So, we were back on the move again. Then again, were we ever not on the move in this part of the world? Our army had been assembled, and now was proceeding towards Zephyr Heights. Where this had all started and I had devoted so much time and resources to running away from.

But it was a strange feeling to be part of an armed force. There I was, a unicorn who hadn't intended to come to this world, sitting on the back of a tank as it rolled along the terrain. It was quite bumpy, I must admit, so I had to hold on a bit as I was bounced up and down like a pea in a frying pan.

But the tank I was riding on wasn't the only tank out there on the field. Not in the slightest. The vehicle continued to rattle along in a formation of several vehicles, such as the pegasus vehicles and the unicorn ones.

I must admit that they could easily be told apart. Even though a tank is fundamentally a big box on wheels, it has a number of fundamental principles that can be altered from vehicle to vehicle, such as the guns, engines, and other features. I know this because Sunny explained it to me whilst we were on the move. Unicorn tanks certainly looked very different to their pegasus counterparts, which certainly made for a very interesting contrast. Clearly they have different attitudes when it comes to tactics and strategy, as the shapes were quite different. Probably made for a harder hit, too.

Sure enough, we were still on our way across the landscape, and this was a marvellous sight for some to see. For me, it just brought an impending sense of dread. I knew what I had done in the past was wrong, and I felt awful still, despite all the reassurance I had been receiving whilst we had been on the move.

A quick look around revealed soldiers proudly marching into battle. Banners flew and weapons were holstered as they marched. I had no clue how they operated guns, as I hadn't looked back when they'd started shooting at me in Zephyr Heights, but I knew that I was on the march alongside them now, and this was merely the end of a struggle.

A struggle I had started by not listening to my own heart, and instead chasing the approval of other ponies who surrounded me in life. This was a bad idea, I know, but I had to ensure that I could fix my mistake and earn my happy ending.

So, we held onto those vehicles, rolling along the land before us as we held onwards and enjoyed what felt like a very long journey. It was a tough time for all of us, but we were on a mission, and the battles ahead of us would be tough for all of us. I just hoped I had the bravery to simply do what I had to do.

My eyes scanned across the formation, and then I spotted Alphabittle, my alleged dad. He was in full uniform, and marching alongside his troops. His face bore a permanent scowl on it, as if he resented the very concept of marching alongside a pegasus to war. I mean, he had said they had killed unicorns in historic wars, not to mention had a history with the Queen's husband. That can't have been easy to manage at all, right?

I looked down at the tank again as the miles continued to role by. I'll be honest now- I was scared of him. He seemed to have a lot of pent up anger underneath his cold exterior, not just at the past but at what he had to do now.

And if he found out I'd fallen for an earth pony, against whom he'd expressed discriminatory attitudes- well, I didn't want to be around when that happened. I'd just be an outcast again, cast aside on the sands and waves of time itself. And my life would become miserable again.

I looked around, and then remembered something. If that did happen, I would have my friends to surround me. There's an old saying that friends are the family you choose, and although none of us had chosen to come here (the exception being the Queen of course, given she wasn't one of us as far as I knew), the sentiment still stood. Pipp, Zipp, myself, Sunny, Izzy, Sprout, Hitch- we were all united by the fact we were out of place. We were a band of misfits stuck in the middle of nowhere, united by the fact we were all moving as one with a new purpose.

I mean, Hitch put it best back at the campfire.

"We are here, stuck in a world not meant to house us, never designed for our needs and hopes and desires. And yet, here we are. We have each other as a support group to survive in the harshest of times. When empires fall, we're still there. When horrendous regimes mistreat their own people, we're still here. When the darkness is thick and it seems the sun will never rise, we're still here. The simple fact is that we've always been here. And we will always be here, as long as the world exists."

He was absolutely right. We were a band who had a chance to make a difference despite our circumstances. And we were quite the unlikely alliance of figures on the field. A pair of princesses. A lonely unicorn who left home to find friends. A sheriff looking to save his friend. An inquisitive bookworm who wanted to make the world a better place. A deputy who was a wandering soul.

And then me. A nopony who had no clue who she was, but had more of a sense now where she belonged in the world, and could fight to build a better tomorrow.

Who knows what the future would hold?

