Snowfall on the Homefront

by aarie15

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Profanity, Violence, Slice of Life, Death, Alternate Universe, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Equestria at War, Bat Pony, Other
Length: 4811

After returning home from the Great War, former Equestrian Army Corporal Dusk Glider struggles to reclaim a sense of normalcy amidst the festive cheer of Hearth’s Warming Eve.

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.)

Published 2024-12-19 13:50:00 UTC
Last updated 2024-12-19 13:50:00 UTC

Snowfall on the Homefront

The winter.

Oh, how I detested the way its stinging gusts rattled my very being, biting at my hooves, leathery wings, and sniffling snout.

It still pricked at me even though I was wrapped up like this, sporting cotton mittens and a leather jacket, with a knitted beanie atop my head.

I kept my head low as I shivered and marched along instinctually, and I felt as if here, in my hometown, I was an outcast.

In my village of Patch Log, ponies and familiar faces were bustling about, either going out with family or getting gifts for loved ones.

The homes and shops alike all around were decorated with Hearth’s Warming cheer and decorations, wreaths galore, and mistletoe under the doors.

The holiday atmosphere was just amplified by the plentiful amount of snow adorning the rooftops and lawns of every house around, with there also being the gentle fall of snowflakes still descending on the town.

Yet here I was, cold and miserable, too stuck up in my memories and thoughts to enjoy any of what I once had but a few years ago.

As I eventually raised my head though, my gaze met a familiar sign that read:

“JAGGED AVENUE”

It was like my legs moved off of instinct as I saw that sign, and soon enough I found myself walking up the hill of a cul-de-sac, the muscle in my back right knee aching as I climbed to a familiar cadence in my head:

“Left, left– left, right, left!”

I felt myself tune everything but the cold, soreness, and that rhythm out as I ascended, and soon enough found myself at the door to that familiar and cozy home I’d always known.

There were only a few decorations set up outside, a disparity from previous years, likely due to my sister recently being the only one who wanted to put any of it up.

Still, I’d rather be inside and warm than admire some mediocre Hearth’s Warming decorations, so I now fumbled in my coat for my keys, cursing under my breath as I accidentally dropped them onto the welcome mat below.

My breath was visible in the air as I bent down, reaching for the keys before in the blink of an eye I found the door opening and I was met with that usual smiling gray muzzle:

Nightfall Song, my little sister.

Like me, she was a bat pony, her mane that of a silvery hue, with pearly white eyes and a cutie mark of a sterling white string.

“I figured you’d be comin’ home right about now.”

Before I knew it I found her whisking me inside, closing the door behind me, and helping me take off my coat along with my satchel.

“Uhhh… Thanks sis.”

Was all I could utter as I put a hoof to my head, taking off my beanie which she promptly snatched from my clutches, then promptly putting it all away in the closet.

If I was being honest though, I was just happy to be someplace warm.

“Come on, mom made some cookies.”

The adolescent mare proclaimed, taking my hoof and leading me down the hall towards the kitchen.

As we entered the room, I could already smell the aroma of baked goods filling the air, the scent wafting into my sinuses eagerly.

“Nhight, ish Dushck home-!?”

I heard my mother attempt to call out with a tray of freshly baked cookies gripped in her teeth.

For Luna’s sake, why couldn’t she ever just use oven mitts..?

“Yes, mom!”

Nightfall echoed back at her as my mother now stood upright, bringing the tray over to the kitchen island and laying it down with a pant, then using her left hindleg to kick the oven shut.

My mother had always been a caring mare, with drab eyes that could see into your soul if you stared too long into them…

But she was also as stubborn as a mule.

“Oh thank Luna, I was beginning to worry you might’ve gotten caught up in the snow. It must be freezing out there!”

Her eyes seemed to wander over my body, which was still sprinkled with light particles of snow that were gradually evaporating thanks to the heat of the room.

I shook my head though, giving a forced chuckle.

“It was fine mom… Honest.”

She didn’t seem to buy that much, her eyes narrowing slightly as her gaze drifted momentarily down to my right hind leg…

Though an exasperated sigh, she conceded.

“Well alright then…”

My mother seemed just about to let me off the hook, though I saw her muzzle scrunch up slightly, indicating that she must’ve been trying to remember something… Which she did within a matter of moments.

“Oh!- You also still need to finish hanging up your ornaments!”

Shit… I forgot about that.

My stoic gaze now switched to my sister, who was beaming up at me with an eager grin, showing off her pearly white fangs.

Luna dammit…

Why did the Hearth’s Warming Tree have to be the one thing my mother cared about properly decorating around this time?

