MLP: Friendship is Forgiving Part 1

The sky was shrouded in an overcast of clouds near the border of Equestria and the Changeling Territory. The two sides have been warring over border disputes, each conflict escalating the violence. A wide, dried-up creek bed separated the two Armies. Each side is dug in and plotting their next move. No living creature dared to traverse the no pony's land in between. None, except for the brave ponies fighting for their country. The chilly Autumn wind swept across the Equestrian lines. Three squad leaders, an Earth Pony, Unicorn, and Pegasus, were gathered around a fire. The rest of their squads were sitting in their trenches closer to the front line.

“The weather is only going to get worse. Winter is coming.” Commented the Earth Pony, trying to strike up a conversation. His green eyes were fixed on the fire. Like most Earth Ponies, he had a strong build with broad shoulders and muscular legs. His blue hair didn't provide much of a barrier against the cold for his body. His dark blue mane didn't keep the heat in as well, since it was Army regulation to keep it trimmed. The cold steel of his helmet felt like ice against his skull.

“Don't remind us, Duke,” replied the Unicorn. “What I wouldn't give to be one of those Guard Ponies.” He rolled his brown eyes at Duke. The Unicorn then turned his attention to his dirt-covered white hair, and brushed the dirt out of his black mane, “At least then we wouldn't have to worry about the cold or rolling in the dirt.” He was much shorter in height and had narrow legs lacking sizable muscle, but his powerful magic made up for it.

“Flare, you mean those weekend warrior ponies?” remarked the gray Pegasus, “Did you also decide to turn in your stallion card?” The Pegasus was still cleaning his wings that seemed to be too massive for his short body, but he made good use of them.

“Yeah, being cold and unclean is in our job description.” Added Duke.

“Oh Skies, you're just mad at yourself for not joining the Guard. Maybe then that scar wouldn't be on your face, and the pretty mares would warm up to you.”

Duke snickered.

Skies glared at Flare. He removed his helmet revealing the disfigured skin on the left side of his face that his hair slightly covered, scar across his left eye, and the patches of his red mane that won't grow back. His age was much more visible with a few wrinkles appearing around his eyes. He was the oldest in the entire platoon, one of the few fathers with a wife and children at home. He growled, “You guys are really going to go there.”

Flare apologized, he forgot that Skies hasn't mentioned the injury in any of his letters home. “I'm sorry Skies, I didn't mean anything by it. Your wife will think nothing less of you when she finds out, just remember she loves you for who you are. Why else would she marry and have a colt with you.”

A smile slowly appeared, signaling Skies had accepted the apology and forgave Flare for the comment. It was really out of place anyway being that Skies was a married Pegasus.

“Cheer up Skies. Besides, you can be my wingman any day.” Joked Duke.

Skies snorted, “Duke, you NEED the help. Remember that mare that backhoofed you while we were on liberty in Manehatten?” Skies quoted what Duke had said just before the incident, “I got this guys, *hic*, I'll have this hottie eating out of my h—*hic*—oof in no time!” Skies imitated the staggered walk Duke did after having seven too many ciders.

Duke's smile vanished, and Skies and Flare broke out laughing while reminiscing on the old memory. Skies suddenly stopped as his eyes caught something behind the other two. Duke and Flare noticed Skies looking past them and turned to see the lieutenant trotting up to them from the rear. He was a tall Earth Pony with brown hair that shined despite the overcast and a black mane with a medium cut. Officers could grow out their mane. His eyes gleamed a bright yellow-orange as he confidently strode toward his troops.

“Lieutenant Spirit, sir, how do you manage to keep yourself clean out here on the lines?” Humored Duke.

“Unfortunately, as an officer I have to spend more time in that command tent instead of being out here with my troops, Sergeant.” Spirit replied.

Flare cracked a smile, “Let me guess, command wants us to hurry up and wait some more?”

Duke and Skies chuckled, but Spirit was not amused by the joke.

The Sergeants looked at each other, and Skies spoke up first, “So we're finally going to assault, assuming the 12-25th Wing took out the magic artillery.”

"We all knew the attack was coming, but we had hoped the 12-25th would pull through on their end of the attack; they didn't. Only half of their magic artillery was taken out, our sector being one of the  many unaffected."

Duke cried out up, "Sir, command still wants us to assault with the magic artillery still intact? We're totally exposed on that bed. We'll be decimated once we get close!"

"Calm yourself Sergeant Duke,” Lieutenant Spirit quickly responded,  “We can take them out."

"You have a plan, sir?" asked Flare.

