Through the Early Morning fog I see...
Twilight Sparkle, ever since she was little, had been taught about the value of not taking things for granted.
Whether it was a new book, or stretching out her weekly allowance, she knew to be appreciative of everything that she had been given. After her fateful magic test that resulted in Spike being hatched, and likewise being brought under Celestia's wing, that core attribute exponentially increased. Learning new spells, and interacting with the same nobility that her parents often frequented with, she took it all in as she dived deeper into her studies. While the experiences absorbed into the young unicorn's brain like raw material, Celestia refined it like the royal blacksmith, hammering and molding it by having Twilight send friendship reports after she went to Ponyville. Twilight, to her credit, was thankful beyond belief that Celestia had done so; for she realized that if she had stayed in her studies only, she would not have the friends and experiences that she had come to cherish.
Being an Element of Harmony, and likewise redeeming Princess Luna, had taught her that everything happened for a reason. Deep down, she felt as if Celestia had known all along that she was going to be the Bearer of Magic. Everything that she had been taught as a filly, no matter how pointless, had been preparing her through her love of knowledge to have a mental defense for whatever challenges she and her friends faced as they protected Equestria. However, being teleported to another world altogether had taught her that friendship comes in many forms and ways, and gave her a refound gratitude for how peaceful Equestria was in comparison to the 4077 in Korea. Meeting Hawkeye, Charles, BJ, and several others gave her hope that the Flame of Friendship never died even in the bleakness of war.
That was something she intended to share with her friends, to give them a confidence boost that they could overcome any obstacle presented before them. Her only regret was not having more time to get to know her new friends better, but she had a feeling that the opportunity to meet them again was just around the corner, and she looked forward to seeing them again. For now, she was safely in Celestia's teleport, the feeling of weightlessness soon ending when she felt stone under her hooves. Opening her eyes and observing her surroundings, Twilight saw she was in the throne room of Canterlot castle. A warm sensation of nostalgia from sitting in on countless court sessions filled her and washed away several concerns, but before she could locate the rest Celestia distracted her by running a wing down her back.
"Welcome back home my faithful student." Celestia said in a smooth, motherly tone. Twilight nodded in acknowledgment but she still didn't feel like she was her old self, then again, no sane pony would after all that she had experienced recently. She knew she was now safely home, but at the same time it felt like a piece of her was missing. She tried to locate exactly what it was, but she was interrupted from her thoughts by Luna coming over to the pair. "Glad you haven't collapsed Lulu, would have hated you not being able to greet Twilight upon our arrival."
"Verily dear sister…" The Princess of the Night said with exhaustion in her tone, clearly a side effect of the spell that teleported Celestia and Twilight back to where they now were. Despite that, she was able to bury it as she gave the unicorn a hug. "As Tia said, welcome back Twilight, I am glad that you are safe and sound, each of your friends missed you."
"It is good to be back," Twilight replied, forcing a smile. She had half lied, where it was true she was happy to be back in Equestria, part of her surprisingly didn't want to leave Korea. "Saw a lot of things that I never saw before, so it is good to have things return to a degree of normalcy."
"I think you deserve a well-earned rest, considering you are probably going to develop PTSD from experiencing your first war zone." Celestia commented, but before she could add to her statement Luna's features turned to a mix of shock and fear. "Now Luna-"
"Did you say a war zone? Where in bloody Tartarus did you end up Twilight?!" Luna exclaimed, her look only becoming more cemented as Twilight explained in detail all that had happened during her brief stay in the camp. She remained silent, allowing her to continue without interruption and by the time Twilight was done the navy mare looked downright sick to her stomach. "For Faust's sake, that sounds horrific. Me and Tia have had to partake in our fair share of skirmishes during the Tribal Wars, but nopony should have to experience things to that-"
Before she could finish, it was as if she got hit by Karma for cutting Celestia off as Shining Armor busted into the throne room. His eyes were bloodshot, his breathing ragged and clearly out of breath from a long gallop. Even with him being the Captain of the Guard, the timing caused the three mares to give him an annoyed stare and Luna to lightly grit her teeth. "This better be good Captain Armor for you to come barging in like that, rank or not, the orders were clear for no interruptions unless it was an emergency."
