A Fawn's Journey

The brigade just crossed the river of the North, passing Vaverfront. The thin snow crunched under the hoofsteps of hundreds.

Has been a couple of days since the bombing of the city. Dozens of soldiers were surely missing, but there was no certainty about the casualties, no information that reached Elain's ears. There was no news about Elías either, when the march resumed he retreated and has not been seen since. Maybe he would come soon to clarify what happened with the communication issue, or so Elain hoped.

The main task of Elain's division was to skirt the region to the east, recover all the beaches up to the border with Equestria to make it difficult for the changeling fleet to access the region. However Elain's village was very close, less than a week's walk to the northeast. She was hoping to return back to her old home so she could search for clues to her family's location.

She finally reached the front camp, exhausted after the journey. The troops had to reach the front line urgently, so they were not allowed to stop except to eat and sleep.

Elain sat down in the snow and sighed, arching her back in a sign of exhaustion, her legs hurt. Luckily she was already trained, so this time she wouldn't be sore the next day.

She was not the only one, Freya threw herself face down against the snow with a thud, her limbs sprawled against the snow as she fell next to Elain.

In front of them, a bunch of tents, supply boxes and radios. Soldiers were rushing about their tasks. Experienced troops mingled with fresh recruits, making preparations and keeping watch in front. They had some anti-aircraft units to ensure the defense of their position against bombings.

Elain looked up and scanned over the camp after taking a breath. The tents were white and no flags hung upon them. The artillery and various boxes of supplies and ammunition were covered with snow and all the vehicles were parked in front of the camp, facing forward and ready to advance.

Maybe some kind of camouflage?

The trenches were just a few miles to the north. Freya looked forward and squinted, trying to spot the them.

Elain pressed a hoof on her mouth and chuckled softly. "I don't think you are going to make it from here" She mocked playfully and glanced down at her.

Freya looked down, burying her muzzle in the snow, a low growl escaping her.

Rainer and Astrid arrived moments later as the group merged with the rest of the troops.

As they came to a halt, Astrid closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, releasing a long puff of steam into the frosty air.

"Having fun, aren't we?" Rainer teased with a grin only to be hit in the temple by a snowball seconds later. The impact left him dazed.

Elain gasped as Astrid cleaned her hoof dry by rubbing it against her coat with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Suddenly, Elain's ears twitched at a distant scream.

"They are coming!"

She fixed her gaze forward. A soldier upon one of the trucks was holding a pair of binoculars.

"Seriously?" She said to herself out loud in frustration. She was exahusted and her hope of resting some hours faded away.

Some of the deer around her ran towards the trucks, getting ready to support the defence on the trenches ahead.

"Maybe we should be moving too" Aistrid pointed out.

Freya lifted up her head from the snow, leaving a dent in the shape of her muzzle. Her ears pinned up. "Wait, there's something wrong in here"

"What do you mean?" Astrid tilted her head aside.

After several heartbeats, Freya shook her head. Her ears relaxed and her face returned to its usual smug smile. "Nevermind, I was just being delusional again" She changed the topic before anyone had time to speak. "Good idea, let's go to the trucks! That was the plan anyways"

"The plan?" Rainer raised an eyebrow.

Freya grew nervous and started running towards the trucks without a reply.

Elain tensed thinking on the inevitable battle, fearing the worst that could happen. That brought back her memories about that tragic day back at the Östskog fair.

Are we really prepared? Will they do another surprise attack? Am I going to that camp again?

Rainer softly knocked oh her left antler with a hoof like it was a door. "Is anyone home?"

Elain gasped, she quickly stood on her hooves and rubbed her forehead with a hoof, only then she opened her eyes and glanced at Rainer, who was behind her.

"Yeah, sorry, I was zooned out"

"I can tell, but they don't seem to be waiting for you" Rainer said as he pointed forward, then started walking in that direction.

Elain gazed at the trucks on the distance and saw Astrid and Freya already infront of one.

"OI" She shouted, only to start galloping forward. She realized the word had lodged itself in her mind from hearing Freya use it so often. She shook her head to make that stupid thought fade away, then sprinted towards them.

The truck was an early convoy, pretty much like the ones Elain rode before. Astrid already sat inside, at one of the corners.

"Get in, Eli!" Freya waved a hoof excitedly as she grinned.

Her enthusiasm was oddly comforting to Elain, she smiled back before climbing into the bed of the truck.

Rainer arrived about a minute later. "Wait, are you sure we should get in now?" Rainer questioned, then looked around.

"mhm! That lieutenant told me before arriving! he will just say it again" Freya nodded, wide smiling with her eyes closed.

"sure" Rainer replied with distrust. However, he stepped on the platform after seeing Astrid and Elain sitting inside.

A shot rang out, piercing the relative quietness of the camp. Elain gasped, her ears instinctively flattening as a distant scream followed. "W-what was that?" she stammered, fear gripping her tightly.

Freya signaled the driver to start moving by waving a hoof through the rearview mirror, then lifted her rifle, aiming it at Rainer.

Elain, Astrid, and Rainer stood frozen, disbelief etched on their faces as they stared at Freya.

"Freya?" Astrid's voice trembled, laced with disappointment. Her expression was a haunting mix of terror and sadness.

More shooting began to be heard from the camp. The tents partially obstructed Elain's vision, still she saw a largue amount of green fires burst upon them. It didn't take long for her to realize what was going on. The air caught in her breath and the world around her slowed down.

"I’m sorry, guys" Freya said flatly. Her words felt weight and piercing, leaving Elain staring baffled at her.

