Chapters Winter Shot was broken. The 19 year old Stallion sits on the floor of the Castle floor, looking down to his hooves. He had just lost it all. His everything. His future. All gone, all within a second, due to two words spoken by Eclipsa, the love of his life: "We're done." The last thing he remembered processing was seeing her somberly trot away, towards the exit. Now all he knew was nothing, absolutely alone, save for the overarching feeling of dread slowly creeping upon him. He looks up to the ceiling, expecting to see a vision of himself, as if he was dreaming, but no. This was reality. A painful reality in which the purple unicorn was alone again. He felt something on his shoulder, a hoof perhaps, and turned to look at the obtrusion. In front of him was his best friend, the blue unicorn Permafrost.
"W-Winter? Talk to me bud, talk to me."
Winter couldn't muster the words, instead a ball of sadness gets caught in the young pony's throat, as he lets out a guttural cry, tears beginning to flow down his face as he hugs his friend as tight as he could. Perma sighs and looks to the door that his other friend had just walked through moments ago, seething slightly. The three of them had promised to go through life together, and now this happens? As far as he knew, the Winter and Eclipsa were perfect together, they complimented each other in every way. The outgoing, adventurous Eclipsa brought the shy, introverted Winter out of his shell with every new adventure. He needed to get to the bottom of this.
"Winter, you're gonna be okay, dude. I promise. This isn't the end of the world, I-I'll talk to her... okay? Just... calm down, Celestia dammit...."
Winter wasn't calm, however. Flashes of memories raced in his mind, thoughts of moments they spent together. The hours spent alone, the nights spent together. All of it he'd never get to experience again. He's incomplete. The purple unicorn stood up and faced the doorway, taking a few steps towards it, almost as if he still expected to see the figure of his marefriend in front of him.
Permafrost stood as well, looking at his friend with a mixture of empathy and sadness. He let out a sigh and trotted to the door, holding onto his friend's shoulder as they traipsed.
"Let's get you in bed, man... You've had a busy day... You just need to rest up..." He said aloud, "I don't want you leaving your bed for another week..." he added, silently, to himself.
The two best friends walked towards Winter's quarters, not making eye contact or conversation. It seemed Winter couldn't talk even if wanted to, he was too choked up on tears. As they reached the doorway, Perma got an alert on his in-ear piece.
"Buck... Yes, what is it?" He said, answering the call
On the other line was Justician Armore, one of the Ensign Marshalls for the Knights Of The Celestial Order. Her voice boomed out angrily.
"Agent Permafrost, you have TWELVE SECONDS to explain to me why Eclipsa is in her room crying!"
Perma winces at the sudden loud noise in his ear. Looking over to Winter, the young unicorn lets out yet another sigh.
"Marshall Justician, it appears that agent Eclipsa has... well for back of a better term... dumped Marshall Winter, ma'am."
A poignant silence sat on the call for a few seconds, followed by a prolonged sigh.
"I.... Don't even know what to expect with those two anymore. Put Marshall Shot on temporary leave, make sure he doesn't leave his room. Get to the meeting room, I'm calling your Mother in to deal with this...."
"Yes ma'am." Perma said, hanging up the call. He casts another glance to his friend, before shaking his head. "Get in bed, man... You've been put on administrative leave."
Author's Note
Part ONE! Excited to get this story out there fully, and excited to add more lore to the KTCO.
Permafrost trotted the direction of the meeting room, showing no signs of nervousness or panic outwardly, but increasingly feeling worse on the inside. This wasn't good. His best friends were both in states of disrepair, bound to their beds by differing depression levels. A single sigh escaped his lips as he meanders to the meeting hall. A sudden stop, he looks up and sees the words "Meeting Room A" etched into the wall. Taking a quick pause to compose himself, he steps through the doorway.
In the room sat four other ponies, the tall, blue unicorn Justician Armore, The rugged grey unicorn Stray Shot, Winter's older brother, and his own two moms, Field Marshal Cuddles GoldHeart, a white Unicorn, and Marshal Frost, a blue Unicorn with a cybernetic right eye, and a claw attatched to her metal arm. He nods to the collection of higher ups and sits at the desk, waiting for the meeting to start.
Justi lets out a sigh and looks to him.
"Pleasure you could finally join us, Agent. Now, as we all know, there seems to be a little... tiff... between Marshal Winter Shot and Agent Eclipsa. I for one don't care about their petty childish relationship, as you all know, but I do care about this getting in the way of their work."
Stray Shot, with a slight southern drawl, chirps in.
"Now, Justi, we both know how kids are. They're gonna go through a couple heartbreaks, I think we just let them be for now."
Perma rolls his eyes at this. Are they really just "kids" to the Marshals? They're adults, they're soldiers, hell they've taken down more global threats between the three of them than Stray ever had. He raises his hoof to add his thoughts, but was cut off by his harsher mother.
"I say we send them to the woods alone and toughen them up that way." Frost says, scoffing. "Relationships have no place between co-workers."
Cuddles decided to join in as well, looking to her wife. "Well, dear, we must be terrible role models. I believe the two of them just need some time alone to go over their thoughts. Do we know what happened?"
Perma raised his hoof once again, hoping to talk, but was once again cut off by Justi.
"No, Eclipsa won't tell me. She says that she's "perfectly fine and ready for the next mission." I know she's lying."
"Tch, lying to a superior officer. Throw her in for going AWOL." Frost said, looking to the clock, wanting to leave.
