We Brave Few

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.