//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Soldiers Die // by Gimtek //------------------------------// Chapter 3 Ashes to Ashes Twilight casts a grim look at Princess Luna, she had done as much as she can to prepare herself for learning intimate details of her mentor's past, but she wasn't sure she could handle both her mentor and her hero in one sitting. "Do you think we could maybe skip past all the Star Swirl the Bearded stuff that appears to be coming up and maybe just focus on the Princess?" She requests. "I'm really interested in knowing about him just as much as my teacher, but...." She trails off. "Please, Twilight, this is a very important part of the story, I realize that Star Swirl the Bearded is an important role model for you." Luna peeks out of the corner of her eye at the window, seeing nothing but a partly cloudy night sky. "For Tia's sake I won't leave anything out, no matter how unimportant." She sees the purple mare's ears droop some. "Besides, you would be surprised how much you two are alike." Her ears perked up with curiosity. "Really? How can that be? I'm just a lowly student and he was the greatest unicorn to ever live!" She exclaimed, only partially believing her friend's statement. "He was a student just like you under my sister and myself." Luna nodded. "And he studied for hours and hours everyday, and never missed a session with either of us in his thirst for knowledge." "Wait... You were in charge of night and the princess at day... When did he...?" Twilight fishes for more details, when only moments ago didn't want any details on him. "He developed a refreshment spell that granted a night's rest to body and mind when cast on himself." Luna grinned at Twilight taking the bait. Twilight Sparkle tried to to hold back, but it was too much. All that raced through her mind was 'STUDIES ARE NEVER INTERRUPTED BY SLEEP AGAIN!' She was about to calmly ask how to cast the spell in a matter that would make Luna not think it was a big deal and spill the beans, but when her mind caught up to what her body was doing she quickly became embarrassed. Apparently she was at laying in front of Luna's hooves looking up with big doughy eyes and saying "Please teach me! Please teach me! I'll do anything for you!" After standing back up slowly in front of the giggling princess, she regained her composure and returned to her seat. "I mean, please?" Her cheeks were flush as she tried to smile the embarrassment away. "Maybe later..." Luna laughs, "I will see if my sister will teach you. I don't know the spell personally, but I'm sure she's used it a lot over the last millennium." She sees that she has Twilight's full attention. "Let us continue...." Xiphos leaves the great hall of the moon princess and lets out an audible sigh. The guards from before eye him nervously as they watch him pass between them and slowly head away toward the south tower. Too many emotions race through his mind, sadness over Misty's death, anger at the princess over his promotion, her pink mane and smile floods his mind suddenly, pushing the negative out and bringing him to a smile briefly before he remembers that he will never see them again. He slowly approaches the tower, a large stone-blocked circular structure that stand different from the other square towers, getting himself prepared for the worst. He wonders if Front or Onyx will become commander after tonight, fearing now that the student of the alicorns themselves will erase him from existence. The entrance at the base of the tower was a little used wooden door. Cracked and splintered, it leaks blue light from an unknown source inside. The latch surrenders after just a tiny knock that swings the door open with a loud creak and revealing a simple spiral stone stairway. Looking around he sees glowing blue drawings and writing on the walls, ceilings, floor, and even the steps themselves were covered. Fortunately his hoof steps were not smudging or damaging the writings in any way, so he sighed with some relief and began his ascent. Strange chemical odors and sounds of metal, stone, and wood grinding away on one another faintly filled the air. Eventually he reaches the top, a small platform with a simple wooden door, much cleaner and sturdier looking than the entrance below. He gives several knocks and waits, hoping that it will be a painless and merciful death. He sees her pink mane again in his mind as it sways back in forth tied up behind her head. She looks back at him and smiles just as he snaps out of his daydream. The door still motionless and closed, he knocks again before taking a hold on the handle. Realizing there is no lock on the door at all he swings it open cautiously. "Hello?" Xiphos cranes his head through the door, immediately getting a maneful of cobwebs in his dark brown mane. The door obviously hadn't been used in ages. When Misty had introduced him to her famous brother, they were in the palace providing extra security for an ambassadorial visit from the dragon broods, so it was a brief meeting, barely having time to shake hooves and say hello before returning to whatever celestial students do at ambassadorial visits. He brushes the cobwebs away and opens the door fully, finding himself surrounded by dozens of shelves and tables piled high with books, scrolls, writing tools, strange bubbling liquids in vials over candles, and machinery with gears turning and magical motors whirring. It was hard to see past the tables in front of the forgotten doorway to the rest of the expansive chamber at the top of the tower. "Hello!?" He calls again, louder, but still no reply comes. He cautiously leaves the doorway and ventures into the laboratory. A few steps in, Xiphos sees a table with an interesting object on it. He peers into a jar containing a tiny blue furry ball with cute eyes and four tiny wings. He leans in to get a better look when it suddenly coughs up an identical looking orange version of itself, spooking him into backing up suddenly, knocking some dusty scrolls off another table. He turns to gather the scrolls as he eyes one rolling away down an aisle. He walks after it and stops as it disappears under a wall of pink hair. Shaking his head in disbelief his mouth opens again "Misty?" He says quietly as the owner of the pink tail turns, revealing a white coated flank bearing a mark he had seen on every bit and every seal in the kingdom. Large white wings with shining feathers remain folded against her sides and she she completes the turn, her soft smile and purple eyes and long white horn become visible as her pink mane flows out of the way. Shaking off his surprise, he quickly realizes who this pony is and bows before her. "Please rise, my little pony." Celestia says in a reassuring voice and levitates the scroll that rolled into her hooves. "I believe you dropped something." She sends it slowly over to Xiphos who takes it silently and places it onto a table next to himself. "I hadn't realized that my student had another assistant other than Gyruss." "I'm not an assistant, your highness," he