The future. Always such a difficult and confusing topic, especially when we don't truly know our own past. In fact, you could say that the world around is characterized by the relics of the old age. I had seen as much when making my way across the country to try and get to Zephyr Heights.

Some see the past as a nuisance, something that gets in our way. Others see the past as a reference guide, a system of ways and thoughts that allows us to see what our potential could be if we could only figure out the formula for making a better world. And others yet seem to see it as an instruction manual as to precisely how to live our lives.

I firmly belong in the camp that doesn't view it that last way. Instead, I regard it as something we can see as a reference point for our future actions, but not something that should be rigidly obeyed as if it were a set of rules for winning a game. That would be silly, as it would suggest a lack of ability to think for yourself and use strategy.

No, we must be cautious not to simply repeat the mistakes of the past, but instead to ensure we can use them properly to create a better world for all of us.

I temporarily shook myself out of my thoughts to see we were still on the move. The tanks continued to grind up the terrain behind them, as they shook the surface to pieces and generally made a mess of the terrain behind them. I guess they weren't suitable tools for landscape gardening, unless you particularly fancy your garden looking like a battlefield every day.

I don't think I'd want my garden looking like a battlefield.

As I looked around, I overheard Sunny and Izzy talking again about the book of Argyle's notes. It seemed like an interesting text, although I'll admit I've never really looked at it in huge detail. Sunny tends to keep it in her grasp at all times, far away from anypony else. But I don't blame her; it's all she has left of her dad, and she wants to keep it safe, as it may contain secrets that could save us all.

Or something like that. A lot of old books were like that or something.

Anyway, I looked forward as the sun was starting to set, and the sky was starting to change from blue to a brilliant yellow. It was absolutely stunning to see, and my eyes were briefly struggling to adjust to the rapidly changing colour temperature. I even shielded my eyes for a moment with one of my front legs to try and avoid being blinded. I didn't fancy being blinded, after all.

We continued to roll along into the changing light, as the darkness seemed to roll in, until the lights of Zephyr Heights looked down upon us from above. It was here we pitched our camp for the night.

And with pitching the camp came the rain. We tried to hold back under tents as long as we could, but the heavy rain did not care for the fact we were building these tents, so that was that.

We later made our way to the biggest tent on site, and stopped to enjoy some food. The last meal before a big battle, I guess. I was not looking forward to being deployed into combat, and truth be told I don't think anypony does. At least the food was nice, and we got in some nice conversation as we went along.

I couldn't help but notice Alphabittle constantly giving my friends the stink eye. Perhaps he'd figured it out already and clicked that I had feelings for Sprout? I hoped he hadn't.

Once food was over, that Colonel guy (the one who captured me, and the first pegasus I interacted with oddly enough), spoke to all of us. "We all have a long, hard day tomorrow," he said, looking at all of us. "So make sure you get plenty of rest. We meet for the briefing at 05:00, so prepare for sleep as soon as possible and ensure you're up for the bugle."

Wait, 5 in the morning? That's way too early!

Anyway, I got the impression he was not to be argued with, so I left the room along with the others at some point and went to our tents. Izzy had placed them in a row alongside the main street, so we could all get some private sleep. The soldiers would probably be sleeping in two to a tent, which seemed plausible. Hopefully nopony snored.

I tried to get to sleep, but couldn't. Too much was going on in my mind to truly focus on resting properly, so I left the tent and positioned myself next to the campfire, looking deep into the flames.

"You can't either, huh?"

I glanced back to see who had spoken, and to my relief it was Sprout. A friendly face around here was always nice. "Yeah," I said. "Sleep is the one thing I can't get. I'm worried, and confused, and so, so lost."

Sprout sat down next to me and put his foreleg around my shoulder. "You may be going through a hard time, but you aren't going through it alone," he said. "You're just in the same boat as the rest of us. And I say we have plenty of chances to fix things for the future."

I sighed as I looked into the fire. The fire had an oddly hypnotic effect, almost trance like the longer I looked. As I looked, I felt my eyelids grow heavy, and before long I seemed to be dozing off. I relaxed a little, and I finally started to feel tired.

"Maybe I should turn in," I said.

"See you in the morning," Sprout replied, and we went our separate ways.

Tomorrow would bring the hardest day of all.

Author's Note

Well what do you know, time for some more Misty Brightdawn with this week's leg of Rebirth of Magic via on my side! :D