Sure I used to enjoy doing that sort of thing, but at this point, I honestly couldn’t give less of a damn– But it wasn’t like I could do anything about it, so I yielded.

“Fine.”

The grumble of that word escaped from my muzzle as I now headed towards the living room, the sound of hooves on wood clopping behind me indicating that my sister was following.

Our living room was already pretty well decorated with family photos scattered about, some of all of us, but the clutter of Hearth’s Warming dolls, sculptures, and a wreath just made it even more chaotic.

It was cozy though, with the fireplace gently crackling as our Hearth’s Warming tree stood beside it, mostly decorated aside from twenty or so ornaments which laid on the mahogany table, most of which were specifically ornaments that I was supposed to hang up.

Deciding to just get it over with, I now stepped towards the table, picking up a small ornament depicting a blue jay sitting on a branch which I distinctly remember being given a few years back by my mother.

Though she did the same and we walked up to the tree together to find a place to hang up our ornaments, I felt her gaze watching me, as if she had something on her mind…

And it didn’t take her long to voice it.

“You remember that time when we almost knocked the tree into the fireplace?”

I paused as she spoke, looking down towards the blue jay in my hoof.

Although I didn’t say anything at first, I did remember it… In particular how much trouble it got both me and her in.

We were playing hide and seek, and I had the bright idea to hide behind our tree at the time, so when my sister inevitably found me and I went to move out from behind it, I ended up losing my balance and tipping the thing over towards the fireplace.

Had my father not heard the tree crashing down when it did, it probably would’ve caught fire, but luckily he was able to push it out of the way in time.

My father…

I now peered up towards the fireplace, seeing four knitted stockings above it. One for me, one for my sister, one for my mother– And one for… For him.

He had been an officer in the Equestrian Army when the Great War broke out, and a few months after it we had received a letter that he was MIA.

Not long after that, I ran off to enlist, thinking I’d be doing him proud, maybe even find him…

Oh how foalish I was.

How foalish we all were.

“Yeah… I do.”

That caused her to chuckle a bit, though there was something forced about it, the weight of reality crashing down on any spark of joy that memory may have brought.

A few moments passed before with a soft sigh, my sister turned away from the tree, seemingly determined to do something or other.

I saw her walk over to the end table in the back corner, atop it lay our family radio, which she promptly spun the dial of to turn it on.

Sharp static emerged momentarily from the thing before cheerful music began to fill the air:

“-ity sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style. In the air, there’s a feeling of Hearth’s Warming. Fillies laughing, ponies passing, meeting smile after smile, and on every street corner you hear:

Silver bells, silver bells
It's Hearth’s Warming time in the city.-”

Silver Bells, a classic, what used to be one of my favorites.

Nowadays though, I wasn’t really into Hearth’s Warming music, so I simply went back to decorating as my sister seemed to sit down on the couch and enjoy the tune.

Though, despite finishing hanging up her ornaments, out of my peripherals I saw her standing up and grabbing some of mine, beginning to hang a few of them up with a meek smile.

It wasn’t like I minded at all I was grateful in a way…

So there we both stood, siblings side by side, hanging up ornaments onto a Hearth’s Warming tree, just like we had when we were both foals, the melody of music emanating from the radio being the only thing filling the air.

It was on my last decoration that my sister spoke up over the music, breaking the silence between us:

“Can I ask you something?”

My ears perked up as I now looked over my shoulder towards her, nodding slightly.

“Sure.”

I always did nonchalantly respond to her, that was just the way I was.

Her breath hitched as I watched her look anxiously to the side, not bothering to look at me as she asked:

“What was it like..?”

My little sister paused for a moment, fidgeting with a pillow on the couch using her wings.

“I-In the war?”

A long silence filled the air as I stared silently at her, my pupils retracting into slits as flashes of memories came over me, specifically those of other ponies.

Some were good, and most were bad, but what was undeniable was the effect they had on me in the moment.

I felt like I wasn’t even in the room anymore, hyper-fixating on my thoughts as I heard what sounded like a voice calling out my name, getting progressively louder until it raised to a stern tone.

“Dusk!”

Just like that, I snapped out of the haze, my gaze darting around the room before settling on my sister, who at this point was right in front of me with a worried look on her muzzle.

“Are you alright..?”

Her voice was soft and quiet as if she was worried that raising her voice again would set me off somehow.

I paused as I stared into her eyes, now only just noticing how my breath had grown heavy and my body had begun to gently quiver.

I just… Couldn’t answer that one, demure and curious question that arose.