"I think the news I was given would fall under a nationwide emergency, but first;" Shining said before trotting over and giving Twilight a younger unicorn was more than happy to return it, but the looks the royal sisters were giving him threatened to combust his fur at any moment before he cleared his throat. "Right, um, as glad as I am to have you back Twily, business first. The matter at hoof actually involves my LSBFF, because Tirek has declared all-out war on Equestria if we don't give her to him. He means business considering he joined forces with King Sombra and Queen Chrysalis. We probably could take them individually, but as a combined force, we are certainly overmatched."
"What would he quite possibly want with me?" Twilight asked, her confusion keeping her from gulping along with Celestia and Luna. All three mares, however, had the same collective thought of "oh come on" considering the circumstances. "I know I am the Element of Magic, does it have to deal with that? Otherwise, I see no reason for him to come after me, I'm just a simple unicorn."
"You may be a unicorn, but you are a very special one." Celestia sighed, a sad smile forming as Twilight tilted her head slightly to the side. "There is no doubt in my mind that the reason he wants you is because it involves your destiny Twilight. I was hoping that his attack would not be so soon, especially with the fact you just got thrown from one war zone and are about to be put into another. I will fully explain when we get to Ponyville."
Before Twilight could protest, Celestia's horn glowed as she teleported the four of them to the Ponyville square. To both Twilight's and Shining's shock, a second flash of gold happened and when it died down the other Elements of Harmony were looking around confused as to why Celestia would summon them in such a manner. Upon seeing the Princesses, they went to bow but Celestia raised her hood to stop them. "Do not bow my little ponies, for this is urgent. Tirek has declared war on us if we don't turn over Twilight. The reason why is because she is destined..."
A flash lit up from her and Luna's horns and caused a sphere of magic to form around Twilight. When it dissipated, there were a pair of majestic Alicorn wings on her back as Twilight, her friends, and the nearby towns ponies all gawked in shock. The other ponies all gave the newest princess a bow, something that was cut short as Celestia cleared her throat. "To be the Princess of Friendship. Now, Twilight, as the newest princess, feel free to have the stage."
"Thank you Celestia, but pleasantries need to be set aside for the time being seeing as how we are on the brink of war." Twilight said, addressing the current issue as hushed whispers of fear started to build. However, before the townsponies could hit the threshold to start a panic stampede, Twilight called attention back to her. "I know many of you are probably worried about hearing that, and that is perfectly fine considering how scary it sounds. That being said, fret not, will win this war, for I know of some very special friends I meet recently that can help us."
"They will be of great assistance, of course you would have to teach them about pony anatomy, but otherwise it is a splendid idea." Celestia chuckled, a mix of amusement, thoughtfulness, and jealousy creeping into it since she didn't think of that idea. In addition, the proclamation caused all whispers to turn from panic to curiosity, something Celestia had not thought Twilight was capable of so soon. "The fact you are now an Alicorn will take some of the pressure off of me and Lulu since, with your now-enhanced magic, it will be easier to cast and maintain the spell. You should be able to go retrieve them with no issue since there should still be a faint magical signature from us leaving such a short time ago."
"Then we have no time to lose, we must get back to the castle post haste!" Luna exclaimed as the three princesses teleported away, leaving the others to blink in confusion.
"What the hay just happened?" Rainbow asked, trying to figure out the solution herself. "That did not seem not normal in the slightest."
"I hav' notta clue sugahcube." Applejack said while shuffling her hoof in the dirt. With her being the Element of Honesty and admitting she was stumped, they all knew it was something big. "What do ya think Pin-. Oh…"
Pinkie Pie couldn't answer on the account since she had passed out into a soft sleep after Celestia, Luna, and Twilight left. Considering how active the party mare normally was, plus it being so late at night, it surprised nopony that she had fallen asleep so fast. Her slumber had another effect, as seeing her like that made the others follow her lead and head to their respective homes. The crowd dispersed while Dash and Fluttershy helped Pinkie home, and soon it was like nothing even happened as the only sounds that could be heard were cricket chirps, frogs croaking, and the howling of distant timberwolves.