“For our sake, you better hope so.” Duke added.

Sergeant Skies was silent. He is focused solely on the mission to come. He had a hunch that his squad would be the one to take it out.

"Yes, now listen up, here's the OPORD."

The OPORD, or Operation Order, contained critical information that every soldier must know in order to successfully complete the mission at hand. The sergeants stowed their worries of the impending assault and gave all attention to the lieutenant.

Lieutenant Spirit began, "Situation: Approximately 60 enemy Changelings are entrenched at the other side of the bed. Their morale is good, and will fight back if engaged. Mission: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd squad will assault the enemy position and push the enemy off the creek and through the Rocky Ridge Pass. Execution: Time now is 1513. Assault will commence at 1600. Sergeant Skies, you will initiate the charge and lead 1st squad to take out the magic artillery with a fly-by flanking maneuver. Speed is key. You will be covered by 2nd squad, lead by Sergeant Flare, that will take cover behind the rock in the middle of the creek and provide suppressing fire. Sergeant Duke and 3rd squad will assault with 2nd squad and break off once 2nd squad makes it to the rock and commences suppressing fire. 3rd squad will continue to charge the enemy lines in wedge formation. Once 3rd squad makes it to the enemy lines, 2nd squad will lift fire and assault. Sergeant Flare, it is imperative that your squad keeps any changelings from taking off and intercepting 1st squad, and from attacking 3rd squad during their charge. Even if Sergeant Skies can get a clean shot to the magic artillery, there is still a good chance the enemy will launch a few magic shells. Be prepared to hit the deck and the first sight of incoming. Service Support: All wounded will be taken behind the rock or back to the trenches for treatment. Command: I will be assaulting with 3rd squad.” Spirit paused and looked at his sergeants, “Any questions?"

The sergeants answered in unison, “No, sir.”

As seasoned veterans, they were well familiar with the OPORD and can execute it without a problem. Satisfied, the lieutenant gave the order to fall out. The sergeants went to their squads to inform their subordinates of the impending assault. Sergeant Duke hesitated, but continued toward his squad. Lieutenant Spirt noticed and called to the sergeant.

“Duke, is there a problem?”

The sergeant hesitated once again, but reluctantly gave in, “Lieutenant Spirit, sir, I—it's just—”

Spirit interrupted, “Duke, we go all the way back to basic training. Spare me the courtesy. What's wrong?”

Duke cracked a smile and continued, “Tough Spirit, we've been through a lot, and your leadership has yet to falter—but what's troubling me is the magic artillery. You know as well as I do that even a few shells can inflict heavy casualties. Do you honestly think my squad, your platoon, can take that?”

Spirit understood Duke's worries. Magic artillery was a very effective and deadly weapon. The shells didn't have a concussive force, but there were loud like thunder from lightning and bright as the sun. They temporarily deafened nearby ponies. What made the shells so deadly though was the magical bolts that shot in every direction upon detonation. At close range, the bolts pierced any armor or magical shield and cut through the body like a knife through warm butter. If that didn't kill the pony, then the electrocution that followed did.

Tough Spirit paused, then sighed, “This is one of those times where I applied every tactic, looked at every possibility, and analyzed every outcome, but in the end, all we can do is hope that they miss their mark. It's not wise to rely on an unknown variable that will determine the result, but we have a job that needs to get done.”

Duke was silent.

“I promise you this old friend: we will make it through this same as always—together.” Spirit added reassuringly.

Duke smiled and raised his right hoof up to a salute, “No matter what happens, it's been an honor serving with you, sir.”

Spirit returned the salute, “Likewise, old friend.”

Duke fell out to inform his squad. Spirit turned and gazed at the Changeling lines with dismay and uncertainty, and he thought to himself.

It's only a matter of time...

…

The sky was still overcast. The cold breeze has picked up strong gusts and swept across the barren creek bed. Other than the rustle of the nearby bushes and trees, all was quiet. The Equestrian soldiers gathered at their lines in preparation for the attack. The time of assault was almost upon them. The soldiers, both green and veterans alike, were tense and unsure of the outcome. When the time came though, fear, worry, anger, all emotions would be set aside to accomplish the mission at hand. That's how they were trained and taught according to the warrior ethos:

I will always place the mission first.

I will never accept defeat.

I will never quit.

I will never leave a fallen comrade.

Then, like a lightning bolt in the dead of the night, the order was given, “CHARGE!”

