her hooves. Getting caught off balance by the attack, she once again vanished right before my very eyes. Another pop was heard behind me.

“You’re a pretty sneaky one, but you’ll have to do better than that,” The mare mused.

‘Was this mare actually enjoying this fight?’ I thought, ‘I need to get out of here fast she might just be stalling,’ as I rolled forwards away from her. Making a dash towards the balcony, without so much as a look I jumped on the railings and hopped over to the adjacent roof.

“Wait you weren’t supposed to do that!” The ‘princess’ yelled out.

Simply ignoring her, I slid down the shingles. Gripping the edge of the roof I swung myself into the room below the one I woke up in. Panting from the excessive force of swinging my body, I ran towards the door and pushed it open.

The door opened with ease, leading me into a hallway lined with horses clad in golden armor. Looking both up and down the hall revealed that this was a dead-end. Turning back around I come to see the blue horse land just before the window.

“I wasn’t expecting that one I’ll give you that, but I think we need to have a little chat.” She stated as I once again looked over my situation. The guards from the hall were now at the entrance blocking it, and with the ‘princess’ blocking the window I was caught.

An idea popped into my head as I raised both hands. The ‘princess’ seemed to visibly relax, however, the strange blue light was still glowing around her horn.

The moment I heard a guard step forwards, I dashed once again right at the ‘princess’. To my surprise, she just shook her head with a small smile. I felt myself being sucked back through what felt like a straw before being thrown out into a void of white. I barely had enough time to gawk at the feeling of weightlessness before I was sucked out and thrown against the side of a bed.

First thing my eyes land on is a telescope sitting on the open balcony. Since neither rooms had this, it was safe to say I was in an entirely different part of the castle. My barrings once again scrambled I slowly sat up against the cobalt bedframe.

“You should be honored, not a single stallion has seen this room and lived to tell the tale,” came the voice of the ‘princess’, “While I enjoyed the exercise; I must ask if you are done resisting?”

I slowly looked up towards her and for the first time I took in what I was looking at. Her navy blue coat contrasted the dark colors of the room perfectly, her ethereal mane was mesmerizing to look whilst it brush along her feathered wings. All the while her dark cyan eyes brought forth a chilling stare.

I didn’t speak; I simply nodded.

“Splendid, I’m princess Luna co-ruler of Equestria. Now if you would be so kind as to relay your own name?” The now named Luna asked.

Seeing no harm in stating my name I replied, “Leo, Leo White.”

Luna adorned a perplexed expression as she walked closer, “strange name, but it is progress.” Summoning a small cushion for herself she sat across from me, “Now Leo, what may I ask, are you?”

It was now my turn to be confused, a part of me wanted to believe that this was still the effects of the drugs and they were playing along. While the other part of me was starting to actually question if this was not all some drugs and was reality.

“Human,” I started, staring into her eyes.

Luna stared back as she continued, “Never heard of a human before, what part of Equis do you hale from?”

There was no hesitation, no slight movements of the eyes, either she herself was on the same drugs or this was real. There was no way that someone was this good at impersonating a fictional being.

“I come from Great Britain,” I state.

“Great Britain? I see this might take a while, do you know how you got here?” Luna questioned as a knock came from the door. Eyes widening she looked over towards me and pointed under the bed, “you must conceal yourself! It is for your own safety!” She whispered in a stern voice.

Raising my brow, I looked towards the bed then back at her. Did she really just tell me to hide under the bed?

“Now!” She stated pushing me towards the ground and rolling me under the bed. As soon as I was out of site the door opened revealing four white hooves.

“Sister! What brings you here? Shouldn’t you be resting for morning court?” Luna questioned what was now pegged as her sister.

Luna’s sister walked towards her, “I was told by the guards that we had a situation in Ponyville of a creature frightening all the ponies. I was then told that you personally went there yourself and dealt with the situation.”

“Of course, anything that happens during my rule is my responsibility. Everything was taken care of,” Luna replied, clearly her sister wasn’t satisfied causing her to continue, “really sister it was nothing,”

Her sister walked right next to her, “if it was nothing then how do you explain this?”

Out of nowhere, I was pulled out from under the bed. Immediately I was dropped onto the ground as the Luna's sister backpedaled, “Luna what have you brought into the castle!” she quipped.

“I brought Leo,” Luna made an effort to strain my name out, “and the whole reason I didn’t want you to se-” was all she was able to say as my survival instincts kicked in. Bolting towards the door I slammed passed it hearing Luna yell, “-e reason why!”

Passing the threshold I found myself running down the trench, I saw the Huns lining the muddy walls. They all turned to me and started to give chase. Pushing one to the side as he latched onto me; I slammed him against the walls of the trench. A pained grunt escaped his lips as I continued to run.

A shell slammed in front of me, bringing forth my arm I pushed passed the cloud of dirt and fallen soldiers as I continued forward. My training keeping me on my feet, I could hear my Sergeant screaming to keep running. The only way to stop the bullets was to make it to the end and put my own into the Huns head.

Turning the corner, I come face to face with a german. I didn’t have time to react as she pushed me to the ground. Rolling to the side didn’t do anything and thrashing around in her grip was turning out to be a lost cause.

“Leo!” she screamed, “Leo snap out of it!”

I looked once more at the soldier only to see that it was replaced by Luna, her eyes filled with worry.

“There we go, now we’re just going to walk back to my room okay?” She calmly stated.

Her horn glowed once more and before I knew it I was out like a lamp.

2 Peace Under the Stars

Two years ago, 1916

“You ever think this bloody war will ever end?” William questioned as he placed his canteen on the fire. It was rare that we were able to eat hot food out in the trenches. The light often gave away our position and the resources to give everyone a working stove were too large.

“I hope so,” I replied cupping my warm canteen with my hands, “I don’t know how much longer I can go with the constant shelling.”

William patted me on the back as he laid back into his dugout, “don’t worry if you think we have it bad just imagine the Huns. We have like ten times more guns then they do.”

“Then why aren’t we winning?” I questioned Will

Will was silent for a while as he thought up a way to cheer me up. Letting a smile grace his lips he looked over to me, “we will be when we get those tanks! You’ll see we’ll be home by Christmas to see your family. Just make sure you don’t forget about me when it's all over.”

My hopes rose a bit, he was right the other soldiers were talking about a new weapon they were deploying to the field. Apparently, it had 2 six-pounder guns that could pave the way through no man’s land. It truly was the light at the end of the tunnel, and a lot of soldiers amongst the trenches knew it.

“I guess we better get back out, wouldn’t want to stay here any longer now would we?” William stated as we both grabbed our rifles and adorned our brodies.

Present-day

I slowly let my eyelids drift open, for the first time my dreams weren’t filled with artillery, gunfire, and screams. It was a fond memory I held close; it was my birthday two years ago. My friend William had been holding back a pack of matches so that we could celebrate the day with some warm food.

I didn’t know when the last time I had a proper sleep was. Nevertheless with my mind rested I was able to think clearly. Sitting up in bed I looked around the room. It was the same one I’d been placed into yesterday. Which meant that I was still within the borders of ‘Equestria’. Which also meant that the ‘ponies’ I was seeing were probably still around.

Sighing I brought my head to my hands as I looked down at the carpet. It’s plush fibers brushing against my muddy boots, the sound of gunfire echoed in the distance as the explosions of howitzers got closer and closer before I knew it, the door opened to the room. Luna walked in with a small silver tray floating in her blue aura.

Looking back down I come to see my bare feet against the carpet. Shaking my head I pulled my attention towards Luna as she walked over to me, hovering the silver platter onto the table.

“You’re looking a lot better, well at least you didn’t try to run like last time.” Luna commented as she took a seat on a nearby cushion, “Either way you must be starving, have some of the stuff I pulled from the kitchen. I didn’t know what your kind eat so I brought a bit of everything.”

Too tired to contemplate if I was still under the effects of some Hun drugs I looked over to the silver platter she brought me. Taking the lid off reviled real food, unlike the MRE stuff they try and pass on as food.

On the plate was a couple of sliced apples, a banana, a glass of milk and for some reason some flowers. Walking over slowly, my eyes darting around the room for any tricks I sat down on the chair next to the table. Luna’s own cushion beside my own.

Taking the first apple slice I quickly tossed it down the hatch. I had forgotten how good apples tasted, that I ended up eating the whole thing in just a couple of seconds. Moving onto the banana I unpeeled it and took a bite out of it while washing it down with some milk. My tastebuds were on overdrive as I attempted to savor every last bit of the fruits.

Leaving the flowers on the plate I closed the lid and looked over towards Luna. She gave me a simple nod before popping the tray out of existence. Even with the meal I still eyed Luna closely. I was warming up to her, but at the same time, I grew ever more cautious as well. My mind constantly trying to find one slip up that could make this entire charade crumble. Yet through the two days, I’ve been here, not a single thing was sending me red flags.

“Alright, so why don’t we pick up where we left off,” Luna smiled sheepishly, “Once again sorry about my sister. I didn’t want her to see you for the sole reason of her scaring you. Which of course happened anyways.”

I just nodded.

“Not much of a talker are you?” Luna questioned.

My friends back home would say the opposite, but after the war I found myself listening more than talking, “not really,” I replied.

Those two words were enough to get her to smile, “I used to be like that too, I’m sure you’ll be comfortable around us in a week. So as I was about to ask before my sister interrupted, how did you get here?”

“I-i don’t know” I stated truthfully.

Luna hummed in thought, “any recollection could help immensely getting you back to your world.”

I raked my brain for information, I didn’t want to get any sensitive data away so I simplified it, “I was on the offensive when I jumped into a trench when I opened my eyes I was here.”

“Why would you need to jump into a ditch?” Luna questioned, a puzzled look etching itself across her muzzle.

I sighed, “because that’s where the enemy was, we’re at war.”

Luna’s eyes softened as she heard the word war. It had been millennia since the last war in Equestria and even that was a battle or two. She knew he was a soldier but now she knew he came from a place that actually used them to fight. Here the military was more for security and a deterrent to invade than an actual practical unit. Of course, she would never admit that to the other dignitaries.

Things were slowly starting to make sense now. The hostility towards everyone, the constant eye movement, the blood-stained clothes, it was painfully clear that he had been through some hard times.

“How long have your kind been at war?” Luna questioned her curiosity getting the best of her.

My eyes looked out over the balcony at the night sky, “almost coming across two years,” I recalled, had it really been that long since I had written my name on that dotted line? “to be honest it looks like it could go on forever,” I continued.

“Two years...” Luna trailed off, “I hope we can find you a way back, I’m sure it’ll end soon. The guards were telling me that you wish to return to your people and continue to fight.”

