It didn't take long for things to start to go pear shaped on our journey across the Peaks of Peril.

Progress was unfortunately very slow thanks to all the rock formations and steep climbs, which made covering the ground a lot more difficult than we had anticipated. In many locations the path narrowed to single file, which meant we had to stop and go across one at a time, before waiting for fellow members of our party to cross the place behind us. This was not helped by partially crumbled paths which made navigating round obstacles quite the trip hazard.

If we'd had magic then navigating through this area would have been very easy, but alas we lacked magic, so it was something of a moot point. There were also numerous places with bridges that had seemingly been damaged or destroyed, so precious time was consumed rebuilding them, and then we could get on our way.

The thin air was wreaking havoc with my lungs. I knew that we were higher up, but the pegasi are supposed to have evolved to live at high altitude. Unless these mountain paths were at a higher altitude than Zephyr Heights, which I suppose is entirely possible as mountains can become very tall, but my mind was still struggling through it all. My fitness seemed to not be doing us too many favours, despite what I had already done to keep myself in check the past few weeks.

I had to internally curse whatever had brought me here and put me into this life, as I climbed over some rocks and made my way to the plateau beyond. I puffed and panted as I reached the top of the boulder field, before stopping to catch my breath.

This accursed magic brought me here- not to mention increased my age. Why in the world did it do that? It was getting quite annoying.

There were other problems, as well. The situation we found ourselves in was causing tensions to boil over for those of us in our party. I noticed some cold interactions between soldiers, but the situation got to its worst when we reached another seeming resting place.

One of the soldiers seemed to be having a rough time of it all, and I'm sorry to say that he and Zipp got into a rather fierce argument whilst we were there. I won't be repeating the soldier's words as what he said was very vulgar, and hardly appropriate for the cafe district of Zephyr Heights. But what he did say produced an outcome which shocked me.

Zipp punched him, and before we knew what had happened she and the soldier were in the dirt, brawling like something out of a schoolyard. I looked over to the Colonel and he nodded back, before we moved in and pulled them off one another.

Whilst he admonished the soldier, I took to getting Zipp back into line. "Really?" I said. "Fighting in the dirt like an unruly schoolyard foal? Honestly, what were you thinking?"

I cut her off before she could speak again. "You're the Crown princess, Zephryina. Act like it."

Using her real name seemed to do the trick, and with that resolved we pushed onwards into the mountains. The tension had bubbled down... for now.

The next stage of our journey brought us out into another section of the mountains, which were still rather annoying to cross over in our little group of survivors. I kept Zipp by my side to keep her safe from anything that might come her way- and, if needs must, herself. If the little episode from earlier indicated anything, tension could erupt into outright hostility at any moment.

We rounded another bend, and what was sitting there was a grave site. What was a grave doing here in the middle of nowhere?

Well, apart from the obvious fact it marks the final resting place of a pony. But what was one doing here, miles from civilisation of any sort?

I looked closely at the inscription on it. In Loving Memory of Corporal Gust. She Made the Ultimate Sacrifice for her Country. Her Name lives Forevermore.

I looked in astonishment. This was the grave of a pegasus. But what was a pegasus doing buried out here, so far from the Pegasus Empire's core?

We continued on our way, before we came across the remains of a crashed helicopter. Oh no. Have we been going round in a loop and ended up where we started?

It seemed the Colonel shared this viewpoint as well. "Are you sure we're going the right way, Zoom?"

"Positive, sir!" Zoom replied. "This chopper has different tail markings to the one we were in."

The Colonel took a closer look at the crashed helicopter, and saw something he clearly recognised as well. "I recognise that number," he said. "That helicopter has been missing for the best part of a decade. This is where it must have crashed!"

Zipp, on the other hand, was looking at a metal inscription sitting on a nearby wall. "HRH down," she read. "Have sought shelter. Will try to raise contact. Burial sight nearby."

I think my heart skipped a beat when I heard that sentence. I turned away from the scene so they couldn't see me, and removed a tear from my eye as I did so.

This was where they had crashed. This was where he'd died.

I couldn't help but not notice how absurd this was. I was already a widow, and I'd technically never been married. This was honestly getting ridiculous. Why was I having such strong emotional responses to ponies I had never known and never met?

My thoughts were interrupted by some more reading. "Hey, there's another grave over here."

I trotted over, dreading what it might be. Please don't let it be him, I repeated over and over in my mind.

Instead, it was a memorial to a soldier who had died either saving his fellows or in battle. It wasn't entirely clear from the context.

Once we had paid our respects (albeit not by pressing X) we continued on our way into the mountains. The path ahead narrowed onto a rocky ledge, which gave us a hard time navigating up the landscape. The steep grades didn't really help either, so we had to find another way to push onwards regardless.

But as we continued on our way, things soon went wrong again. As we made our way up the ledge, the air was suddenly filled with an alarm. Had somepony knocked a tripwire?

"Assume defensive formation!" the Colonel barked. "Move the Royal Family to the middle!"

We were quickly moved to the middle by the well drilled guards, and were sure to put our heads on the swivel for whatever might be coming our way.

But we got very lucky. A pegasus stepped round the corner. His uniform was battered and faded in many places, and the equipment he was carrying looked very old indeed.

Having said that, his face broke out into a smile when he saw who was there. "Weapons down, they're pegasi," he said. His smile was oddly gentle for a soldier. "Nice to see a friendly face out here."

Opwinden seemed to recognise him. "Captain Feldsturm? You're alive?"

The Captain laughed and replied to the Colonel's surprise. "It's takes more than a few bumps to slow this old warhorse down, Lieutenant. Though what I want to know is how you got here?"

So, it seems these two know each other somehow. Possibly they know one another through basic training? It also seemed darkly funny that history was repeating itself in a way. Both of these groups -mine and his- had ended up here via a helicopter crashing in a mountain range. The exact same mountain range, it turns out, in a largely uninhabited section of our lands.

I tuned back into the conversation as Opwinden continued speaking. "Same way you did, sir."

Zoom looked surprised by this. "Sir, you outrank him."

"I trained under him when I transferred to the Royal Guard. I was lower in rank than him when he went missing, so I'll break it to him gently. Besides, he has combat experience I do not."

That really struck a chord with me, to be honest. Back in the world before, long before I was propelled into this life of fame and luxury, I had worked for a while in a school where I had been a pupil. The relationship with my former teachers was an interesting one to say the least, and I had continued to use formal titles even though I was on the same level as them. This made made sitting with the staff interesting, as all too often the place looked like Hogwarts on formal days.

I'll explain what Hogwarts is later.

But then came the biggest surprise. A stallion stepped forward amongst them, his windswept face protected by a beard, and a faded golden mane atop his head.

There was no doubt in my heart.

It was him.

Author's Note

We rejoin Haven as she continues her difficult journey across the mountains. Whilst I am aware this chapter mainly retreads existing events, I feel it is still interesting to get the same events from different perspectives.

The tone of the gravestones is based on memorials I saw to the Revolutionary War whilst I was on holiday in Virginia. Often the language is quite dramatic and emotive- though myself and my father got a lot of amusement from the French soldiers who fought at Yorktown being described as 'making the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.' This is expecially funny considering the French King was despotic by 18th Century standards.

'Press X to Pay Respects' is a meme connected to the 2014 video game Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, where the player has to press a button (X on the XBOX 360 controller, but F on the PC version) to pay respects for a fallen comrade. The sequence was roundly mocked for trivialising a very serious and sombre act, and has jokingly been referenced in subsequent Call of Duty games.

And who could 'he' be? Find out tomorrow!