//------------------------------//
// Rain: Entry 172 
// Story: The War Diaries of Countess Sweet Bun, New Lunar Republic 
// by CountDerpy 
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But if war itself is Mars, as speech is Mercury, I wish it were as true that there were no war to be falsely called a god, as it is true that it is not a god.


ST. AUGUSTINE



The City of God








Rain is a welcome sound. As much as I love a bright sunny day or a calm night, the rain brings its own sense of calm. I can hear it beating down on the thatched roof above my head as I write.

I managed to make the rest of the flight In record time, though I suspect I will be feeling it in the morning. 83 very long and draining miles through clear skies and fair winds. If it had been any other time I may have enjoyed a trip like that, taking my time to see the sights along the way. Too dangerous and not important now.

My guess about a gathering point in the forest was a correct assumption, and I’d managed to find the gathering Night Guard forces much faster than I had anticipated at a ruined town in the depths of the sea of trees maybe 12 miles in. Spotting lights moving in the near total darkness of the forest floor was rather easy after all. As well as the ruins of an old castle being fortified in record time.

The medical encampment gladly took me in after the journey, any suspicion of me halted by my old Guard ranks I had brought along. I’ve been resting here ever since, my wings on ice to prevent them from locking up as much as possible by morning and salves for the windburn reaching beneath the feathers.

I was questioned by a couple of the commanding officers about my late arrival. I told them only a half truth, Celestia had me locked up for being a traitor and I managed to escape during a riot in the dungeons. In truth, as I have written before, Celestia herself let me go.

She had come to talk with me a few hours after I had been locked away. Her face had lost all the harshness she had worn like a mask in the throne room. It had taken some convincing to have the visit be private, her guard being reluctant to let her out of sight for even a second. When they did finally relent and leave, I nearly broke down in sobs as I hugged her, begging and pleading for her to forgive me for my words. Not the cries of a convict asking for leniency but of a friend making up for wrongdoings.

She forgave me almost instantly, suspecting that I hadn’t been truly forthcoming with my act upstairs. Truly the same kind and loving ruler as ever under the veneer of a stoic ruler in war. It still took me nearly 20 minutes to finally calm down. We talked for a while afterwards. I told her of my fears, my concerns for Luna and her wellbeing, the thoughts in my head that meant doing what I had too in the presence of all the others. She spoke to me of her own fears of the same, that the Nightmare could be influencing her once again. She was shaking at the thought of having to do something like that to her sister once more if it came to it, but she had to fight on to protect the nation from whatever was about to happen.

“Even if it means having to strike down my flesh and blood once more under the old flags of division.”

I don’t feel comfortable mentioning more than that, even in something as private as you, little book. Somethings deserve never to be spoken of again, like the two friends pouring their hearts out to each other.

Things happened quickly after that. She passed along to me an enchanted bag that could hold many times it’s space in items, broke the cuffs binding me and the barred window that let in nothing but the smallest of breezes. She asked me to flee, find Luna, make sure she was alright, send word when it was safe to do so. She would make it look like I had escaped by surprise, we were both unsure if it would be believable to the guards.

“Uphold the Oath of Loyalty and Honor you took, if not that then do this for me my friend. Make sure Luna is safe.”

So I fled with her words in mind, stopping by the bakery just to grab the essentials. My old ranks and rapier, a few books on medicinal herbs and first aid, recipes collected by my family for generations, and a few other items of importance. From there it was just the matter of escaping Canterlot and making my way here.

And now I lay in this bed and wait, the waiting was always the worst. I had requested private audience with the Princess, under another lie of information from Canterlot. The young thestral, a Lieutenant, gave his word he would try, gave me a salute and left. I didn’t bother with one back, I wasn’t a Captain anymore, and I was too tired to even try. I must try to rest for now, the rain sounds like it’s beginning to let up. Maybe I’ll get some sleep tonight, but I imagine not.

Celestia did leave me one more present in the bag, a token of gratitude and friendship. The recipe she had been hiding from me for months. Quintuple Banana Nut Muffins.

Might have to try them sometime soon.


-Diary of Countess Sweet Bun, Entry 172. Hour 25 of the War.