I nodded, I wasn’t going to lie as much as I hated the mud, blood, and death my brothers were there as well as my family, “this world isn’t meant for me” I claimed, “I need to be back where I belong, amongst the fields with my comrades.”

“I understand, sometimes I wish I could go back in time to meet some of my old friends as well,” Luna commented as she got up, “so in the meantime I arranged for you to stay here in this room till we can get you home. My sister Celestia has given notice to the rest of the castle of your presence so the guards should let you be.”

I nodded still sitting in the chair.

Luna rolled her eyes at me, “come on now, I need to show you around the place. You might be here for a while.”

I really didn’t like the way she worded the word ‘while’, nevertheless I wasn’t the one to keep someone waiting so I followed her commands. Getting up from the seat, I followed her out of the room.

Like I remembered from before, ponies in golden armor lined the halls. Old tapestries depicting eras long past hung between the marble pillars supporting the arched roof. It was surreal to see such beauty without the stain of war. A welcome change to say the least, so much so that it brought back the nostalgia from my childhood.

Trailing Luna, she expertly lead me through the labyrinth of halls. I could feel the eyes of the guards on me as we passed by. Each hall we turned down looked almost identical to the last. Without Luna here to show me around, I would have been walking around for hours. Taking my attention away from the halls and back towards Luna.

From what I had heard she was a co-ruler of the country. Yet the way she acted towards her sister made me wonder if she really was a co-ruler. In my eyes, it looked more like she was a subordinate of Celestia. That all piled on with the fact that she went out of her way to handle the situation I made without mentioning anything to her. One would think if she really was a co-ruler that responsibilities would be shared between the two. Just like how us soldiers back in the trenches carried our own weight while standing by to support our comrades.

Walking up next to her, I watched her closely as she gave me a momentary side glance. As much as I hate to say that a horse carried leadership qualities she clearly did. Her aura was calm and collected, every step she took was precise almost as if she calculated each one and her tone was commanding yet reassuring.

Before I had the time to speak up, the two of us had come across two large oaken door. Laurel leaves bordered the door as a lone moon sat etched on the right door. Looking closely I could see the craters making out a picture of a unicorn's head. On the other door, the sun was depicted radiating rays down onto the planet that sat in the middle of the two.

Two guards stood on either side of the door. Their plated silver armor covered most of their form, only leaving their blue eyes visible through their helm. It was clear that the guards from before were clearly wearing their ceremonial armor as these two donned their actual battlefield armor.

Seeing one of the princesses approach the door, they both moved to the side opening the door with their magic. As I followed Luna into the room, I took notice of their weapons. Not a spear like the others, but a one-handed sword. The grip of which was altered to accept what I assumed was their mouths.

“This is the throne room. If you ever run into any problems while staying here at the castle this is the place to go. Either I or my sister will be here unless we are out doing some other duties. If that’s the case we will make sure to let you know far in advance.” Luna commented as I looked towards said throne room.

A lone red carpet spanned the entire length of the room. It crawled up a small flight of stairs before halting before two thrones. Like the door, the left one held the sun while the one on the right held the moon.

Enormous marble pillars held up the large semi-domed roof. Light-reflecting off the moon outside, came in through the many glass stained windows. What I could only assume were historical events were portrayed upon each one.

Turning my attention back to Luna I gave her another small nod. With that, she lead me back out into the grand hall. From here at the entrance of the throne room, I could see the doors to the castle. Guards in their golden armor manned each pillar until two more guards in silver armor ended at the doors on the far end.

Luna paid no heed to my fascination with the structure of the castle as she continued down the next hall, “next I’ll show you the kitchens. Should you require any sustenance our skilled chefs will be more than capable of making you anything you desire.” As she talked we turned around the next corner, coming face to face with a brown stallion.

Without so much as a word, a large flash blinded both of us momentarily. Everything was white, as I heard the whistling of shells. The flare above shining down a pure white light upon the battlefield. I could see all the bodies lying in the mud, the blood upon my hands as I rested it upon the parapet. All was silent as the whistle rang, men across from us jumped over the trench and started to run towards us. Pulling the trigger, I watched as a man crumpled to the floor.

Racking another round in the chamber, I look up to see the battlefield was gone. My hands holding nothing, but in the position to rack a round in the imaginary gun, I held. It seemed like I wasn’t out long as the stallion was rounding another corner away from us.

By the time both of us had recovered the stallion was gone. Looking towards Luna, I could see her facade cracking as she sighed.

“I expect there to be a lot of paperwork tomorrow,” she stated.

Not really knowing what to say, I stayed silent as she took me to the castle's kitchen. It actually surprised me quite a bit to see that the kitchen was in a similar style to the ones in town. I’ll give it to them that the one here was a lot cleaner, but other than that it was practically the same.

Two large stoves at on the far end of the room while a wooden island sat in the middle. Three large fridges sat opposite the stoves as two large sinks skirted the last wall. Amazingly, even at this late hour, four ponies in chef attire ran around preparing meals.

Luna cemented my thoughts as she elaborated on the room, “as you can see the kitchen is open all day and night. With the castle only really needing three meals, we take advantage of the free time and allow ponies to get catering from here. Mind you it is a bit on the expensive side.”

Walking me through the kitchen, Luna leads me out the back and down another couple corridors, “next up will be the castle gardens, Celestia's personal favorite spot.”

Nodding, I followed her once again through various halls until we exited the castle and onto a large balcony. Everything was covered in flora, leaving little room for the actual gravel path that leads deeper into the garden.

Yet, it was not the garden that left me speechless, it was the night sky that lay just over the railing of the large balcony. I could see the city light cast a low haze of light as just above revealed the most breathtaking view of the night sky I have ever had. It was as if the city was never here and the two of us were standing up top a mountain with little to nothing in between us and space.

I had often looked up at the night sky during my time in the trenches. At night there wasn't much else to do. If you poked your head out you would be shot, if you moved around they would spot you and call in the shells and obviously talking was kept to a minimum for the same reason.

“Under the cover of the stars, peace fills the air,” I didn’t mean to speak up, it just kind of left my mouth out of instincts.

Luna looked over to me, her facade shattered as she adorned a curious expression, “pray-tell the meaning of that phrase?”

I didn’t even bother to look at her as I answered, eyes still glued to the view in front of me, “It was a saying me and my mates had in the trenches. As soon as night fell upon the battlefield the sound of war would settle down. Soon only the distant echoes of shells could be heard. It was the only time us soldiers had a taste of peace. That is until they sent out the next flair to keep us on our toes.”

I could feel her eyes staring at me, “how did you sleep?”

“Just like that, under the cover of the stars, praying that a shell wouldn’t land in our laps,” I replied taking my eyes away from the stars and back to Luna. She was still looking at me with a curious expression. I could tell she had a lot more questions on her plate, but she was being respectful and keeping it to herself for now.

Shaking herself out of her current stupor, Luna motioned me back towards the castle. From there she continued to show me the rest of what this place had. Our first stop was the library, next was the guard’s barracks and lastly, she took me to the main dining hall.

“Truth be told, I don’t expect you to memorize all of this right off the bat. However, you should at least know the general direction of places.” Nodding she continued, “for now, I’ll bring you back to your room. I’m sure my sister will be around soon to take over and probably get the integration process started.”

“Integration?” I questioned.

It was time for Luna to nod this time, “My sister has a plan already in place for you. She plans to educate you on our customs and norms while adhering to your own. That way we can both avoid taboo events from happening.”

“I see,” I started following Luna back to my room.

Reaching the threshold I walked in and turned back towards Luna. She was silently watching me from the door. With a small smile etching its way onto her face she stated, “I look forward to meeting with you again. Have a pleasant night, Leo.”

A simple nod back and she was gone.

3 The 'Plan'

I didn’t sleep that night, my mind was too preoccupied with other thoughts. I kept thinking about my situation, how I had gotten here, and what I was going to do next. To be completely honest, it was quite frightening being so far from home. Sure I had left home to join the war, but I was always with my mates. With them, it never really felt like I‘d left home.

Here everything was just so different then it was back on Earth. I guess it was the true separation from everyone I know, that left this feeling of homesickness brew in the pit of my stomach. So much so that often times, I found myself struggling to find some common ground to latch onto.

Sighing at the desk, I looked out the french doors. A lone cup of coffee cusped within my cold hands. A mare had brought it up to me not too long ago. Sugar Drops, if I remember it correctly. She was a nice cream coated mare. It almost reminded me of my mother when she said she'd noticed me doing circles in the halls. In truth, I was just trying to make my way to the library. Thankfully, she knew these halls better than me and walked me back to my chambers.

Looking over the balcony railings, I could see the sun once again crest over the distant horizon. A new day had dawned and with it came another opportunity to make sense of this new world. One to which I would be living within for ‘a while’ as Princess Luna had informed me.

As little as it was, this world was starting to grow on me. While I struggled to find common ground, I found myself finding a new stead to plant my boots. Thing is, I had trouble figuring out if it was the kind inhabitants, or if It was the fact that they placed me within such a luxurious room that made me feel this way. Maybe, most likely, it was a collation of the two that made these feelings so prevalent.

Turning my attention back to my cup of coffee, I swirled it around in my hands. Gunfire echoed in the distance, yelling of the brass hats could be heard as the whistles blew. My eyes grew wide as I tear my gaze away from the swirling black coffee to see the room empty and the voices slowly fading away.

It had been happening a lot more often recently, memoirs of a soldier torn away from war. I’d heard that some of my mates were having the same visions back when I was on the line. They called it ‘shell shock’ or something. Said that the hardest part wasn’t seeing the battlefield once again, nor was it the horror of reliving the most frightening moments of their life, but it was the guilt and pain that came after. Knowing that my friends were fighting and the war, the war was still going on.

A knock came to the door as I sat there motionless. My mind still in the past waiting for the second whistle. One that I was so sure would never come; then why was I still waiting? I was a soldier at the ready with no commander to give him orders.

Another knock came, this time it was heavier. The pain in the pit of my stomach grew as I looked towards the door emotionless. By the time I had the chance to collect myself the door opened and Princess Celestia walked in. Her face displaying a clear sense of worry, but as her warm motherly eyes landed upon me she softened.

“You had me scared there for a minute Leo,” Her composure a stark contrast to when I had first met her, that's for sure, “had me thinking you ran away again.” I guess that my first impression stuck.

Either way, I simply shook my head towards her.

Continuing she proceeded to apologize, “I’m sorry we got off on the wrong hoof yesterday, but I plan to make that up to you today.”

I continued to stare at her, my interest slightly peaked. Her own gaze wandering towards the cup of coffee held in my hands.

“You might want to ease up there, or you’ll break it,” Celestia commented as she motioned towards the cup.

