We Brave Few

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.