Sergeant Skies yelled and his squad took off in formation, darting toward and past the opposing lines. The Changelings were startled, but they quickly gathered themselves and rose to intercept the Pegasi. Flare and 2nd squad by now have reached the rock and commenced firing. The Changelings caught in the open air were shot down by 2nd squad and their barrage of magic. First squad had the clean shot to the magic artillery, but a few shells were still launched.

“Hit the deck!” Was all Spirit had time to yell to warn his troops. All of 3rd squad fell to the ground, hoping the shells would miss there mark, all except one. The detonation occurred in slow motion when Spirit saw Duke still charging. The explosion released a bright light that forced Spirit to glance away, and the boom made his ears ring. Duke was struck by multiple bolts, and once the electrical current was grounded, he fell. Spirit could not see nor hear, but he could feel his friend crumple and fall toward the ground. When Spirit could finally look, his eyes were wide with terror. He saw his ally, his friend lying lifelessly on the ground. Spirit was so stunned and astonished that Duke tried to continue his charge, that he didn't notice two other soldiers hit. Duke was a combat veteran. He should have knew better.

“Corporal Blaze, continue the assault!” Commanded Lieutenant Spirit to another pony. He rushed over to his fallen friend. He was still alive.

“Spirit,” Duke coughed, “What happened? Will I be alright?”

The lieutenant saw the extent of his wounds, appearing to go through his chest and abdomen. The was no way he would survive. The fact Duke was able to speak, let alone had a heart that was still beating, is nothing short of a miracle.

“You're going to be fine.” answered Spirit. He was lying. Blood was filling Duke's mouth and leaking out of his body. He was choking while trying to gurgle his last words. Even if he was rushed straight to a field hospital, the chances of survival would still be slim. Spirit wouldn't give up in any case, but he needed to find a medic.

“ALL ABOARD!”

The lieutenant was dumbfounded. What did he say? The medic sprinted up to Spirit and asked, “Sir, did you call for a ALL ABOARD!”

The battlefield suddenly began to fade away, the creek bed, rock, and the sky all vanished. The medic was gone and Spirit was alone with Duke in the eternal darkness. Duke looked up at Spirit and uttered his final words that Spirit will never forget:

You promised.

Then, just like everything else, Duke vanished. He looked around at the empty void that surrounded him. He was alone.

Spirit jolted awake on a bench in the Canterlot station. He looks around to find ponies leaving the platform and boarding the train while waving goodbye to their loved ones. The train's whistle blew and the conductor gave another last call to board the train.

“ALL ABOARD!”

“These dreams are beginning to feel too real.” said Spirit, quietly commenting to himself. He remembered how the attack was a huge military success. He gained the land the Changelings had took in a purge to break the Equestrian lines. His troops penetrated far enough and held their position to create a gap in the Changeling's lines for more soldiers to pour through and take out the remaining magic artillery in a massive battalion flanking maneuver . Spirit was even awarded two medals and promoted on the spot. He wouldn't hesitate to give it all up to have his friend back.

He glanced down at his watch and noticed the train is 3 hours late. Forget about being on time, he'll be lucky if he arrived it to appointment before the office closes. He gathered his belongings and boarded the train as it lurched forward. His ticket was punched and he grabbed a seat next to the window. Nopony chose to sit with him.

He tried to stay awake for the remainder of the ride, but after the wedding fiasco, he was too tired to ward off his drowsiness. He tried to reason and convince himself to stay awake. He would be able to get plenty of rest during his forced leave. Spirit still resented Princess Celestia for siding with Shining Armor. Only Princess Luna understood him, but she was overruled. If there wasn't such a large division between the Equestrian Army and Guard, then maybe this dispute could have been avoided. On the other hand, Shining Armor should listen to Spirit, a seasoned veteran who dealt with Changelings for years, when he advised Shining Armor on security protocol instructions.

There are two halves to the Equestria's military, The Army and The Guard. The Guard consists of two branches The Regular Guard which protects Equestria from internal threats, and the Royal Guard which protects Canterlot and Royalty. There are three branches to the Equestrian Army: the Ground Forces, Air Forces, and Naval Forces. Their job is to protect Equestria from external threats. The Army is always on the front lines, and kept there. There is a constant rotation of Army ponies in and out of the lines, but leave never seems to be long enough. The Guard always stays in the cities, they haven't been pressed into combat on the battlefield for many years. Only during a full scale war are Guard ponies pressed into service on the front. Therefore, the Army grew a resentment of the Guard for calling themselves soldiers, the same title given to Army ponies, but not seeing a moment of action.

Eventually, Spirit gave in. The train seat was so much more comfortable than the bench, and the clickity clack of the railroad track slowly lulled him to sleep.