Looking down, I was shocked to see my knuckles turned white around the cup. Placing it back onto the table, I looked back towards Celestia. She gave me a warm smile as she motioned me over towards the door, “I’m sure you’ll find this morning to be quite enjoyable. Maybe you’ll even find it a bit informative as well. I’ve requested somepony to meet with you later in the evening.”

Getting up from my spot, I walked over to her. My right brow raised, I questioned, “who may are we meeting?”

At the sound of my voice she perked up, “one of my students, I’m sure she’ll love to pick your brain as the saying goes. For now, shall we make our way to the dining hall? I’ll have breakfast ready for us post-haste. I’m sure you’re quite famished partaking in the events of yesterday.”

I found it quite interesting that Celestia seemed to have the same idea of Luna. Nevertheless, I wasn’t going to argue with her. A warm meal was the fastest way to a soldier's heart.

Nodded my head as the two of us exited the room; we made our way towards the dining hall. My mind attempting to memorize every turn we made and all the halls we went down. By the time we had made it to the dining hall, I was once again lost. This place was quite expansive, which I found quite surprising as the endless labyrinth that was the trenches seemed to come to me easier.

“I have to say, I’m quite pleased with your progress thus far. I would have expected you to be a lot more difficult to deal with, what with you being from another world in all.” Celestia once again spoke up as we neared the doors to the dining hall, “top that with the fact we had taken all your equipment when you arrived here at the castle. To which I apologize; as it was my sister’s intuition that was the deciding factor. She herself is still conforming to the new way of life here in Equestria. It came as no surprise that you were a bit panicked when you awoke. I know I would’ve been.”

In all honesty, I had completely forgotten about my equipment. With all the commotion of waking up here, I found myself wanting to run rather than fight. That being said, Celestia seemed to have a pretty good grip on what was happening. If anything it was probably from the ‘plan’ she had conjured up. I could thank Luna for that information.

Yet, even if it was all part of her ‘plan’ to integrate me into their pony society, it still proved to me that she was quite the wise mare. Not many would be so willing to even think about letting some stranger keep their arms. I would have to make sure to ask later if she would let me have my stuff back. Even without the ammo, the rifle would be enough to shake this feeling of anxiousness sitting in the recesses of my mind.

Entering the dining room, the two of us came to see Luna. She was sitting at the far end of the table looking just as worse for wear as me. Hearing our entrance, she looked up to me, to which I nodded back towards her. Gracing me with a warm smile, I continued into the room with Celestia.

“We see you had a pleasant night as well sir Leo,” Luna started.

It felt weird being called sir, it was after all the title that was mostly meant for the higher-ups. Nonetheless, I smiled back; telling her all she needed to know. Celestia, on the other hand, seemed lost in thought as the both of us took our seat at the table.

“I take it that the reason Leo is warming up so quickly is thanks to you dear sister?” Celestia pondered.

Luna simply shrugged before replying, “it’s not up to me sister; to how he behaves. It’s Leo, and him alone that is responsible for the changes to his actions. I was simply there to witness it happen.”

It was quite poetic how she worded her statement. Yet, I couldn’t help but find myself disagreeing with it. Sure I was the one that ultimately warmed up to the ponies here, but it was her talking to me all night that gave me the confidence to trust them. Without her, I probably would’ve still been in my room, trying to escape.

“What would you three like to have this morning,” came a new voice.

Instincts kicking in, I found myself turning halfway around in my seat before he even had the chance to finish the sentence. Eyes dilated and aimed right at the new pony that was standing in-between me and Celestia. I could sense the guards standing in the room shift position as Celestia silently waved her hoof just out of view.

Seeing the situation settle down, I slowly recomposed myself and nodded my apologies to the new stallion. Nodding back he went back to taking down Celestia order. It was at this moment that I took in my situation.

I was seated in the best possible position should a fight break out. The light that came in from the windows shadowed me perfectly, and the spacing between the two princesses and I was equal. Meaning that if I wanted to, I held a choice. My eyes wandered back over to Celestia. She was good, unnervingly good at making soldiers feel relaxed. Which brought up the question of if she was hiding something.

My thoughts were halted as the stallion in the beige coat turned towards me, “and you sir?” I was intrigued that he didn’t bat a single eyelid at me, a new species dining with the princesses.

“Do you have oatmeal?” I picked the first meal that I was positive most places had. It was a simple, yet filling dish.

Nodding the stallion continued, “and what would you like to drink?”

“Orange juice?” I questioned more than stated.

With a brisk nod, he moved over to Luna. My attention followed him as I watched Luna order not breakfast but rather dinner. Odd, but rather fitting seeing as she’s most likely to go to bed right after this meal. She did mention something about ‘night court’ last night, which would explain why she decided to let me go before the sun had risen.

“So Leo,” I turned my head back towards Celestia, “I can’t help but wonder about the world you come from. You were at war right?”

I nodded.

“Please excuse me for bringing up this topic during breakfast, but for what was the reason for this war? If you don't mind me asking that is?” Celestia continued.

I shook my head, this was question was bound to be asked. Getting it out of the way now would probably be the best course of action, “It was a lot of things that lead to the war. I used to read the news a lot when I was growing up with my father. I guess you could say that it all began with the mutual defense alliances between the many nations of my world. Couple that with arms race with Germany and the nationalism the Slavic had to not be part of Austria but instead be a part of Serbia. In the end, it was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand that lit the fire and caused the whole world to go mad.”

Both Celestia and Luna looked at me with surprised expressions. Out of all the ponies present it was Luna that spoke up, “you seem to be well versed in the politics of your world.”

I took that as a compliment, my father always told me that knowledge was key and using it in the field of battle could be the deciding factor of life and death, “you can thank my father for that.”

“So you say that the ‘world went mad’ do you imply that most of your planet partook in this conflict?” Celestia extrapolated from my previous lecture.

Nodding towards her, I continued, “as I stated with the mutual defense alliances between the nations, this caused Austria’s ally Germany to follow them into war with Russia which was an ally of Serbia. To which Germany also declared war on France which was an ally of Russia causing Great Britain an ally of France to declare war on Germany.”

From where I was sitting, I could see the intent look on Luna’s face as she absorbed all of the information. While on the other hand, Celestia kept a stoic expression,“So where in these countries do you hale from?”

“Great Britain, I fought the Germans on the western front,” I reported.

Celestia and Luna both seemed to have questions, but I was saved by the server as he and two mares pushing silver pushcarts came out bearing our food. One of the mares stopped between Celestia and I as she opened the lid and placed our respected meals in front of us. Both our meal shying in comparison to Luna’s full-on dinner.

Getting a nod from Celestia, I dug into my meal. I never thought I would find the day were oatmeal actually didn’t taste bland. They must have added some fruits and sugar to the mix as I came to taste a mirage of flavors. Not only that, but the warmth of the hot meal spread to every inch of my body. You could have said I died in no-man’s-land and gone to heaven and I would have believed you.

Scraping what little of the oatmeal was left sticking to the bowl. I reached out for the orange juice and took a long swig. Once again the taste seemed to be amplified. It was like I was biting straight into an orange, collecting only the juice as I devoured it.

By the time I was done polishing off both the meal and the drink, I came to see Luna eyeing me with an amused smile. She herself was still halfway through her own meal, while Celestia beside me had just started.

The rest of the morning went by rather quickly. With both Celestia and Luna occupied with their own meals, I opted to simply look around the dining hall. Like I had seen before, the place was beautiful. Unlike the throne room that sported more marble than a sculptures workshop, this place held a more wholesome atmosphere.

A large rug spanned the entire floor of the dining room, coming to ends at the molding of the stone walls. Large banners of holds I had yet to know the name of, hung between the windows. Up above, instead of chandeliers, floated small white orbs. I found myself looking at them the most. I knew that some form of magic existed here, but to see it used in such a commonplace baffled me to no end.

As breakfast came to a close, Luna bade us her farewells as Celestia ushered me out of the room and into the grand hall. From there we continued down towards the front of the castle to where she lead me down another series of corridors before we came upon a room with a metal door.

Placing her hoof on a button beside the door, a small chime rang from the other side. Before long, a white-coated stallion opened the door. He looked towards Celestia and bowed, he then changed his attention over to me and bowed once more. Confused on their customs here, I opted to bow in response causing Celestia to let a small chuckle escaped her lips.

“You don’t have to bow Leo since you’re a guest to the crown,” Celestia commented as we entered the room.

Stepping inside was like stepping into an entirely different place. The entire room was lined with metal walls, the floor was made out of some sort of laminate, while the strange colored markings lit up the ceiling.

What surprised me, however, was that in the middle of the room sat alone stainless steel table. To which my clothes, Brodie, boots, rucksack, and rifle all laid upon. I could even see that they had disassembled the contents of my rucksack and had it all out on display. As for my rifle, it had its bolt racked back and all the ammo taken out. I was actually quite surprised they were able to figure out how such a foreign object worked.

I looked over to Celestia, as she did to me, “While we would love to study and examine the type of material and manufacturing process of all your items. I have informed my sister that we will be returning them all to you, in a show of good faith. That, however, does not mean we don’t know what they are and the dangers they present. This is why we ask you to leave your weapon unloaded at all times within the boundaries of any city, town or village without express permission from either I or my sister.” She lectured as she lead me to the table.

Once again she spoke up, “Any signs of aggression, and or threats to any of the ponies will be met with immediate suspension of the items and could lead to your detainment. We understand the prospect to arm oneself, to that we will allow you two of the projectiles. The rest will be stored safely.”

Again I found myself at awe at her trusting nature. She was harboring all of the responsibilities should I do something with my equipment. Not only that but to give someone that -I will be the first to admit- isn’t really in the right frame of mind, a loaded weapon. It was so odd to me that I found myself shaking my head.

Walking up to the table I took a look at my clothes. Even here, where everything was done to the highest of standards. They couldn’t get out the mud and blood that had stained my uniform. Moving onto my rifle, I could see the chips, dents, and scrapes.

Reaching out towards my Brodie, I could see my mud-covered hands. Bullets whizzed by as I hid under the barbed wire. Placing my helmet on I covered my head as a shell exploded off to my side. Dirt and rocks came raining down over me as I looked forward. A couple more feet and I would be safe.

I looked down to see the stainless steel table. Placing down the helmet, I moved my hand over to my rain cloak. The sound of rain pouring down as I sat in my dugout erupted as my eyes took whiteness of the flooded trenches. I hugged my rifle as the thunder and shelling echoed off in the distance.

Eyes wandering from the cloak to the rifle upon the table. The distance between me and it grew until the rifle was a good twenty feet away lying in the mud. Struggling to get up, my vision blurred over as I placed my hand onto my helmet and ran towards my rifle. A high pitch ringing was all I could hear as I continued to run. I could see my mates doing the same as they rushed towards the other trench. Reaching for my rifle I scooped it up and jumped into the trench with them.