As Ponyville settled in for a long night of slumber, back in the Canterlot throne room, Twilight and the total sisters were completing the finishing preparations to sense Twilight on a return trip to Earth. The older two were side by side, filled with worry as they looked down at the younger princess, knowing that everything rested in Twilight's hooves.
"Good luck Twilight, and remember, the spell only has enough power to keep you there for about two days Earth time. That is all you got to convince them to help our cause." Celestia noted as a reminder but she mentally facehoofed at the fact she even did that since she was talking to Twilight Sparkle of all ponies. "Think you can do it under such a tight timeframe?"
"Don't worry teacher, I got this, just try to keep everypony from freaking out while I am gone." Twilight said, giving a final nod of approval as the spell was cast and she headed back for Earth. She wouldn't admit it to anypony, but she was silently thankful this was happening just to see her new friends again and return to her second home. Granted, she wished the circumstances were different, but she was thankful nonetheless. "No need to worry, my friends, I'm coming..."
Visions of the Things to be...
It had been a few days since Twilight left the 4077, and since that fateful encounter, morale was up. Every mealtime in the mess hall buzzed with conversation and, at the dinner following Twilight's departure, everyone joined in a unanimous chorus of "If I Knew you were Coming" and led by none other than Hotlips on vocals. It was not just chow time that was different, however, the air itself felt lighter. Off hours, the unit had started doing various group activities ranging from full tackle football to Charles bringing the chess board out of the Swamp to host a tournament.
Yet, despite the boost, deep down every single one of the unit missed Twilight, to varying degrees. Hotlips missed, in her opinion, one of the best nursing assistants she ever had. Radar missed his paperwork buddy. Charles missed the most talented chess opponent he had the pleasure of facing. Hawkeye, however, had taken the departure the hardest. He had developed a deep bond with the unicorn in a short time, the care and compassion she showed reminding him of his wife back home. When she left back for Equestria, Hawkeye found himself back in the cruel reality he had been placed in.
He was in Korea, and Korea did not give a damn about him.
He knew that she could not have stayed even if she wanted to. The United States government would have taken her away the first chance they got. Just thinking about that cruel reality was enough to comfort Hawkeye's troubled mind and heart, for she was back home where she belonged, just like he hoped to be one day soon. Away from the troubles of war. Away from having to do operations and amputations. Away from a hellscape in which each second could be his last. Yet, as he sat on his cot, he had no idea what was lurking on the horizon.
Col. Potter, like most mornings, was in his office looking through the latest news from the front, and in his opinion, the news looked promising. South Korean and United States forces were driving back the enemy in waves, a frontal assault that reminded him of how the Germans raced across France and ended up capturing Paris. The grizzled war veteran found cruel irony in the fact the same tactics that were condemned several decades prior were now being used to ensure victory for South Korea. It humbled him, but before he could descend further down the mental rabbit hole, Radar came bursting through the door.
"Morning Radar," Potter said, sitting up straight in his chair as he looked the young lad in the eyes. "What got you jumpier than a cowboy with a snake in their boot?"
"Sir, more choppers are coming," Radar said, the telegram from the front lines in his hand, wrinkled from his sudden movement. "Need to get everyone to the OR and into gear. It is going to be a long and busy day for us all."
"More already? We just got done treating the last group of wounded," Potter let out a deep sigh, one of both tiredness and frustration. He was slightly surprised that a new wave was coming so soon, and knew it was going to probably be right from not having a resupply yet. "Though, why come straight to me instead of going to Trapper first? There must be something else in that telegram for you to come in here before him."
"There is sir, this is THE LAST wave we will ever get. The war is over, see for yourself" Radar said, handing the telegram over and watching the news slowly registering to his commander. "This is it, we can finally rest and go home."
