Steve and his companions headed for the train station, leaving the town behind them. They walked alone under the bright moonlight. Steve looked at his companions. The Corporal had her one of her forelegs wrapped in a bandage to prevent the bleeding. She let that leg lie on Stone’s back who supported her as she walked. Stone, however, was still smiling, having completed the mission. Iron Hooves also had a smile on his face. Scarlett Shadow was ecstatic about completing her first mission.
“I still can’t believe it. We infiltrated a rebel base and killed so many guards. That felt so badass.” She continued on. Steve sighed.
“That’s the good side of the job.” Steve said.
“Well, then what’s the bad side?” She asked. Steve stopped for a second. He stood still thinking of an answer.
“Watching your brothers and sisters in arms getting killed knowing there’s nothing you can do about it.” Steve responded. He stood still, remembering his friends. He remembered watching them all parish during one night, watching them all get cut down, one by one, and seeing his town in ruins as he fled the scene. He snapped out of it and continued walking. “That’s the bad side of the job.” He stated simply.
They all walked in silence as they headed to the train station, save for a few quiet groans by the Corporal. Once they arrived, they each got a ticket and prepared to leave. A few minutes later, the train arrived. They all boarded, still in silence. They all took their seats and waited for the train to depart. After a few seconds, the train left the station, en route for Canterlot. They sat in silence for a few seconds.
“Steve,” the lieutenant asked, getting the crafter’s attention, “after all that’s happened to you, all the pain and loss, how do you keep going?”
“I don’t really know.” Steve said. “I’ve never felt suicidal in my life, despite being alone. I guess I’m just trying to make the sacrifices of my friends worth it. If I die, all of their deaths will be for nothing.”
“Hey, Steve,” Scarlett Shadow said, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. You’re young. I get that you’re new to this fighting stuff, and you probably won’t be doing this for a while considering you’re just an assistant. I understand what it’s like. It reminds me of when I first joined.” Steve said.
”Steve reporting for duty, sir!” The crafter said.
“Squad number 2.” The commanding officer told him, pointing in the direction of a squad.
“I remember seeing my friends there.”
”Steve?” A familiar voice asked. Steve whirled around to see his good friend Mitch standing behind him.
“Hey Mitch!” The crafter said giving his friend i high five. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you. What’s your assignment?”
“I’m assigned to the east tower.” Mitch said, pointing in a direction. “Intelligence suggest the enemy is coming in from that side.”
“Alright. I’ll be ready.”
“I remember fighting in battle. I always did what it took. Whether it be against mobs.”
Steve sliced at a zombie, killing it. He turned and kicked a spider that had tried to jump at him. The crafter walked over and finished the arachnid off.
“Or other crafters.”
Steve deflected a sword that someone tried to attack him with. He pushed the other crafter back, before slicing at him sideways. His enemy blocked the hit, but had his sword forcefully knocked down. Steve pushed his sword through his enemy’s chest and killed the other crafter.
“I remember that one fateful night, where I lost everything.”
”Steve!” He heard Mitch shout.
“Mitch?” Steve turned to his friend who was crawling to him. “What the Nether happened? Where’s Alex?”
“Dead!” He responded. “We were caught off guard by-“ the crafter couldn’t finish his sentence before a witch threw a potion of harming at him, killing him. He let out one last cry, before perishing.
“No!” Steve shouted.
Steve shut his eyes tightly, trying not to cry. He couldn’t help it. Small tears formed in his eyes, and they slowly made their way down his cheeks. He hung his head low.
“I just miss them.” He said between sobs. Suddenly, he felt two hooves wrap around him. He looked up to see the lieutenant giving him a hug.
“It’s okay, Steve.” He reassured him. “We’re here for you.”
“Thanks, man.” Steve smiled, returning the hug.
The train arrived back at Canterlot pretty damn close to midnight. The streets were mostly clear, save for a few late workers. The squad made their way back to the castle. Stone looked at the two guards guarding the front entrance.
“Lieutenant Stone.” The lieutenant said. “Here for debriefing.”
“Alright, you may proceed.” The guard said, opening the door. The five walked in to the mostly empty halls. They walked to the meeting room where the they would receive their debriefing. They entered the room. Celestia was waiting for them there. She looked at the five. They were beaten and bruised but still alive.
“I see you retrieved the engineer.” She said.
“We did. It wasn’t easy, but we managed to do it.” Steve told her.
“Well, I will inform the others what happened tomorrow.” She said. “You are dismissed.”
“Thank you.” Steve said as they all turned to leave.
“Steve,” The alicorn said, getting his attention, “would you like to stay in Canterlot for the night? I know you don’t have a way of getting home.”
“You’re right. I guess I’ll stay the night.”
“Alright, follow me and I’ll take you to the guest rooms.”
“Thanks.”
“Steve,” Celestia said, “after careful consideration, we have concluded that you are indeed fit to serve in this position.”
“Thank you.” Steve said. He looked at the conference table. Royals and government officials sat all around. The crafter shared a warm smile. They all clapped in acceptance of the crafter.
“Tomorrow, we will have your official swearing in. After that, you can begin work.”
“Once again, I thank you all.” Steve responded.
“You’re all dismissed.” The ponies all rose from the table and made their way towards the exit.
“They seem pretty busy.” Steve said.
“They need to do as much work as they can.” She said. “Especially now.”
“Why now in particular?”
“Equestria just came out of a recession. They’re preventing that from happening, again.” She told him.
“I remember when my country went through a recession. I was still a young teen. Sure, I had the body of an adult, but that didn’t help me comprehend what was happening.”
“Steve, if I may ask, what was it like being a government official in your world?”
“It was pretty chaotic. There were fights with mobs frequently, and it didn’t help that I was the Secretary of Defense. I had to do more work than most other government bodies. At the end of the day, it was still a pretty calm job, compared to what I used to be. Come in, drink coffee, do your work, refrain from punching that vegan bitch in the Department of Agriculture because she bet I’d ‘eat my dog’ that I didn’t even have, and then go home. Pretty calm.” Steve finished.
“Well, that’s pretty similar to what we do here. Of course there’s a lot less work because we’re in a state of peace. For now.”
“So I should be fine?”
“Knowing you, you’re gonna be fine.” She smiled.
“Thanks.” Steve said back.