Sighing I brushed my hand once again along my uniform. Taking it in hand along with my rifle, I slung my rucksack over my shoulder. The only thing left on the table was the ammo and bayonet, to which I left there. Celestia had shown that I had nothing to worry about here within the walls of the castle. For me to take them would only endanger her citizens, to which I could not risk.

Celestia smiled as I walked back towards her, “It is great to see that my sister’s judgment of you was right.”

I looked over to her confused, to which she continued, “I wanted to make sure you were still able to think rationally. Not only that but you have easily proven yourself to be quite the responsible stallion.”

Understanding dawned on me as I looked at her, it was another part of her ‘plan’. She probably wasn’t going to give me the ammo or the bayonet. Rather she was just testing my reaction to being handed them. My assumptions from before were correct, I would have to make sure I kept a close eye on Celestia. She always seems to be two steps ahead of me. Which is a clear sign of either a great ally or a formidable enemy.

4 Gathering Intel

Thunder roared over the white noise playing in my ears. Pain erupted all over my body as my eyes snapped open. Everything was dark, I couldn’t feel the rain nor the chilling bite of the wind. Straining every last inch of willpower I had left in me; I found myself pushing past the mud and tossing a board of wood to the side.

Vision fussy, I rolled back into the trench. The revetment had broken causing mud to slide into the trench. Still in a daze, with the ringing in my ears slowly fading, I grabbed my spade and started digging. With all my energy, I dug the spade deep into the mud. My mates were down there, and I wasn’t about to give up on them.

Another shell whistled overhead, I however, continued to dig. Men from further down the line came to my aid as they took their shovels out and started to dig. Our battle was a lost cause, as the rain continued to send more and more mud into the trench. Two more shells impacted a couple of feet behind, soaking our coats.

“We have to go, they have us zeroed in!” Came the yell from one of the soldiers.

I didn’t reply as I continued to dig, “You want to bloody die out here! We have to get our asses moving or we’ll be the ones buried under there.” My shovel dug into the mud once more as I continued to lug it over the parapet. Seeing I was unresponsive, the soldier left me to seek shelter.

The passage of time was forgotten as I continued to dig. Eventually, I came upon my mates. Their bodies laying up top the duckboards, their eyes still open, hands clutching their rifles. Standing there over their bodies I looked at them emotionless. Rain tapped against my helmet as another roar of thunder rolled over the trenches.

Tale-tell signs of another shell whistling in the air was heard as it sounds faded into the recesses of my mind. The clock ticked once more as I took note of the silence. Eyes widening I turned towards the northern passage and ran. My body being launched to the side of the trench and falling down to the broken boards.

I could see my reflection within the muddied water, I had a clean uniform, bloodshot eyes, and ruffled hair. I could see the stalls behind me as the water turned clear. I found myself standing in front of the bathroom mirror within the walls of the castle.

A small sigh escaped my lips as I slung my rifle over my shoulder. Gripping the worn fabric strap tightly, I walked out of the bathroom and into the hall. Celestia was there standing by one of the guards. I didn’t get to hear what they were talking about, as the moment I stepped out Celestia turned her attention over to me.

“I must say you look quite dapper in that uniform,” Celestia complimented as we continued our journey down the hall. She had given me a chance to switch out of the white garb they had me wearing, and back into my uniform. Strangely enough, I found myself a tad bit relieved to be back in it. Almost as if I was one step closer to going back home.

Trotting off the beaten path of the main hall, Celestia opted to go down some smaller halls. My eyes wandered from painting to painting, until we came across the room she was searching for.

“Before I introduce you to my student, I have to warn you she can be a bit excessive in matters of the mind,” Celestia warned.

I shot her a raised eyebrow, “excessive?”

“You’ll see,” was her simple response.

With that, the two of us entered the wooden door and into the confinements of what looked to be a study. Soft crimson carpets covered the floor, reaching their ends upon the wooden walls. A multitude of bookshelves and busts lined them leaving giving off a warm inspirational atmosphere.

Like everywhere else in the castle, the areas where the outside light couldn’t reach were lit up by small white orbs. Moving my gaze over to the table in the far right corner of the room. I came to see a purple pony looking up from her scroll. Her eyes locked onto my body, scanning it like I was just another parchment in her collection. Within seconds, she got up from her seat and introduced herself.

“Hello Celestia,” She bowed, “and hello to you too Leo,” She once again bowed, “I’m Twilight Sparkle, Celestia’s personal protege.”

“Hello,” I replied with a small wave.

Celestia, on the other hand, moved closer to her student and gave her a small embrace, “How have you been Twilight, It’s been too long since the last time we’ve seen each other.”

Twilight smiled at her kind mentor’s words, “Things have been normal. Well, as normal as ponyville can be.” This elicited a chuckle and a knowing smirk from Celestia as the two took their seats.

Following in suit, the three of us were positioned around the circular table in a triangle fashion. Once again, Twilight’s eyes found their home resting upon my figure. Her interest was quite prevalent, her eyes were practically brimming with anticipation. With that anticipation, she chimed her magic and levitated her parchment and quill onto the table in front of her.

Like the waiter, it surprised me just how calm she was with meeting me. I had yet to get the surprised expression, I thought would have gotten old by now. Nonetheless, my thoughts were pushed aside as Twilight once again spoke up.

“Celestia has told me that you partook in a war. I can only presume that the equipment you have on is what you wore during the conflict?”

I nodded, I didn’t really need to elaborate on any of the things I had on. I’m sure with a bright mind such as hers, she would need little to no explaining in order to connect to dots.

“I understand the need for your apparel. It being both warm and durable but what I don’t get is the choice of color. I would assume a more predominant green would be necessary to break up your outline.” Twilight commented.

I looked down at my uniform, its once clean cotton was covered in mud as I braced myself up against the wooden walls of the trenches. I could hear the sounds of our birds flying overhead, the scream of their engines and the roar of their machine guns as they battled overhead for superiority.

Racking a round into the chamber, I pulled my rifle through the little hole I dug out into the side of the trench. I could see the faded colors of no-man’s-land stretching across the trenches. Silver barbed wire weaved between the charred husks of trees been blown away by howitzers.

A bullet cracked shaking me from my stupor. It found its mark embedding itself into the side of the dirt mound. Changing my aim towards the Hun, I settled my sights and squeezed the trigger.

Racking in another round, I watched as my first round missed its mark. The Hun, on the other hand, let loose his own round, once again hitting the dirt mound I had set up for myself. Adjusting my aim, I pulled the trigger, this time I looked on as a cloud of red mist shot out from his chest.

Pulling my rifle back, I brought the bolt back and took out a clip from my pocket. Hands shaking I lined up the bullets with the receiver. Pushing the bullets in, I pushed forward on the bolt and once again leaned up against the wooden revetment. Every time I took a look over the edge was a chance I took falling into the same state of the Hun moments ago.

Taking a deep breath, I gripped my rifle and once again replied, “we didn’t have that much greenery on the frontlines.” I replied truthfully.

Twilight was looking at me curiously, while Celestia simply sat in her spot with a cup of tea now held in her golden grasp. Taking down notes of what I had just relayed, Twilight once again looked over towards her mentor.

“Princess, you said he was found in ponyville. Do you have any idea how he got here? You think that the elements might be involved?” Twilight pondered.

Celestia shook her head, “I don’t know much, but from the way my sister described it I doubt this was the work of the elements.” it was odd how confidant Celestia was at turning down her own student’s claims. Then again, I had no idea what the ‘elements’ were, so I couldn’t really assess the situation.

“Odd,” Twilight trailed off before turning back towards me, “you call your ‘people’ humans is that right?”

I nodded.

“How do your species live? From what I deduced with your reaction to my magic, is it safe to say that your kind does not possess the ability to use it?” Twilight asked.

Nodding I replied, “magic is but a fairy tale to my people. We live every day without magic, using contraptions to mediate the hard tasks. Human intuition sometimes is a blessing, but other times it could lead to the deaths of many.”

Writing down her notes, she continued, “you wield a spear of some kind. Is that it’s only function?”

I shook my head, “no, this is a rifle. Its use is to shoot small projectiles at enemies over a large distance.” Looking at my rifle I noticed that Twilight was right, the bayonet was still clipped to the top. Reaching up I took off the knife and placed it back into its scabbard.

The meeting with Twilight lasted longer than I thought it would. It took about five hours of questioning from the two; before Celestia had finally brought the session to a close. Much to her student’s dismay.

By the time Celestia led me out of the room, it was late into the evening. She bid her student farewell and brought me back to the dining hall. This room was starting to become one of my most favored of the lot. For not only did it hold the warm atmosphere that seemed to put me at ease, but it was also the place I was served hot meals.

Entering the dining hall, we were once again greeted by Luna. Like before, she was situated furthest away from the door. A strand of her blue mane fell haphazardly in front of her muzzle. Looking up towards me and Celestia she gently brushed it aside.

Her plate held a serving of four large pancakes, with a cup of orange juice on the side. She paused cutting into the stack and gave the two of us a small smile.

“Good evening sister,” she then looked over to me. Her eyes went over my figure before she continued, “as to you as well sir Leo. I see my sister has returned your items to you.” Her eyes wandered over the rifle leaning up against the chair I sat upon.

Celestia was the next to speak up, “I do not think Leo poses any threat to us. He has proven himself quite responsible when in the right frame-of-mind.”

“Indeed,” Luna replied, taking a bite out of her meal, “so dear sister, how goes the process of releasing the information to the public. I can only assume it’s not an easy task.”

Celestia nodded, “integrating Leo into our society will be a challenge. I can only do so much promoting interspecies relations on paper that we’ll eventually reach a point where we have to just let them see him.”

It was quite easy to see the wisdom in Celestia’s words. You could only add so much padding before it becomes useless. While I didn’t mind being stuck here, for the time being. I could only infer that given enough time, I would want to get out and see this new world.

“So in the meantime, while I get the press and nobles to come to terms slowly. I want your dear sister to help him.” Celestia finished.

Luna paused for a moment, looking between me and Celestia, “what about night court?”

“Taken care of,” Celestia replied, “getting Leo comfortable for the reveal is a more important matter than any of our regular duties. This moment in our history will decide if we are ready to have foreign relations with another world.”

Before Luna could continue the conversation, the door to the dining hall opened. Two more waiters came in with silver carts. I didn’t remember ordering anything, but nevertheless, they came and placed down a plate in front of both me and Celestia.

A large portion of salad accompanied by a croissant. It wasn’t really the hardy meal I expected for dinner, but it was a meal nonetheless. Taking the croissant first, I took a large bite out of it. My tongue was immediately bombarded with a sweet sensation. Taking the croissant away I looked at it, the middle filled with a delectable jelly.