So I tossed down the ornament, one of a Dove carrying an olive branch that my sister herself had gifted me, and then began to storm off.

“I’m fine!”

I called back, a blatant lie, and I knew she knew it.

As I made my way to the stairs, I caught one final glimpse of her, the filly now standing up with her hoof outstretched and mouth open wide, trying to call out to me but doing nothing.

I’d always known my little sister was an empathetic pony, and that in the end, all she ever wanted to do was help other ponies, but she also knew when not to help, and to simply give others space.

That… That was something I deeply respected about her.

So I now ascended the stairs rather rapidly, the sound of the radio growing muffled as I took a left at the top and pushed my way past a white, wooden door, leading into my room.

The room itself was rather clean, mainly my mother’s doing, as while I was away she’d taken the liberty of cleaning out a lot of the clutter that it used to have.

Yet still, it was all too familiar to me, the bed I’d had since I’d gotten my cutie mark, the buck ball trophies on my dresser, the photos of memories I’d made when I was younger with friends and some of my family…

As I slowly walked over to my bed, my legs feeling frailer with every step, I stared down at the floor, a carpet of blue fabric across it.

I remembered the first day I’d gotten home from the war, when I was finally alone in my room and for the first time in years, I’d been given a proper bed once more…

That next morning, when my mother walked in to check on me, she found me asleep on that very spot of the carpet, on the floor.

It frustrated me in a way, how casually she treated that moment, how she seemed to completely write it off as usual for me to do, how she rushed to try and get our family back to normal.

But today, I wouldn’t be sleeping on the floor, not again.

I found myself crawling into bed and pulling the covers gently over myself, my eyes closing as I rested my head on the warm and plush pillow.

It was then that I drifted off to sleep, and flashes of the past came back to haunt me.

Ratatatatat!

Whizz— BANG!

Crack, crack, crack!

SWISH, SWISH, SWISH, SWISH!

It was all a blur of vaguely familiar sounds that shook me to my very core, shouts from dark, hazy, pony-like figures shouting nonsense as I felt like a spirit drifting about the place.

The night terror continued like that for Luna knows how long, and it didn’t help that I’d lost hope of the mare herself ever coming to save me.

When I was younger she had come into my dreams once or twice to purge whatever was terrorizing me…

But now she never did.

BANG, BANG, BANG!

I darted awake, surging forward into reality, a cold sweat dripping on my coat as I panted and stared towards the door.

Then came the infernal beating again:

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!

So I stood up with a strained groan, rubbing my weary eyes with one hoof as I looked to the clock that lay on my nightstand.

3:48 P.M.

It had been about noon when I’d gotten back from my initial shopping, so I could only roughly estimate that I’d been out for about four or so hours.

Still, like clockwork I found myself at my door, now opening it as I was met with the narrow-eyed and pouting muzzle of a childhood friend of mine, a best friend even:

Solstice Serenade.

The mare had a light yellow coat adorned with spots of white, bright red eyes matching her peachy mane, a spiraled horn peaking through it.

Her cutie mark was that of a sun overlapped by various musical notes, befitting her profession as a musician, and a damned good one at that.

Solstice always had a knack for showing up uninvited and at the most inconvenient times.

She was persistent like that, a trait I had both admired and loathed since we were foals.

"Nice to see you're alive."

She started dryly, pushing her way into my room without so much any sort of invitation.

"Sol..."

I began, but my voice trailed off as she spun around to face me, her red eyes narrowing with a familiar mix of exasperation and concern.

"Don’t you ‘Sol’ me Dusk Glider!"

The mare snapped, her tail flicking behind her.

"I was waiting out here for ten minutes! Your sister only let me in because she was starting to get worried! You know, normally ponies answer the bucking door before everypony assumes they're lying dead on the floor!"

I tried to make up some sort of excuse, but she shut me down before I could even get started, rolling her eyes as she grabbed my hoof and practically began to drag me downstairs.

“Don’t care! Come on, we’re losing daylight!”

What came next felt like a blur as I now found myself moving on autopilot once more, moving to the front closet and beginning to put on my winter attire, Solstice impatiently tapping her hoof against the wooden floor as she watched.

It didn’t take me long to finish up as I now turned to face her, my best friend eagerly snatching my hoof in hers once more as we began to make our way out the door to brave the cold together.

Before I left though, I looked back into the house one last time, seeing my sibling peering around a corner with a content smirk on her muzzle.

Then, Solstice’s magic slammed the door shut as the cold wind hit us, shaking me to my core.

Luckily enough though, Solstice knew a heating spell and cast it in a small ring around us.

