//------------------------------//
// 46. Soldier's Dream 
// Story: Guardians of the Elements of Harmony 
// by mcb893 
//------------------------------//

One Week After the Funeral...

Moore watched as Frank tried to figure out which way he was supposed to tie his bowtie. The Grand Galloping Gala was only a few hours away, and Rarity had made all the soldiers tuxedos for the evening. With the exception of Jessica, whom she gave a dress.

"How exactly am I supposed to get this thing on?" He heard from behind. Looking back, he watched as Jack fumbled with his bowtie, getting his hand caught in the instrument. He groaned as he pulled his hand out of it, and shook his head as he went at it again. Moore chuckled and shook his head as he finished tying his. He stepped back and placed his hands behind him, observing himself in a mirror. He wore a jet black tuxedo, with a small, snow white collar surrounding his neck. In his right torso pocket was a purple flower, and underneath it was an American flag. He chuckled as he observed his bowtie, which was not in the greatest shape. It was crooked, with one of the sides pointing upwards toward his face. He shook his head and straightened the tie. He looked down to his arm, carried a collar around his wrist, with several black buttons around it. He twisted and observed the palm of his hand, still had marks from where the battle gloves had been.

"Not a bad designer, I'll give her that." He hears from his side. Looking over, he sees Derek, finishing tightening the collars around his wrist. Like Moore, he had a jet black tuxedo with a collar, but he had an orange flower, and the American flag under his was that of the original thirteen colonies. The tuxedos Rarity had made were all slightly different, making each one special for the particular soldier. Moore nodded, observing the mirror once more. Derek came up behind him and shook his head.

"I am not looking forward to this at all." He said with a somewhat exhausted tone, which sounded forced. Moore shook his head.

"Neither am I Sergeant. Neither am I." He said calmly. Derek shrugs and looks over to Jack, chuckling. Moore looks over to him as well, seeing him continue to struggle with his tie. Moore shook his head, telling Derek to meet him outside when the others were ready. Derek nodded and went over to help Jack, while Moore opened the door and walked outside. Looking up to the skies, he could see it's normally blue atmosphere turn to a light shade of orange as twilight descended into dusk. A few stars had already made an appearance, and the moon was just starting to appear over the horizon as the sun began to set. Moore smiled and sat down on a nearby chair as he watched the skies. Peace. Something every soldier longed for... Dreamed of experiencing, where you don't have to worry about anyone getting home safely, because they already are. Finally, he was a part of it. A soldier who fought for liberty and freedom, finally getting the reward that all soldiers wanted deep down. No more fighting, no more watching the endless bloodshed. It almost seemed to good to be true.

"Hey Staff Sergeant." He heard from behind. Looking back, he spotted Jacob walking towards him, casually taking a seat next to him. Moore nodded and looked back to the sky, watching as the sun continued to fall farther down the mountain top, making way for the moon.

"You think it's out there?" He heard Jacob ask. Moore turned to him and raised an eyebrow, asking what he meant.

"Home. Earth. You think it's out there?" He asked again. Moore nodded and shrugged. He hadn't really been thinking about Earth lately. Home seemed so far away. He could only imagine how far away it was, light years probably.

"I think it's out there. I don't know when we'll see it again though." He said. Jacob nodded and laid back in his chair, tracing the stars in the sky with his eyes, as though trying to memorize their patterns. He sighed as he lounged back, trying to get comfortable in his tux. Moore crossed one leg over his lap, watching as the sky began to fade into a light shade of purple, indicating the beginning of the falling night.

"Wonder what's happened back there." Jacob said as his eyes shifted towards his front. Moore looked at him, and noticed him with his chin resting in open hands, covering his mouth and part of his nose. Moore shook his head.

"There's no way we can be sure. But what I do know is that as long as there are men like us, they won't stop fighting. Especially the Captain." Moore said with a slight smile. Jacob chuckled and shook his head.

"Yeah, probably right. Just wish I could know what was happening. You know? With your family and stuff?" He asked. Moore turned away, rubbing his hands uncomfortably, and Jacob looked down.

"Sorry... Forgot..." He said as he rubbed the back of his head. Moore shook his head and told him it was fine. The sun had all but vanished now, and the moon moved higher into the sky, giving a white glow to the stars and the trees, while ponies around them walked around, buying various things, like life had never been different. Moore smiled. It was sights like this that made him proud to be a soldier. Seeing peaceful towns, where civilians didn't have to worry about being attacked in the night, and rest easy.

"We did good work here." Moore said aloud. He looked over to Jacob, and saw him nod, smiling.

"Yeah, we did. We lost one of guys doing it though." He said with a sigh. He shook his head, looking back down to the ground. Moore looked away as well, remembering Hank. The young kid had a lot of life left in him. They all did actually, but he was by far the youngest. 21 at the most. Just a kid. Moore shook his head and looked back to the sky.

"At least he gave his life for what he believed in. What every soldier is trained to do." He heard Jacob say. Moore nodded. Looking back over to Jacob, he saw him playing the collars on his wrists, placing a small pink flower petal there. Moore sighed and looked up, seeing the others walk out the doorway. It was off the Gala now.