Placing it down, for now, I went to work on the salad. Just like the croissant, it was anything but plain. A soft coating of sauce was applied as shreds of cheese were sprinkled around. Little croutons added a well-needed crunch to every bite. Together the two portions of the meal complemented each other perfectly.

Once again I found myself scarfing down the meal. If this was what it was like being of noble heritage back home, I could see why they lived as long as they did. Such healthy, yet rich flavors made me forget about the contents of the meal.

Dinner was over almost as quickly as it started. The idle chat between Luna and Celestia kept me entertained for the most part as I waited for them to finish. When both of their respected meals were finished, I left the hall not with Celestia but with Luna. Celestia going off to see if she could slowly leak the presence of an otherworldly creature within the walls of their city to some of the press.

Stepping out into the halls, I was greeted with a completely different atmosphere than before. The halls were all blanketed by the amber glow cast by the setting sun. Orbs of white now turned yellow so as to not take away from this relaxing time of day. Even the guard’s golden armor that glistened in the last light of day brought out a feeling of contentment.

“To be honest with you sir Leo, I haven’t the slightest idea on what my sister assumes I am to do with you,” Luna stated.

I looked over to her, the grip on my fabric strap loosening, “if you wouldn’t mind, I got some questions about your world” I replied.

Answering questions from Twilight really got me thinking about their world more. With her confirming the existence of magic. I wondered what else was different about this strange new world.

“Shall we walk and talk then?” Luna questioned.

Nodding, I asked my first question, “how does magic work?”

Luna chuckled, “coming out with the big questions first I see. To be honest, nopony really knows how it works. Some theorize that magic -in the form of mana- is all around us in stings. Others state that magic comes from within the pony themselves and that it is a manifestation of their desires.”

“What do you think?” I continued.

“I like to think that magic comes from the heart. That it is a reward for your dedication and kindness.” She stated.

“So does that mean I’m not dedicated or kind?”

Luna didn’t chuckle, instead looked over to me with an amused expression, “that was the first time I think I’ve ever heard you make light of anything.”

“In the trenches, you needed to be able to crack a joke here or there. Seriousness while usually saves your life, can be a burden that breaks your mind. Staying positive and keeping the morale up was just as important as keeping us fed.”

“Well, at least it's good to know you’re not completely gone.” Luna returned her own jest.

“Thanks, but back to my question. If you believe it to be a reward for kindness and dedication then why is it that some ponies don’t have the ability to use it?” I pondered.

Luna gave me a puzzled expression, “up until now, I didn’t know of a single pony that couldn’t use magic. Pegasi use it to fly earth ponies use it for strength and the other races all have their own way of manipulating it. You are the first being I’ve seen that has no way of utilizing it.”

“I guess that throws your ideal out the window,” I stated.

“Or it just means you're the most heartless being I’ve ever met,” Luna joked once more, “now I have a question for you.”

I nodded to let her know that I was ready.

“Yesterday you stated that during the night was the most peaceful time in the trenches.”

“Most of the time,” I interrupted her, “it was also the most likely time to attack. We would attempt to take over the other trenches under the cover of the stars, that way it was less likely that we would get spotted.”

Luna nodded, “if you stated that shelling was peaceful then how did the mornings fare?”

“Mornings?” I questioned looking down the long trench. Men were still in their dugouts when the Huns came rushing in. My bayonet finding its tip deep within the first fritz I saw. Men yelled as they were murdered in their beds. I tried to save as many as I could, but there were just too many.

Racking a round, I pulled the bloodied blade out of the german and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit its mark, shattering the hun’s shin. As he fell to the ground, crying out in pain, I rushed forward and stabbed him in the chest.

I watched as the life drained from his body. Muscles spasming till his entire body slowly halted. His body slowly deteriorating as the mud of the trenches faded away. Leaving behind the smooth marble of the halls.

“Most mornings were alright, but it was a lot more hectic than the night,” I told my white lie.

Luna nodded, not willing to pry any further into my attempt to mask the horrors I’ve seen. Taking the next hall, we came upon another study. Much like the last, this one held an inspirational aura around it. However instead of busts of famous ponies or oil paintings of distinguished individuals. This place approached the same aura with a more wholesome view.

Paintings of beautiful landscapes dawned the walls. Sculptures not of ponies but of planets accompanied them. Leaving the rest of the room to be dimmed to a calm yellow. Walking over to the seats we both sat down at the table. Luna got herself comfortable while I continued to look around the magnificent room.

It would be here where I spend the rest of my night.

5 Looking over the Parapet

There the two of us lay, upon the shallow revment. Our rifles held tightly in our grasp as we listened to our officers yell over the men. I remembered this day well, one that I would not soon forget. It was here that I tasted what war was like for the first time. The day I almost lost my sanity.

“Hold steady!” The Sargent yelled, “We move as one from the first blow of the whistle!”

I tipped my helmet down as the first shell came down a couple of feet into no-mans-land. The dirt rained down on us as we continued to lay there poised to strike. Looking back at my third mate joining the line my eyes widened.

Her hair was blue as the night sky, her cyan eyes looked up to me with a small smile as she tilted her brodie up. Why was she here? Why did it have to be now of all times that she was here?

It didn’t matter, the attack was already set in motion as the whistle broke through the chatter. All the men stood up and charged forwards. I lagged behind a bit as I came up right next to Luna, her own rifle held forwards as she ran over the parapet with me.

Her eyes widened as she looked out onto no-man's-land. Barbed wire multiple feet deep lay tangled as craters dotted the landscape. Explosions from shells rained down on us periodically. Men were slaughtered in front of us by the bullets making their way down from the trench ahead.

Luna started to slow down until she completely stopped in her tracks. I knew what she was experiencing, I couldn’t let her fall victim to the state that claimed many before.

Grabbing her hand, I shoved her in front of me, “Keep moving!” I yelled.

Her feet started to work again as we raced through the carnage, bodies hung from the barbed wires. Severed limbs and entrails lay spread out between the bodies. Breaching the other side the journey had only just begun as the only thing laying between us and the German line was an empty field of mud.

Keeping her moving, men in front of us fell to their knees. Bullets from the enemy trench ripped through their bodies as I shoved Luna into one of the craters. We both slid in, boots coming upon the muddy water. Bodies from both sides laid face down in the water as we waited for the gunfire to ease up.

Luna wasn’t taking it easy as she looked at the bodies face down in the water. I could see that she was having a breakdown, and who could blame her. She just got served a full course of how horrifying it was to be on the frontlines. I could see from here, her hands shaking as her eyes constantly darted around.

Shuffling over to her, I placed my hand on her shoulder, “we have to keep going!” I yelled at her.

Luna didn’t speak up, opting to shake her head. Her eyes glued to the bodies.

“You will go up there!” I commanded, now was not a time to sit idly by. The longer we stood in the same place, the more likely it is for us to get hit, “get your ass up and get moving! You want to live don’t you?!”

It didn’t feel good yelling at her, but there wasn’t much of a choice here. Grabbing her hand once again, I pulled her up and out of the hole. The moment we breached the edge, a shell landed off to our right, lifting both of us off our feet and off to the side.

Getting up, I ran over to Luna. Her eyes were all over the place. She honestly looked defeated, that she had given up all hope of making it out of here. Grabbing her arm, I pulled her over my back and continued onwards. More bullets and shells landed on the field as we both found ourselves coming upon the German trenches.

With Luna holding me back, we managed to enter the trenches now occupied by our troops. Placing luna against one of the concrete walls, I kneeled in front of her. Just by looking at her, I could see she was out of it. The clear signs of frontline shock was evident from her movements.

Taking the metal canteen from my pocket I reached out and placed my hand on her rifle. Jerking it away her eyes snapped to me. Fear was laced in her expression as I forced her gun down to the floor.

“Here, take a sip of this,” I started holding out my canteen to her.

Her shaken hands gripped the canteen as she took a large sip.

“That’s it,” I supported her, “Drink all of it okay?”

She nodded taking another large sip. I sat down next to her watching the men run around the trenches setting up new dugouts and pillaging all the supplies.

I heard a sniffle come from Luna. My head turned, and I come to see tears streaming down her face, the war had finally broke her. I expected no less, seeing as I was in her exact position two years ago.

Reaching an arm over, I brought her into a one-armed hug. One that my mates used to do to cheer me up in the trenches. It showed that you were not alone and that with the right men you could overcome anything.

“I… I… Ju-” came the stuttering words of Luna. Her head was looking down at the duckboards as people ran upon it, “I just wanted to t-to help,” she finally got out.

“I know, I know, you’ll be alright”, Now was not the time to berate her for coming. She needed acceptance now more than anything. She needed something to grab onto so that she wouldn’t lose her own identity.

She broke her stare from the ground, “But you Leo, what about you-”

“I’m used to it,” I lied, “I’ve been through this many times. You, on the other hand, are not meant to see such things.”

Luna sat there in silence, her sniffles slowly dying out. Taking out the storm cloak, I placed it over her as we both sat there in silence. The world slowly fading out of existence until I found myself waking up. My face up against the wooden table within the study. I must have fallen asleep when I was chatting with Luna last night.

Thinking about my dream I sat up and looked across the table. Luna was sitting there, the fur on her muzzle matted by the tears she had shed. I had no idea how she was able to get into my dreams, but I did know that she needed every inch of support I could give her.

Repositioning myself next to her, I reach over and laid my hand around her hunches. The moment my arm came into contact with her body she jerked away. I, on the other hand, knew this all too well. She was attempting to bottle it up but things were already way passed that point.

Reaching over once again, I pulled her into my embrace. I sat there caressing her as she opened the dams and cried into my side. Not a word was spoken between us as I slowly helped her get it all off her chest.

As her sobs subsided, she looked up towards me, “I-I had no idea,” she managed to get out in between labored breaths, “and you have to relive those moments every night.” She continued.

I nodded, “it is my burden to bear, I have been getting better. I just don’t want you to start getting them too. So please, whatever you did to get into my dreams, please do not do it again.”

The conflict was easy to see in her eyes as she attempted to rebuke my statement. After a couple of moments, she shook her head, “you can’t keep this all to yourself Leo. I want you to come to me after these nightmares. Even though I only saw one, I don’t think I’ll ever look at the world the same again.”

“If you promise to never do that again, I’ll promise to come to you after everyone.” I compromised.

Luna nodded as her body eased up. She kept it leaned up against my own as we took in the silence of the night.

Time heals most wounds, thankfully it healed Luna’s. Being exposed to that kind of bloodshed had broken men in shorter times. I was just lucky that Luna had me to keep herself grounded. Just thinking about what state she would have been in if she was further down the line, or worse yet if the memory was of one from Somme.

