The date is December 14th, 1016 A.L.B., just three months after the Great War against Queen Chrysalis and her Changeling Empire came to a close with the fall of Vesalipolis. After tens of millions have died, peace has finally returned to Equus, but for many soldiers now returning home, the end of the war marks the beginning of a new challenge: reclaiming the lives they left behind.

Among them is Dusk Glider, a former Corporal in the Equestrian Army and a bat pony struggling to adjust to civilian life after years of service. As Hearth’s Warming Eve approaches, a season once filled with warmth and joy now feels distant and hollow. Haunted by memories of the battlefield and burdened by survivor’s guilt, Dusk must find a way to reconnect with the life he left behind and the ponies who care for him.

(This story is set in my head canon of the Equestria at War universe and was written for the Ponies at War 2024 winter one-shot contest.)