Stray shakes his head, looking at everypony else in the room. "Ladies, I've known Winter longer than all of you. Hell, I know him better than young Permafrost over there."
Perma looks at him, angrily. Again with the "young" comments. And knowing Winter more? That's a damn lie, he and Winter tell each other everything.
"Then what do you recommend, cowboy." Justi says, rolling her eyes. "Send them to the ranch and have 'em herd cattle together?" She says, making fun of his accent while doing so.
Stray shakes his head. "First of all, offensive. Second of all, I know Winter will be down in the dumps, but we need to focus on Eclipsa here, there obviously was a reason, we just need to get in her head and figure it out."
Perma slams his hoof on the table, standing up. "You obviously don't know what you're talking about, Stray. None of you do. I don't even know why getting you guys involved was a good idea, looks like I have to do everything by myself."
He storms out, slamming the door behind him, causing everypony to look at Cuddles. She sighs, looking down at her hooves and rubbing her temple.
"I-I'll talk to him.... dammit Perma."
She calmly trots out the door, after her son.
The gray pegasus sat on her bed, her face buried in her pillow, staining the upholstery with fresh tears. She had just broken up with her boyfriend, the stallion she promised she would care for forever. Being honest, not even Eclipsa herself knew why she did it. Was it because she didn't love him? No, that wasn't it. Was it because she needed a break? No, not quite that either. Something deep within her told her that there was a reason, and that reason would be clear soon enough. The only thing she knew for sure was that her superior officer, Marshall Justician Armore, was currently standing two feet from her, sternly looking at her. She used what energy she had to look up and fake a smile.
"M-Marshall! I-I didn't see you there, what's up? A new mission?" She said, with false confidence. The look in the eyes of the pony in front of her made her fake smile waver, slightly.
"We both know why I'm here, Agent. I knew you getting emotionally invested in that younger Shot would result in something like this. How did he hurt you? I assure you whatever he's done to you, I can do significantly worse."
Eclipsa knew this was true. Justician was a skilled tactician and soldier, if she wanted to she could singlehandedly turn Winter into a pony pretzel. Eclipsa looks down at her, and begins to tear up slightly. She didn't know what to say. She didn't even know what she could say.
"I.... I assure you, Marshall, nothing is the matter. I-I just decided that I didn't have the focus for a relationship. It took me away from my missions."
The Marshall in front of her nodded, knowing it was a lie, but decided not to press.
"Sometimes that's for the best.... especially considering you were in a relationship with that..."soldier"... Winter Shot was no match for you."
Eclipsa sighs and nods. She turns to look at a picture on the wall, a picture containing her and Winter on a beach, the first time she and him exchanged the words "I Love You." She could barely stand to look at it now. She turns her head to look at the other pictures on the wall, and she realized nearly every one had Winter involved, and some with Permafrost.
...Fuck.
How would she talk to Perma after this? She would have to, she left him alone with Winter. She couldn't imagine how sad Winter looked as she walked away. A sudden cough distracted her, turning her attention back to Justi.
"You have a meeting in ten. Get ready, it's important... and Eclipsa... I feel what you're going through."
That was all that was said while she walked away, leaving Eclipsa alone with her thoughts.
Perma had trotted out of the room aggressively, not looking back to the group of ponies he so rudely left. All he knew was that none of those ponies truly understood what was at stake. He continues to move down the hallway, stopping only when he heard the voice of his mother behind him.
"Permafrost? Talk to me for a minute."
"Why? Just so you can ignore me? So you can belittle my friends?" He says, turning to look at her, frowning.
"Perma.... You're born to be a leader, we aren't ignoring you. Being a leader involves listening to what others have to say."
"Then listen to me, mom. Listen to what I'M saying."
Cuddles sighs, taking a few steps forward. "Just.... come take a seat, son." She clears her throat, gesturing for her son to take a seat next to her. He obliges, though looks away from her. "Have I ever told you the choices I had to make at your age? When I was your age I was just learning what it means to be an adult, I had to make that tough choice between my relationships and my studies... and I chose my relationships, I'm proud you did as well, but it's my job as a parent to make sure your life choices are better than mine, and Perma, sometimes a leader can't make those choices. Especially when it comes between the personal lives of two ponies that you have no control over. You can always try, but sometimes the best decision is one that-"
Permafrost cuts her off, looking at her dead in the eyes, his blue and pink mane falling over his eyes. "Then how come everypony treats us like kids? Like mistakes? Tell me why everypony thinks Winter is just some weak simple stallion? Tell me why everypony things Eclipsa is some sociopath who's only worth how well she shoots? Tell me.... tell me why everypony thinks I'm supposed to just be the leader and.... and not show my emotions too."
Cuddles looks to her son, sternly, though with a slight pang of guilt. She herself has said some things about Winter and Eclipsa in the past, and especially has been pushing her son to be in control.
Perma looks down. "Has... Has anypony even tried to be with them for longer than ten minutes.... has.... has anypony even spent more than 5 minutes looking at us as more than just soldiers for you all to mold? I know none of you have with me.... every since I can remember you've been pushing my siblings and I to be the perfect ponies."
The alabaster mare looks away, aware of how he's feeling. "Perma... I-"
"No, mom... just.... no. I have a best friend to console right now. That's my decision. That's how I'm choosing to lead this situation.... just like how I was told. To lead."
He stands up, trotting away from his mother, the air getting colder around him.