Shaking my head, I stepped out into the hallway. I doubt I would ever get used to it. The polished marble, the clean rugs, it all just felt like a fairytale, a passing dream that would fade into the reality of gunsmoke and blood. My hand gripped the linen strap of my rifle as I continued down the hall. The comforting feeling of my rifle pushing me forwards.

It had been some time since the dream incident, and things were starting to look up for me for once. My suspicions from before were starting to subside. Occasionally I would pick up on a word or two that sparked my imagination, but other than that I came to accept that I was, in fact, sober during my time walking around.

Oddly enough that fact was a bit harder to swallow than being drugged by the Huns. At least there I could say I wasn’t clinically insane. Now not so much, the feeling of the wind drifting through the open windows, the kiss of the curtains as they lapsed against my skin as I passed by, it all started to compound on each other.

Following my normal routine, I wandered down the few halls I had memorized till I came to the door of luna’s bedroom. Since the incident, she had told me to visit her after every dream I had. Thankfully, she seemed to be buying my little white lies for the moment. I couldn’t bring it to myself to tell her anything but that.

Ponies, as I’ve come to know, were very fragile beings, emotionally speaking. Their form of war pales in comparison to the images I hold in my memory. So for the time being I’ve been telling Luna tales of brighter days of the war, like the Christmas truce. She seemed to really like that one, how the two sides decided to play some football between the trenches and have time to collect the fallen.

Today, however, I had no idea what I was going to tell her. There were only so many light areas about the war that I was starting to run out. Sighing, I knocked on the door, secretly hoping she was out for the night.

Sadly, I could hear her hooves shuffling around on the other side of the door. After a couple of moments, the door opened revealing her disheveled mane and tired eyes. Taking a second to understand what she was looking at a small smile carving its way onto her muzzle.

“Ah Leo, just the po-person I was hoping to show up. I think you’ll like my proposition!” With that, she took my hand with her hoof and all but threw me into her room. Closing the door behind her, her expression did a complete one-eighty. “Since the deal about sharing dreams seems to have been forgotten, I have a way to prepare myself to re-enter your dream.”

“No,” I’ve never responded faster in my entire life, I knew she was cooking something. She thought that just because she’s been in one that now she could take on all the others. It was just like her, she wasn’t the type of pony to just be fine with my little stories. She wanted to get back into the thick of things. What she doesn't know was that the dream she entered wasn’t even the start of the horror the great war held.

Holding up her hoof Luan continued, “Now I know you’re against me seeing it, but the only way to help is for you to share your troubles. How can I help when I don’t know how you’re thinking. I tried to do it the diplomatic way by having you tell me, but it’s obvious that's not going to happen with the stories you’ve been telling me.”

I was about to interject when she cut me off again, “So train me, I’m sure it’ll be fun. After all, it’s not every day you get to teach a princess.”

“What?!” I quipped.

Train her? Did she really think that some form of training would help with seeing the atrocities man could and did commit? What would knowing ‘how to fire a rifle’ do to your brain that would wire it to handle the war? To top it off to call training and going back in fun?!

“I want you to teach me how to use that weapon of yours. I’m sure that once I know how to defend myself, I could get a better foothold within your dreams.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It just cemented just how naive Luna was. It almost reminded me of myself before the war, “once I am positive that I can defend myself. I wish for you to take me through your memories in order. That way I could truly understand how to proceed. After all, my sister Celestia entrusted me to get you ready for the reveal.”

I let out a sigh, “Luna, I know you mean well, but do you even remember what happened last time you entered my dreams? You were a mess for a whole day!”

“Leo I know the dangers, but I can’t sit idly by while you suffer in the pain of your past. Stop being so stubborn and accept my help.”

Something inside me snapped at that moment. I knew Luna was just trying to help me, but the way she was going at this was wrong. She would only serve to bring herself into my own state, and that wasn’t going to help anyone.

“Stubborn!” I barked, “I’m trying my best to come over the very things you are pushing yourself into! You got a taste of the war, but there's a difference between seeing little snippets of it then it is to actually live there! I saw my friends slowly die! Not from guns or blades but from diseases. I had to drag my commanding officer through no-mans-land only for his neck to be sliced by barbed wire! And you're telling me you want to jump into that! THAT YOU WANT TO EXPERIENCE THAT!”

I was livid, I couldn't understand her reasoning. As I stormed past her I gave her a good stern look. Her teal eyes locked onto mine as hers wavered, “the fact that you want to jump in, is the sole reason you shouldn’t. So help me god if I see you in another one of my dreams I’ll do this whole country a bloody favor and end it all.”

This got her attention, her eyes on the verge of tears took an angry turn, “End it all? Is that how you’re going to save yourself? How do you expect to heal when you refuse the medicine!” she yelled back.

“I didn’t say it was to save me,” I simply claimed as I shoved passed the door and left the room. I could hear her door slam shut as I left. As much as I wanted for Luna to be right, she simply wasn’t. How could someone willingly forget about the most important part of their life? Would she have me forget my comrades as well? Such things aren't easily solved by putting yourself in the situation. And training! Was she just as insane as me?! Nothing bloody well good could come from learning to shoot a rifle in such a peaceful place.

Ponies took notice of my mood as they parted away. Their forms becoming soldiers sitting up against the walls of the trenches. Their eyes pleaded with me to get them out of this hell hole, yet the sad truth was that I couldn’t even if I tried. I simply walked down the duckboards as silence engulfed the frontline.

It was always the worst when the guns stopped firing. It allowed you to hear the screams and cries from the wounded out in the field nobody would dare tread on. Nobody but a bloody insane blue pony.

Shaking my head, the muddied flooring changed to the polished marble. I was looking down at my reflection. I was not in the finest frames of mind, but that was just a fact of my life. War got into your mind like that, weaving in all the terrible things with your friends and family.

Reaching my door I placed my hand on the handle. The realization of what I just did weighing in on me. Taking my pride with me, I shoved open the door and shut it behind me. Sliding down the wooden frame I bought my rifle in front of me as I leaned on it. My eyes started to quiver before I let a couple tears past the gate.

The truth was, I was a terrible person. I had killed kids, watched my best friends die, and yet I had the audacity to yell at the only person trying to help me. In the end, I just couldn’t do it again. I couldn’t watch Luna try and help me only to be put into a state where I had to constantly comfort her. It hurt just watching her try to make sense of something that was best left out of her reach.

“God, what have I done?” I asked myself as I watched another lonely tear fall to the pristine floor. “Why have you brought me here?” I knew he wouldn’t answer, why should he. Even if he could, I don’t think he could wash me of all my sins.

6 Understanding

I sat there for quite some time thinking about what had just transpired. I knew I blew my top, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel like it was warranted. Did I feel bad, yes, but did I want to go back there and apologies, no. It’s was like having a fight with a kid over something you knew was in fact right.

The kid runs off, and you’re left there feeling like a complete ass. Difference is, Luna was not a kid, far from it in fact. So the moral of making a kid cry did not apply. She was a grown enough woman to see the errors in her ways.

Soft tapping soon became apparent as I lifted my head and leaned it against the door. The glass pain window on the other side of the room had a couple of drops streaking down it. It was as if mother nature was setting up the perfect atmosphere for my inevitable spiral into depression once again.

Sighing I looked towards my rifle, it’s beechwood weathered with cuts carved deep into its grain. It was my constant companion, a trusted friend that I could look to in times of need. Leaning it back upon my shoulder, I looked across from me to see a couple of my mates playing trench cards with some french soldiers in the back of the liberty truck. I smiled as one of them placed down a full flush, this caused my mate to slam down his hand.

“Va te fair foutre!” He croaked out in broken french.

The French soldier laughed as he collected the pile, “maybe you win next time?”

“Maybe I’ll shove my boot up your as-” was all he could say before another one of my mates elbowed him in the shoulder.

“This one’s a bit of a sore loser,” He chuckled.

“Oi, that bloke better understand that it was us bloody brits that helped take the Marne!” He quipped.

Thankfully ol’ liberty jerked to a halt before a full-on British/French war could break out. Picking up the cards we watched as a brass hat came walking around. “Get your bloody rifles out and get your asses moving we still got a couple kilometers to go and the truck ain’t going any further in this mud.”

We didn’t have to be asked twice as we started to jump out of the truck. My mate was the first to start complaining. “I’m used to mud and all, but this is something else.” He claimed to try to get his boot out of the mud.

Pulling my hood over my head, I jumped out next. My boots landing in a foot of mud in the process. Getting off the muddied road I looked down to see the start of the trenches. A sign reading Carnoy stood leading up into the camp.

“I heard about that place,” My mate stated, “poilu back there said he was sweet on a girl that lived here. Said the Somme river was beautiful to look at. I just hope we get to see it, god knows my bloody eyes will ever see anything but the trenches.”
I nudged him, “you’re french is getting pretty good.”

“I blame their cards, I think they did it on purpose to get us to like them better,” He retorted, “good ol’ King George knew for a fact it’s a lost cause, that’s why they give us propper decks to play with.”

Laughing at his way of thinking, my eyes snapped to the city bellow as a large bang from a howitzer sounded. Looking at the streets through the glass pain I could see two ponies having dropped a load of stones off their cart. One stallion was profusely yelling at a mare who was apologizing to the colt.

I didn’t even realize I had gotten up and walked over here, it was kind of scary knowing that during my episodes I was able to move around this much. Turning away from the window I took a glance at the clock sitting upon the table. It was starting to get well into the evening and about that time where dinner was usually served.

My expression immediately fell. I knew I would have to face her again, or risk not having a meal tonight. Sliding my rifle back over my shoulder, I walked over to the desk. The mirror leaning against the wall showed just how beat up I’ve been. The stress had frayed my hair, the little sleep I got created bags under my eyes, and the running around had started to affect my sent.

With a small nod to myself, I walked towards the bathroom. Stripping myself of my clothes, I stepped into the shower and turned the tap on. Hot water rained down upon my figure as I stood there looking up at the nozzle with my eyes closed. It felt too good to have hot water, it was almost as if I had died and gone to heaven.

I could feel the grime and worries wash off me as they made their way down the drain. If only we had this kind of shower back in the pits. Would have kept the moral so high that we would have beaten the war in two weeks.

Taking the bar of soap left on the ledge, I quickly got to work cleaning. I was done within a couple of minutes, and stepping out to a nice clean towel ready for me surprise punched me in the gut.

My mates back home didn’t have this kind of luxury, and here I was hogging all the perks. Getting home was going to be a feat, but sitting around sulking about letting a mare into my dreams was not going to get me back any sooner. Things were a mess, and getting things back in line required help, as much as I hated to admit it. That, however, didn’t mean I would be letting Luna back into my dreams.