The truck’s engine roared to life as the sounds of gunfire and screams intensified. Fear coiled in Elain’s chest, making it even harder to breathe as she trembled in her seat.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!" Rainer bellowed, stepping forward with fury, his hoof on the edge of the platform.

Freya clicked off the safety of her rifle, and Rainer froze, the tension thickening around them.

“I’m sorry" she repeated, her voice quaking, yet her smile remained eerily intact.

The driver floored the accelerator, the sudden jolt sending Rainer crashing to the ground with a painful thud.

"RAINER!" Elain screamed, her throat constricting as she instinctively raised a hoof, as if she could pull him back. But it was too late; the truck sped away from the camp, leaving chaos behind, with only Astrid and Elain on board.

Astrid flexed her limbs, ready to leap from the truck, but Elain seized her rear leg. She couldn't let her jump while the truck was moving, the fall could be deadly.

Astrid's breath hitched as she fought to break free, her movements frantic and clumsy. Elain tumbled to the floor due to the stronger doe's efforts but clamped down harder, wrapping both forelimbs around Astrid's leg, her eyes squeezed shut in determination.

Astrid finally stilled, but not before unleashing a piercing howl of rage and helplessness.

A pressure stung on Elain's chest, making it hard to breathe as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.

Freya just betrayed her friends and sent them to the changelings, the unthinkable did just happen.

Astrid collapsed to the floor, her composure shattered as she began to sob. Elain had never seen Astrid show such vulnerability, yet here she was, openly crying before her.

Elain released her grip on Astrid’s leg and stood up, circling around to sit in front of her.

Astrid buried her face in her hooves, but tears continued to spill down her chin.

Elain fought back her own tears, biting her lower lip as a single tear traced down her cheek.

───────── ౨ৎ ─────────

"Don't worry Eli, I already promised we will save your brother!" Freya claimed with confidence.

Elain didn't offer a reply, she was lying on her bed on the side, facing the wall where her cyan coat hung. From time to time depression would hit her and make her long for her old life in the countryside.

Freya, determined to lift her spirits, crawled around the bed and suddenly appeared in front of her, playfully booping her muzzle with a hoof.

Elain's eyes went wide, and she nearly toppled off the bed in her startled retreat.

With a mischievous grin, Freya rested her elbows on the edge of the bed, propping her chin on her hooves as if she'd just pulled off a masterful prank.

A smile broke through Elain's melancholy, and she chuckled. "Okay, okay!"

"Great! Now let's go grab some dinner!" Freya exclaimed, her victory infectious.

Elain rolled her eyes in mock exasperation but couldn't suppress a smile as she climbed off the bed.

───────── ౨ৎ ─────────

Astrid pulled Elain towards her for a tight hug, shaking her out of her memories.

Elain scrunched her muzzle as she corresponded to the hug. She knew Astrid would take a long time to get over it. After all, Freya was her best friend.

Elain glanced around the truck, then back at her weapon, thinking on a way to get out. She wasn't willing to get dragged back into the changelings' clutches.

She suddenly saw their tanks next to her, rolling to the opposite direction, then trucks behind them.

Astrid released Elain from the hug after realizing what was going on. She quickly grabbed her rifle and leaned it on the railing with anger. Her bloodshot eyes, still shining with tears with her gaze fixed on the swarm of trucks passing by

"Wait! No!" Elain shouted as she tensed, guessing Astrid's intentions too late.

Astrid. however, shot before Elain could intervene again. The bullet hit the driver of a convoy packed with soldiers, wearing those steel helmets and black suits, whitch matched their exoskeletons. The crack of the gunshot barely reverberated against the roars of the engines as the cab of that truck abruptly turned to its right, causing the truck to overturn. A second convoy, unable to react in time, crashed into it, lighting a fire and causing a chorus of agonizing screeches from those changelings among the flames. Few managed to escape and roll in the snow, the rest were trapped in the wreckage.

Elain gaped horrified at the chaotic spectacle that Astrid had unleashed with a single bullet. dreadly afraid that the swarm had seen where the bullet had come from.

Their truck slowed to a stop as all alarms blared among the swarm via radios, all nearby changelings stopped to watch the accident.

Both does seemed to have the same idea, since they jumped off the platform in unison, taking advantage of the confusion among the battalion. They sprinted away from the vehicles until they found cover behind a snowbank.

Elain gasped for breath, her eyes wide and cross-eyed, her chest rising and falling like a crumpled paper bag.

Astrid hushed her. "Calm down!" She whispered out loud.

"YOU WANT TO GET US KILLED?!" Elain yelled with difficulty due to labored breathing, her pupils trembling as she fixed her gaze on Astrid's brown eyes.

Astrid finally silenced Elain with a slap on her cheek hard enough to leave a mark.

Elain staggered back, leaning against the snowbank. She stared up at Astrid in bewilderment with shrunken pupils and watery eyes.

"Listen, we don't have time for this now, we must-" Astrid tried to explain before Elain resumed her rant.

"NO! YOU LISTEN!"

Her sudden interruption caught Astrid by surprise and her eyes widened.

"I HAD ENOUGH! I HAD ENOUGH OF EVERYTHING! I AM NOT FOLLOWING YOU! OR FREYA! OR ELIAS! OR RAINER-" The air caught on her throat. However, she forced her voice out with a glare. "or.. OR ANYONE! NOW GET OFF MY SIGHT!"

She sprinted forward, passing by Astrid while tears dripped from her cheeks. Quickly moving away towards the north, in the opposite direction to the front line.

"Shit... ELAIN!"