"Well I'll be…" Potter said, rubbing his chin as he handed the telegram back to the respondent "Have Trapper read this out over the intercom, then start to prepare to slowly breakdown camp. You know, all the nonessential stuff since we will still have some wounded here for a bit. It will make things run smoother once they leave, and speed up the packing."
"Right away sir!" Radar saluted and walked out of the office, once he was gone, Potter slumped in his chair and softly sighed. Reaching into one of his desk drawers, he pulled out a long-forgotten bottle of alcohol and poured himself a shot as a tear ran down his cheek. "I guess we will never see her again, but this is for you Henry. We won."
"Attention, attention all personnel," Trapper's voice coming over the intercom made the whole camp pause, everyone from the cooks to the nurses listening to what had to be said. "More wounded are on the way, but this will be the last group we will ever get since the war is now over. North and South Korea have reached a peace treaty, and we will be leaving in 5 days. When all the wounded are operated on, they will be shipped out for us to begin teardown. That is all."
At that moment a cheer echoed through the camp, but B.J, Charles, and Hawkeye were not cheering. They were in the O.R. doing a follow up procedure on a young soldier's gunshot wound when the announcement was heard. While the announcement itself was positive, with a couple of the newer nurses leaping for joy, the trio and Hotlips merely looked at each other, with most of the glances being at Hawkeye.
"Man," Hawkeye said, his shoulders sinking and avoiding eye contact with Hotlips as she took his scalpel and gloves. "I haven't felt this bad since Henry died. Don't get me wrong, I hope Twilight lives a long happy life, and she taught me friends come in all shapes, forms, species, and universes. Still, that does not change the fact that I will miss her."
"Same here." B.J. said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Friends may come and go, but the bonds they forge and lessons they teach stay with you."
"Yeah," Charles added as they finished patching the patient up, "Not going to lie, I would give up anything to see her again. She beat me in that chess match because I underestimated her, but I want a rematch."
"What is in the past can't be changed, but the future is a mystery that eludes us all. Who knows?" Almost by fate, as soon as Hotlips finished a bright light flashed through the entire camp and when it died down, a familiar figure was standing by the flagpole. "Well, the timing was too good to be true, but that just made my point…"
"No...way..." Hawkeye said in shock as he, B.J., and Charles joined Radar and Potter outside. It wasn't long before the entire camp had formed a circle around their lavender-furred friend, but it was him that took the steps to address her. "Twilight? Is that really you?"
"Hey Hawkeye!" Twilight said with a grin as she lept on him, tackling him to the ground and giving him a light nuzzle. "Did you miss me?"
"Oof, easy there Twilight, your tackles hurt." Hawkeye chuckled, giving Twilight a head pat before managing to get back onto his feet. "I missed you too, we all did as a matter of fact. Say, did you get bigger?"
"Not by much, but yeah I did, I also got these." Twilight said, spreading her wings and giving a few poses with them. "You know what that means, think about how Celestia looked."
"I think I know," Radar didn't even hesitate, having spent enough time around her and hearing her stories, he knew. Despite Celestia having spent less time than Twilight in the camp, the majestic princess’ features had engraved themselves into his brain. "Since you kept your horn, are you now a princess Twilight?"
"Indeed I am," Twilight beamed, making Radar give a smile that matched her own. "And that is part of the reason I came back, Equestria is at war with three of the evilest creatures we have ever faced because they want me. Considering I am now an alicorn, me being their prisoner would ensure that the Elements of Harmony could not be used against them, which would allow them a better chance at taking control. I need everypony… sorry, everyone, to come back to Equestria with me so that we have a stable means of tending to the wounded. We leave in two days.."
"Um, Twi, we have more wounded coming," Charles said, putting a damper on Twilight's enthusiasm and reminding her just where she was. "Besides, this is the last batch, the war is over. As soon as we heal the wounded, they are going to be shipped out and we have to start tearing down camp to return home."