‘Maybe the training was a good idea?’ I thought to myself momentarily.

Of course it wasn’t! Plus teaching her how to shoot a gun? How would that help me with my episodes? On and on, my mind went like the endless gunshots on the western front.

Drying myself off, I looked back in the mirror. I could see a part of my past self come back, as well as a bit more color wash over my face. The only thing keeping me from being presentable was the rat’s nest of a beard I held.

Taking the nearby straight razor off the counter, I applied some soap to the area. Looking in the mirror I placed the razor next to my beard. My hand was shaking, but I still pushed forwards. With a clean sweep, a large chunk of my beard feel to the sink below. Positioning it again, I continued the pattern until it was completely gone.

Scooping up all the hair, I placed it in the trash before going back to wash my hands and face. Looking back in the mirror I saw my ma and pa waving as I walked upon the gangplank towards the ship.

I waved back as the horn blew. Keeping my steady pace I looked up towards the massive stack. ‘This is it, there was no turning back now.’ I told myself, the knots from the excitement of going to war started to appear in my stomach as I looked up.

Feeling a bit of vertigo, I finally stepped onto the ship. There I fell in with the rest of my mates along the edge of the boat. It took a while, but I once again found my family upon the dock. They were waving at me as the boat finally started to leave port. I watched as they turned around to head home my eyes once again looking back at the mirror.

“At least it was a happy memory,” I sighed placing the straight razor back on the ledge, “if only they were all like that,” I continued walking out of the bathroom and back into the hallway.

The halls were now lit by the white orbs floating above, while the guards could be seen starting to switch their stations out. I, on the other hand, was making my way down to the dining hall. Passing the paintings I couldn’t help but feel that they were staring at me. That their judgmental gazes piercing my soul were looking down at me for leaving my brothers back in the trenches.

Before I knew it I was stopped before the dining hall doors. I had been spacing out a lot recently, whether that was good or bad for my episodes had yet to be seen. Nevertheless, I braced myself for what lay just beyond the doors. Truthfully, I had no idea if I was even welcome to eat here anymore. Either way, with a sealed resolve I took a breath and walked into the dining room.

Immediately I could feel the two pairs of eyes settling on me. The atmosphere quickly turning dark and cold as the later of them were colored teal.

“Good to have you join us Mr.Leo,” Celestia commented as she motioned towards the chair across from her, “we have a lot to discuss.”

I didn’t like that last part. It was as if it was my commander calling me into his dugout to explain how everything I was doing was wrong. Alas, I was starving; and a hot meal is something that every soldier would never turn down, no matter the cost.

Taking a seat across from Celestia, my eyes wandered over to Luna. I caught a quick glips of her staring before she returned her attention to Celestia. It was quite easy to see she was still mad, so I opted to just follow her lead. I looked over to Celestia awaiting what she had to say, good or bad.

“With Leo here, I can finally say that the public should be ready for your reveal in the upcoming days. I’ve been chatting with the local press and have even given them some descriptions on was my ideals were. Thankfully they seemed to get the gist of it and have already done an amazing job slowly leaking the information.” She beamed, “On top of that, I’m pleased to relay that most if not all the ponies around the castle have already been exposed to you via a small news articles.”

So Luna didn’t tell Celestia about our little spat? I pondered in my head as I looked back towards the Lunar mare. This time it was I who was caught staring as she glimpsed over to me then back over to her sister.

It was the first time in a long time I had gotten this feeling. It was fairly rare in the trenches for there to be a feud between men. Usually, things were dealt with swiftly, leaving no room for the lingering bite of awkwardness to settle in. In an attempt to quell the feeling I replied to Celestia.

“I’m happy to hear that, do you think within a week or two I’ll be able to get out of the castle?” my words were hopeful. Not only because I could go out and see this new world for myself, but I could also distance myself from the castle. Just being under the same roof as Luna has my mind twisting and turning in ways I thought only howitzer fire could do.

Celestia smiled as she looked between me and Luna, “for sure and forsooth, I would like to know what this constant battle of the glances is about.”

If she didn’t know before, she sure did now. I wonder if it was better or worse that Luna didn’t tell Celestia about the spat. Because now she was about to learn about it with both of us in the same room.

That being said, however, having her opinion on the matter may settle things down between the two of us.

Luna kept quiet through this whole ordeal. I had no idea if she was trying to keep it from her sister, or if she was doing this just to spite me. In the end, it was clear that I was going to have to be the one to speak up about the topic.

“We’ve had a little bit of a disagreement with her methods in helping me,” I commented.
I could see Luna’s eyes roll as I came out clean. I strongly believed that things should be dealt with swiftly as to not grow into something more. Clearly from Luna’s reaction, she thought otherwise.

Celestia’s eyes scanned the both of us, “and what may I praytell is this ‘disagreement’?”
I looked to Luna to pick up from here, but once again she was giving me the cold shoulder. Hardly a way for a princess to act, but I digress, “Whether or not I should allow her into my dreams so that she can witness first hand what I had gone through.”

Celestia looked to her sister with sympathetic eyes before bringing them back over to me. Her sympathetic gaze turning into a questioning on, “and why is this a bad idea? Having someone else there with the same memories can really speed up the process of overcoming the past.” This got Luna’s ears to perk up and a smirk to etch its way onto her face.

I didn’t want to do this, I really didn’t, but to an outsider with no recollections of what the war really was like, offering this solution really does look like the be all end all. However knowing about their magic, I asked her a simple question in return, “do you have the ability to look into my memories? Ones that I can preferably pick from.”

Celestia adorned a puzzled expression before nodding, “The spell only lets me see what your currently remembering, is that good enough?”

I nodded, “fire when read,” I commanded.

Just like that, her horn lit up, and the area around us changed to a sea of mud. I was crawling from one trench to another as artillery rained down on us. Mud went flying, coating us with a thick layer. Looking back I could see one of my mates eyes towards the sky. His lower half was completely gone while his body lay tangled in the wire.

Gunfire opened up as the first man stood up to run, I could see tens if not hundreds of men stand to charge only to be placed in an early grave. Rolling to the side I took cover behind what was left of a horse. The smell alone was enough to make someone vomit, but I continued to peak above to find an opening.

More men fell as most of the Huns started to reload. Taking this as an opportunity I jumped up and charged the line. I don’t know how I made it without getting shot but the next thing I remember was jumping into the trench, a kid, not more than 17 years old found his life fading away at the end of my bayonet.

A large explosion was heard off to my right bringing both me and Celestia back to the present. Luna had slammed her hoof on the table, giving me a stern look. I was utterly confused as to why she was so mad at me, that is before I looked over to Celestia. Her eyes were wide open, tears already matting her fur. Just a couple seconds in and she was already starting to develop the symptoms.

“Such young death, and being forced to charge against a line of death,” she looked over to her sister, then to me, “Why? Why would you willingly sign up for that?”

I looked over to Celestia with a small smile. Here things were different, they didn’t have the looming threat of war hanging over them. Naturally, this question was to arise. My eyes continued to look into her own as I spoke, “One day the war will be over, the grass will grow and we will pass. Our names and faces to never be seen nor spoken of again. The scars left on the earth will heal. Yet through that, we hope that one day, long after we’re gone, someone remembers our story. For we will continue to fight amongst the dead, lay in places far from the sun, and press on towards loaded guns; because that’s who we are, those brave few, wishing not to be forgotten. Wishing that our families back home are spared the horrors of war.”

Celestia wiped the tears from her eyes as she looked towards Luna, “I’m sorry sister, but I have to agree with Leo. Seeing something like this once is more than enough. I fear what may become of you if you continue to walk amongst his memories. There has to be another way to help.”

Luna shook her head, still holding onto her pride, “this is the only way sister, how could I help Leo heal if all he does is tells me white lies and censored stories. I know that it will affect me, but I assure you that I will be prepared the next time I enter. I wish for Leo to train me, to give me all the knowledge I need to minimize the damage.”

“Why?” I simply stated after a moment of silence.

Luna looked over to me with confusion, “why what?”

“Why risk your own mental health for a complete stranger?” A relative I could get, a best friend sure, but a stranger that just so happened to land in your lap not moments ago? Why was indeed the question?

Celestia looked to Luna and a look of understanding finally dawned on her face, “as much as I want to agree with you Leo, I can no longer force my sister. I can see that she will not budge from her position.”

Luna nodded before looking back over to me, “for you see the answer is quite simple, nobody was willing to help me when I needed it the most.”

7 Under the Wire

I couldn’t believe I was doing this, I really couldn’t. After many attempts to stop this plan from coming to fruition, Luna had finally forced me to give her another chance. That being said, I wasn’t going to just let her waltz right back into my dreams like before. No, I was going to give her some proper training, the type of training I had before the war. Praying that knowing how to live in the trenches and how to defend oneself will be enough to keep her from jumping off the edges of sanity.

Gravel crunched under the heel of my boot, as I stepped outside for the first time in a long time. Faint mirages kissed the barren field as I walked over to an old oak tree sitting quietly on the sidelines.

I had instructed Celestia about what I needed for the training. She was reluctant on many of the items, but after some negotiations, we’d come to an agreement of sorts. Surprisingly enough she had downright declined some of them. For reasons which I wish I knew earlier. However, for the most part, she was able to get what I needed.

Kneeling I tightened the linen strap on a beige bag laying against the tree. I could hear the soft steps of gravel parting as her voice rang, “ready and waiting.”

Turning around, I was quite pleased to see Luna just like she was back in my dream. A human woman in her early twenties with navy blue hair. She had done it up in a small bun that rested just below her brodie helmet. Her uniform was almost identical to mine, even down to the puttee wrapped around her legs. The only difference was her battalion badge, it depicted two ponies crossing horns, no doubt representing their nation.

It’d been her idea to keep the human form. She claimed that in the dreams she held no control over her form. In knowing, she said she wished to be trained the exact way it would have been like back in my homeland. Wise were her words, but naive was her mind.

There was no doubt that she had put a lot of effort into this. Often I would find her in her room preparing for this moment. It reminded me of myself back in the day, excited that my day of glory would be so soon. Even now, head held high she had everything she ever needed. Everything but two things.

Motioning her over towards me, I kicked the backpack leaning against my leg, “pick it up,” I commanded. My eyes locked onto her as I started to settle into my position.

Luna didn’t hesitate, as she walked over to the bag and pulled on the strap. The bag moved little under her force. Aiming her gaze back onto me she asked, “what may I ask, is in these? Rocks?!”

I nodded, “Yes,” as I picked up the pack and held it out in front of her.