Now, snowflakes evaporated before hitting us, the cold air turning more so into an autumn breeze as I clung close to Solstice to ensure that I didn’t go outside its area of effect.

“Thanks.”

I muttered to her as she walked along, still seemingly slightly annoyed by me sleeping in, but with a subtle look in her eyes that told me she wasn’t that crossed.

Just like my sister, Solstice had been a lot more… Careful with me as of late, not making nearly as many jokes or poking fun at me as much.

Had it been like it used to be, she’d be teasing me all the way to the shopping district, but instead we just waltzed along in content silence.

It didn’t take too long for us to arrive at the place, most of the stores were all along a single road and vendors with their festive stands set up throughout the plaza.

Since it was later in the day most ponies had already gotten their shopping done, though there were still plenty around, it just wasn’t packed.

The scent of various baked goods wafted through the air, some of cinnamon and others of chocolate, making my mouth water as we trotted past.

Solstice and I ended up stopping at a few vendors that piqued our interest, with her doing most of the talking and buying.

I’d already gotten most of my shopping out of the way earlier after all… Even though there wasn’t much of it to be done in the first place.

The mare I called best friend however seemed to have a near endless list of things, mainly because it grew every time she saw anything, and I mean anything that caught her eye.

It was one of the reasons I never liked going shopping with her, whether it be for clothes or whatnot, it didn’t matter, she was obsessed with it, which just made us stay out way longer than we needed to.

I was mostly content with just being there with her, enjoying her company even now, and vice versa. But then…

CRACK, CRACK, CRACK, POP!

I froze.

Before I knew it I found myself tensing up, zoning everything but that noise out as I hastily swiveled around towards the noise.

A scared foal scurrying away from a knocked-over cart, bright flashing lights shooting up from it in a cacophony of smog and haze.

That infernal bombardment… Th-The noise, the smoke.

Flame, burning brighter, and brighter, and brighter in every direction.

Fumes filled the air, that wretched smell, choking my lungs as they compressed up, and down, and up, and down again and again.

Burning flesh and the taste of iron was on my tongue…

I could already hear the ringing in my ears as my entire being quaked, the uproar rising to a crescendo such as I had only heard so many times before…

Hooves up, and down, and up, and down again.

I felt hysterical as I swore I heard screaming all around me, barking orders, yelling in sheer agony.

Corporal this and Sergeant that, the cries of colts younger than even myself in the distance, my blood boiling beneath my coat and legs planted like roots, as if I were an Olenian in headlights.

Company forward, and halt, and forward, and halt again.

Just as I felt my leathery wings flare out as a crude flap against the wing, my front right hoof lifted in unison as if in an attempt to dash forward in flight…

I was snapped out of it by the intense stare of Solstice Serenade’s ruby-red eyes, studying me as I finally caught up with reality.

Ponies had begun to gather around and check on the cart and the ponies around it, including me to see if we were ok.

Though when it seemed I came back to, most just moved on towards the foal, who seemed almost just as shell-shocked as I was.

I felt Solstice wrap a hoof around mine as she now led me away from the commotion, a firm yet troubled expression on her muzzle.

It was at that moment that I began to feel an alarming sense of… Of guilt.

My mouth opened to say something, to apologize for my reaction, anything, but no words came out.

The air felt heavier with every step, the once-vibrant glow of Hearth's Warming lights blurring into an indistinct blur.

Solstice kept her hoof wrapped firmly around mine, her touch a tether as my mind churned. I could feel her glances, subtle and fleeting, but she didn’t say anything, and I wasn’t sure if that was better or worse.
The silence between us stretched unbearably, broken only by the crunch of snow under our hooves, my throat tightening as I tried to swallow back the words clawing their way up.

At last, when we finally reached the house, Solstice paused at the door, her hoof lingered on the handle as if debating something.

She then turned to me, her red eyes softer but no less piercing than they’d always been.

“Dusk…”

Her voice was quiet, but there was no mistaking the resolve in it.

“Go inside. I’ll be there in a minute.”
I nodded silently, slipping past her and into the warmth of the house.

The sound of laughter and chatter from my mom and sister in the kitchen should’ve been comforting, but instead, it just filled me with a sense of cold as I ascended the stairs to my room, not even bothering to take off my bundled attire.

My room was as I’d left it, albeit for the messy bed and lowering sun beaming through the windows…

A beaming heat.

I hastily drew the curtains shut, trying to get that burning image out of my mind.

That foal’s face. Frozen, wide-eyed.

The same expression I’d seen so many times before.