"You really going to ignore an order from a princess?" Twilight's authoritative tone gave everyone pause, even Col. Potter did not dare to speak up against it as the choppers came into earshot. "Now here is what is gonna happen, just like last time, I am gonna stay in the Swamp until you give all the wounded that special gas, then I will come in and help with the surgeries and post-op. The sooner we get done, the sooner they can leave, and the sooner we can prepare to go back to Equestria, are we clear or do I need to zap something with magic to make my point clear?"
Nobody shook their head no, and with her statement made, she teleported into the Swamp. Much like her prior visit, it was a mess and in disarray. The still invoked an unpleasant shudder from the harshness of her previous taste experiment, her taste buds screaming in revolt to ignore it at all costs. Clothes were everywhere, no doubt the result of having to spend a lot of time in Or, but the sight of it triggered her personal complex, not unlike coming across a book or three that had been left out of place in the library.
"Since I got a few minutes, I might as well tidy up. I am sure they won't mind." Twilight thought to herself as her horn lit up and got to work. Time passed, twenty-five minutes from the hands on the clock, and she was done cleaning. Laying on Hawkeye’s bunk, she watched as the last of the wounded got carried into the OR, which made her start to mentally prepare for what she was about to witness and do. However, a sound registered in Twilight's ears that made her eyes go wide in fear and her fur pale a little. "Wait, I know that sound, it is the same one that… Oh.sweet.Celestia.no."
She looked outside as the first few mortars hit, the first one barely missing the mess hall as the second destroyed the outhouse. Teleporting outside into the middle of the camp as the next wave started, a bunch hit the dirt but one blew up a jeep causing a fire that was quickly contained. Col. Potter ran outside as a mortar bounced along the hard clay and stopped a few feet from Twilight, who stood there motionless but had a calm look on her face. Closing her eyes as a pinkish-purple hue surrounded her horn, the next thing anyone knew, a force field had surrounded the camp.
"Have everyone hurry, I do not know how long I can keep it up." Twilight said, looking up at Potter. The man nodded and rushed into the O.R. About 3 hours later, the surgeries were completed and the shelling had stopped, making Twi drop the force field and teleport back onto her bed in the Swamp as Hawkeye, B.J., and Charles came in.
"Twilight are you- wait, did you clean up?" B.J. said in shock. The three doctors looked around, everything was spotless, the beds were made and tidy and everything had been put in its proper place. “Well, thanks for that, but are you alright is the biggest question.”
"Yeah, and I am gonna be fine, just need a few hours rest," With a light yawn, Twilight soon dozed off. Her dreams, however, were far from pleasant. She stood tall in the middle of a battlefield, Ponyville a smoldering husk in the distance as it was consumed by fire. All around her, the bodies of ponies that she had come to be close friends with lay empty, vacant of the spark of life that was their souls. It was not just ponies either that made her look in horror, her new friends of the M*A*S*H unit were there too as Triek and Chrysalis stood across from her, a mock laugh ringing in her ears. It was a laugh that made her angry, and she could feel dark magic starting to surge in her body as she started to step forward. Before she could get to them, the dream ended, snapping her awake in alarm. A quick glance around made her relax, but the concerned looks of her three friends was enough to make her recenter. “What time is it?”
"1945 hours," Charles said flatly, leaning back on his bed with his arms crossed. “Bad dream?”
"Yeah, a very realistic one,” Twilight shuddered, the details still echoing around her mind llike dust in the wind. “Or, perhaps, it was a possible vision of things to come? Princess Celestia has a known ability to see glimpses of the future, I just hope that it doesn’t come to pass. However, that is future Twilight’s problem, for now I want to know is it ok if one of you can fix me a salad?”
"Yeah, I will fix it,” Hawkeye said as he got up, heading for the door. “But first, tell us what will be our role in your war."
"Same as here...triage, O.R., and recovery," Twilight said slightly aggravated, but remembered that the hectic events of the day were an easy excuse to have forgotten her explanation. "Tomorrow will be used to get the wounded transferred, then the day after we will be leaving for Equestria. Rest well tonight, my friends, for peace will not be easy to come by.”