Finishing up strapping it on, I shoved my trusted rifle into her hands. Gripping it delicately, I rolled my eyes and jerked it out of her hands, “Rule one, don’t you ever lose your rifle.” I commented shoving it back into her chest.

Luna nodded as I let go of the rifle and turned out towards the open courtyard. Since I was still technically a royal secret, Celestia had booked the entire training area for us today. She even made sure to send some guards to block the entrances and secure the skies to keep any surprise releases from happening.

It was thoughtful, but I fear that it would have some repercussions after the guards catch a glimpse of what the ‘new visitor’ was going to force their beloved princess to do. Nevertheless, I was not in a position to argue as I reached back and pushed Luna towards the track.

“Alright, now follow me and keep up! If you so much as fall behind two paces; I’ll have you repeat the entire thing over again!” And just like that, I was off running around the courtyard. I watched as Luna kept up behind me, the sweat already starting to accumulate from the extensive training.

Noticing her start to drag behind, I slowed down to jog next to her. Shoving her to the side I watched as her brodie helmet fell to the floor. Luna, however, kept running seemingly unaware of her now barren head. Pulling on the backstrap of the backpack I caused her body to be yanked back as her legs gave in.

“Where’s your helmet!” I yelled.

Luna quickly tapped her head only to go wide-eyed looking all around.

“You just going to stand there?!” Once she spotted it a couple of feet behind she quickly made a beeline towards it. I, however, didn’t let up, “You just died Luna! The moment you lost your goddamn helmet! And you know what? The Huns are now launching a counteroffensive! Do you think they're going to let up? No, instead they are going to stab your comrades back in the trenches! You want to see your sister at the end of a bayonet?”

Stopping to place her helmet on I once again let her have it, “Are you going to stop again?! When bullets are flying and the sniper in the other trench has his sights on you?” Luna shook her head as she quickly started to move again. A labored chough escaped her lips as she kept pushing forwards.

I had to give it to her, she was sticking with this. In all honesty, I didn’t think she would have lasted this long being from such a peaceful place. On top of that, she was of royalty, I half expected her to yell at me the moment I laid a hand on her. Thankfully, that was not the case as I continued to watch her run.

About ten meters from the completion of the first round, I gave Luna a large shove. Losing her balance she tumbled to the ground. Dazed by the sudden shove, she slowly started to get back up.

“Faster! Do you think they're only going to send one shell at you? Huns got hundreds of the things and you lying on the ground is giving the men in the trenches an easy target!” I yelled as I pushed her back to the ground.

At that point, it looked almost as if Luna was going to give up. I could see it in her movements, how she was slowly losing her stamina. Sadly, for her, it was my job to train and I wasn’t going to let her first day be easy. In fact, I’d been going pretty easy on her thus far.

I watched as she got up off the ground and continued to finish the first lap. It was after the first lap that I started to see the fruits of my training start to pay off. Luna was now watching everything around her. Her steps were becoming less labored as she reached the point where everything starts to numb over.

It wasn’t till the tenth lap that I finally got Luna to her limits. As she passed the line she leaned forwards and proceeded to vomit. A clear sign that it was time for a break. Arriving behind her I took the backpack off and brought her underneath the nearby oak tree. Sitting her down I passed her my canteen.

With pride, I watched as she kept my rifle in her grip as she undid the cap and started chugging. I now knew what my CO’s were feeling back when I was in training. I had always thought they hated me, but in truth, they were just as proud as I am of the progress of their trainees.

Taking the canteen away from her face, Luna finally spoke up, “How is this going to help me cope with the horrors?” she asked before taking another sip.

“It’s not,” I simply stated.

“Then what-” was all she could say before I continued.

“It’s to keep you alive. There is no point in going into my dreams if you can't keep up with me, or just get shot right off the bat.”

My reasoning seemed to settle in as she finished the last bits of the canteen. Taking it back from her, I grabbed her arm and lifted her up, “alright that’s enough rest time to go at it again, I want another five laps.”

Luna's expression didn’t falter as she once again adorned her backpack and went off towards the track. I watched as she completed her first lap before I went over a second sack that I had left beside the tree. Opening it up, I took out a large roll of yarn and a couple of wooden stakes.

As Luna continued to do her laps, I went to the middle of the courtyard and started hammering the stakes into the ground. Once I had them all lined up, I started to wive a web in between them with the rope. Stepping back to admire my handy work I joined Luna in her laps.

“Alright, change of plans, follow me,” I commanded as we split off the edge of the track towards the middle. Hitting the deck I started to make my way under the rope as I yelled back, “If I see so much as a twitch in this rope; I’ll have you do another three laps.”

Having done it a hundred times, I was out on the other side within seconds. Getting up I could see that in Luna’s case it was quite different. She was struggling to find a way to hold my rifle while keeping her backpack from hitting the rope.

In the end, it caused her bag to catch on the rope. I could see Luna visibly cringing as she witnessed what had happened.

“You’re now stuck in the middle of no-mans-land with howitzers zeroed in on you. Congratulations Luna, you just fucken died. You know what? So did your best friend behind you!” I yelled as I took the part that was caught off the rope.

Now free to move, Luna shuffled all the way to the end. I met her there as I shoved the rifle out of her hands. Slinging the rifle over my shoulder, I grabbed her hands and brought them out in front of her chest. Slinging the rifle back I placed it horizontally nestled in her elbow pits.

“When you go under, you’ll hold it like this next. Now come, we have three more laps to do,” Just like that I was off with Luna following closely behind. As before, her breaths were coming out rough, but now she held determination as she re-slung the rifle over her shoulder.

The three laps went by in a flash, as I kept my attention towards Luna’s progress. Turning the last bend we once again peeled off the main track and headed towards the center. Bundles of yarn encased in a rats nest, loomed ever closer as we both hit the deck. Hands on our helmets we arrived at the wire as Luna cradled her rifle.

Like dancers, we fell into sync as we pushed passed the wire and came out on the other side. Getting up I once again continued onto the track, taking a quick glance backward I came to see Luna struggling to catch up. Her pupils started to pulse quickly as her breaths became shorter and shorter.

It was painfully obvious what was about to happen as I stopped in place and immediately ran back towards Luna. She looked right through me as she continued to run forwards. Her head swaying from side to side. Lady luck was thankfully on my side as her eyelids closed I reached out and brought my left arm in front of her chest.

Luna then lost all control of her body as it went limp against my arm. Sighing in relief, I took my rifle from her hands and tossed the backpack to the ground. With all the excess weight dealt with, I bent down to pick her up.

Amazingly, she was pretty light for a woman. In fact, she was probably around ninety pounds. Looking down I found myself mesmerized by her features. Little strands of her blue hair fell lazily upon her face. Her delicate eyelids gently closed as she took in small breaths. But most of all, was how soft her skin was as her hand grazed my own.

It put into perspective just how different the two of us were. My own callous covered hands from years of manual labour and fighting against. It almost felt wrong having her soft ones come into contact with mine.

Was all this really the right thing? I thought to myself. Shaking my head, I once again focused on the task at hand. Knowing that it would be a while before she would awaken, I set out back into the castle. A few questioning glances came from the guards stationed at the door, but miraculously no quarrel came of it.

It wasn’t long before I had once again breached the doors of the castle's throne room. Seeing the state their princess was in, the guards had immediately opened the two doors to reveal her smiling sister.

Half expecting her smile to fade the moment her eyes landed on her sister's form, I was quite visibly taken back when it only grew, “well now this is quite the sight to behold,” she snickered, “a stallion holding my sister as if she were his bride,”

I did not laugh, instead, I stood there with a stoic expression etched across my face. Had she known that the training was going to be this rough? Or perhaps she was simply holding off all judgment until she knew better. Either way, it sent a bit of a chill up my spine seeing this reaction from her.

“Oh come now Leo you two look adorable like that,” and just as quickly as her words a flash brought me to see my sergeant with his arm around me and a couple of my other mates. A soldier in front of us was holding a camera while the other had some other machine.

“We’re gonna be in the pictures mate!” A chap from down the line stated, “they're gonna put us on the front page, I bet.”

“Why would they want your ugly mug on the front page?” Came the laugh of the Sargent.

“Oi, watch it!” He barked back.

“Maybe you’ll want me to tell the boy here about what happened when the shitter broke last week. Could-” was all the Sargent could say before the chap swatted him with his cap.

I smiled watching the two bicker on and on with each other. The photographer seemed to be loving it as he kept shooting away. Seeing as he was done with the main shot I stepped forwards and looked towards Luna in my hands.

“I’m sure we do, now if you would be so kind as to tell me where I could take her?” I questioned. I thought that Celestia would have taken a hold of her sister by now, but instead, she seemed contempt letting me hold her for now.

“I doubt she needs any medical attention, it’s just simple exhaustion. You ran her pretty hard out there, but will it be enough?” There it was, the cautious tone I was looking for in Celestia the moment I stepped in here.

In truth, I had no idea. I had the same training and it still got to me. That being said, Luna is a different case. Where she’ll only live through snippets, never actually living the experience.

“I’ll keep preparing her, this was just the first day. I’m sure after the week is over she’ll be hardened enough to live through the start. Eventually, as cruel as it may sound, you just have to get used to it. Used to seeing dead bodies in the mud, used to the constant sounds of shells.” I simply stated, “right now all I can do is give her tips to survive. The mental battle will all be up to her.”

Celestia nodded, her smile slowly fading, “I see, you can take her to her room for now. I’m sure she’ll be awake within the hour.”

Giving her a nod, I turned back towards the main corridor.

“Take care of her Leo,” Celestia’s voice rang, “you’re not the only one being healed.”

Stepping out into the main hall, Celestia’s words found themselves lodged in my mind. Was there someone else this was helping? I looked down at Luna, she was the only one other than Celestia it could be.

Luna’s form transformed back into its original state as I left the throne room. Turning down the first hall, I looked back down at Luna and chuckled. Her uniform was now two sizes too large, the brodie helmet covered most of her face while the boots she once wore were now off and on her barrel. As per her puttee, they surprisingly remained on her rear hooves.

Twisting and turning within the halls of the castle, we soon came upon her room. Kicking the door gently, I slipped inside and laid Luna down upon her bed. Quietly taking the oversized items off her person, I placed them neatly on the vestibule against the wall. Turning back I placed her under the covers and went over to the door.

“I’m going too easy on you,” I mumbled under my breath. Back in camp if you passed out like that, you’d be sleeping where you fell. Nevertheless, things were a bit different here. She was no ordinary bloke, she was a leader of a continent.

Standing there for a while longer, I gazed at her sleeping form. My mind calmed for just a moment until I shut the door and walked out into the hall. I had things to get read and more things to get approved. Today was just the start and with a bit of perseverance and a whole lot of luck, maybe, just maybe, Luna will come out of this unharmed.