I sank onto the edge of my bed, burying my face in my hooves, my burden feeling like a dam bursting at the seams…

“Dusk..? It’s me.”

I didn’t respond, but the door creaked open anyway, Solstice then stepped in and closed it gently behind her.

She didn’t say anything, just pulling up the chair from my desk and sitting down across from me, staring at me as if trying to assess something.

The silence wasn’t comfortable, but it wasn’t tense either.

It felt like she was waiting for something—for me to speak first.

But I didn’t… I couldn’t.

Finally, she broke the quiet.

“Do you want to tell me what happened back there?”

Her tone was calm and measured, but there was an undercurrent of concern that made my chest tighten.

I felt my head shake, my eyes still firmly staring at the carpeted floor.

“Dusk,”

She said again, more firmly this time.

“I need you to talk to me. I need to understand what’s going on with you… Please.”
Then, the words spilled out before I could stop them.

“You wouldn’t understand, Solstice, you can’t. You weren’t there. You didn’t see what I saw, didn’t have to—”

My voice cracked, making me come to an abrupt halt, a shaky breath emerging from my muzzle.
She didn’t flinch, didn’t interrupt. She just waited, her expression unwavering.

“I-It was the way that foal looked at me,”

I admitted quietly, my voice shaking.

“That… that fear. I’ve seen it before, so, so many times. I-In villages we passed through, in ponies I couldn’t save! Every time I think I’ve buried it, s-something like this happens and it all comes flooding back in!”
I looked up at her then, expecting pity, but there was none.

Just quiet understanding.

“I feel like I’m losing myself,”

I whispered, looking down at my body as it lightly quivered.

“I-I came back, but I don’t feel whole anymore… Like there’s just this void in my heart, a-and the worst part is I don’t even know if I deserve to be rid of it!”

Her expression softened as she paused for a moment, but then she leaned forward, placing a hoof on mine.

“Dusk, you’re not alone in this. It may seem like we don’t understand, and you’re right, we don’t… But you have family, friends—me—ponies who… Who want to help you. You just have to let us.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but she held up a hoof.

“Don’t tell me you’re fine. You’re not… And that’s okay. What’s not okay is you shutting us out, acting like you have to deal with this all on your own.”

Her words hit like a hammer, shattering the fragile barrier I’d built around myself without even fully realizing it.
My vision blurred, a stream running down my cheeks, and I realized I was crying.

I hadn’t cried since the war, not once…

But now I just couldn’t stop.
It was then that Solstice moved closer, wrapping me in a tight, warm, and familiar embrace.

I stiffened at first, but then, slowly, I let myself lean into her.

And, for the first time in months, the weight on my chest felt just a little lighter.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The smell of roasted chestnuts and cinnamon drifted through the house, pulling me back into the present.

Solstice led me downstairs, her hoof brushing against mine as if to remind me she was still there, although it felt as if it lingered for just a moment longer than usual.

Nightfall was the first to spot us, her face lighting up.

“There you are! We were starting to think you’d bailed on us.”

Her teasing tone was light, but her eyes were searching, as if trying to gauge how I was doing.

In response, I gave her a small smile—genuine this time—and her shoulders relaxed.

Dinner passed in a blur of laughter and stories, some of them funny memories and others of Hearth’s Warming traditions.

Next to me sat Solstice, and across from us Nightfall alongside my mother, an empty chair at the head of the table.

For the first time in years, I allowed myself to be part of it, occasionally laughing alongside them and even butting in to give a comment or two.

It was much to the relief of the others, especially my sister, who seemed to be in far brighter spirits as a result.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I stood outside on the porch, watching snowflakes drift lazily through the crisp night air.

The town was quiet now, the festive lights casting a soft glow over the powdered streets.

In my hoof, I held the Dove ornament, its silver sheen catching the moonlight.

As I looked down at it, and turned it over, the familiar weight grounded me.

For the first time, the memories that Dove stirred didn’t feel suffocating—they felt like a reminder of who I’d been, and who I still always would be.

With a deep breath, I set the dove gently on the porch railing and looked up at the stars.

Somewhere out there, I hoped that not only my father, but everypony else was looking down on me, and that hope gave me a strange sense of peace.

Then, I heard the door creak open behind me, and Solstice stepped out, a scarf wrapped snugly around her neck.

“You coming back in?”

“In a minute,”

I replied, my voice calm and unwavering.

She didn’t press me at all, just nodding and lingering for a moment before heading inside.

Alone again, I smiled faintly.

The stars really were pretty this time of year…

Author's Note

I've worked really hard on this for about two weeks now, I hope ya'll enjoy it!