tries to maintain eye contact but keeps drifting to the floor, trying not to stare at her. "I have just returned from a mission to investigate some gryphon attacks under orders of her highness, Princess Luna. I came to speak with Star Swirl about a private matter." He hopes that the princess will leave to make this easier and less distracting. He looks up at her face, so serene and happy compared to her sister Luna. She turns back to another pony behind her and glances between the two. "My faithful student, you have a messenger." Celestia tells the other student and steps aside, her posture remaining regal as she allows Xiphos to pass. "We shall take a short break and can continue the lesson when you two are finished." She then wanders a few steps away to examine some documentation scattered around a dormant device on a table. The other pony looked extremely disappointed at the interruption of his lesson. The cobalt blue colored stallion stared Xiphos down with his yellow eyes, his horn glows briefly, raising a hat with a star pattern and adorned with bells onto his baby blue mane which is cut short. A swath of two inch long facial hair juts out from his chin as he tilts his head up and down to size up the interruption. "Xiphos, if I remember correctly, Misty tells me much about you." He adjusts a few of his experiments with a quick flick of the horn, losing eye contact with Xiphos as he goes back to his notes and books. "What brings you all the way up here?." He begins to mutter aloud some notes on time travel being impossible before turning a page in his tome. "I'm here to bring you news of Misty, she..." Xiphos swallows hard, looking at the princess who has been waiting patiently and began to pay attention when she overheard Misty's name. "She didn't return from the last mission..." He sees nothing but her bloodied pink mane in his vision and once again chokes back some tears. Celestia closes her eyes and bows her head at the news. Star Swirl doesn't say a word, he doesn't even look up from his book, he just continues to read. He levitates a vial of green fluid and examines it briefly before setting it aside. Xiphos opens his eyes is disbelief at the lack of reaction from the famous student. He slams a hoof on the table in anger, shaking everything on it. "I would ask you to leave before I make you leave, Xiphos." Star Swirl stops reading briefly to adjust his hat again, the bell on the top had flopped down into his vision. "That's it? That's all you have to say?" All sorrow has been transformed into rage now. The tan pony stomps both fore hooves onto the table this time, screaming at the blue unicorn who stays quiet. "You were her brother, her only family! She would tell us all kinds of stories about her amazing brother who was working on all kinds of new magic to make things better for Ponykind. How much her brother cared about making Equestria a better place for everypony. You were her entire world and you just act like I'm discussing the weather?!" Celestia puts a hoof on Xiphos's shoulder which seems to calm him just a tiny bit. Without looking up from his book, his face mostly obscured by the large hat, Star Swirl picks up a quill with a glow of his horn and continues to take notes and read. With a quick lunge, Xiphos breaks free of Celestia's gentle hold and tries to slap the quill out of Star's magical grip, only to see his own hoof enveloped by the blue pony's aura. "It was you who was her world." He turns his head toward Xiphos with water filled eyes. "She would tell me of all the times you made her laugh, the times you would listen to her whenever she needed a good friend, the times you would help her practice her magic on a live target." His mouth smiled a little. "She told me how you had became resistant to certain magics and could overpower young unicorns in school so it didn't hurt you much. Take that quill from me if you can." Xiphos pushed hard, moving his hoof through the powerful unicorn's telekinetic grip slowly toward the quill. "She told me you protected her in training from the other unicorns that would pick on her. I sit in my tower day and night trying to make an Equestria that does not need my sister or you!" The unicorn stands up, his hat now fallen off onto the table as his horn glows brighter to keep Xiphos's hoof as motionless as he can. "You didn't want us around? How can you be so cold?" Xiphos pushes another inch toward the quill, which continues to scribble down notes. He looks at Celestia to his side who only looks down to him and nods silently. His horn flares brighter, obviously he is concentrating on keeping Xiphos from moving, the quill stops writing and merely hovers in place a few inches away from a glacial speed moving hoof. "I strive for an Equestria that doesn't need soldiers anymore!" He stops near a window and looks out at the night sky. "When harmony is restored to the nations of the world, then ill have time to mourn. I will..." He turns his head over to his mentor. "She's really gone isn't she?" A wave of grief washes over his face when the sun princess nods slowly, affirming the news. He buries his face in his hooves and begins to sob. Xiphos finally reaches the quill, snatching it up with a hoof. The magic aura on the quill and hoof alike fade away as his anger subsides. An Equestria without soldiers... Can such a thing exist? pops in his head as he looks down at the paper the quill scribbled onto. It was Misty's name, written dozens of times all over the page. He goes over to the unicorn by the window and puts a hoof on his shoulder. The crying stallion turns and hugs the earth pony, choking on his tears as they all come out at once. "Misty said something like that once, that you wished that Equestria didn't need her. She would joke about if she ever retired that the country would be overrun in a week." Star smiles through the tears at the pleasant memories. The tan earth pony and blue unicorn sit and exchange stories for the next few hours, mostly about Misty, some about politics, but mostly about her. Star Swirl had asked Celestia to stay, he felt more comfortable with her around, since she was pretty much the only friend he had, she gladly accepted the Invitation and shared her own wisdom and stories that deemed appropriate to the occasion. Morning had come, and after a brief absence to raise the sun, she returned. "You really think it is possible, Princess Celestia?" Xiphos asks her a bit casually, the last few hours of conversation had really made him feel comfortable around her, having a goddess listen to and laugh with you works wonders on that apparently. "What do you mean, Xiphos?" Celestia asks back in her soft, calming voice. "An Equestria without me, without soldiers?" He asks with a yawn. "I hope so," she looks out the window, watching the sunrise. "Commander Misty will hopefully be the last to have to die to protect Equestria." She frowns a little. "I have faith that my student will come up with something, and I hope our new friend will help." "Who would that be, princess?" Xiphos wonders, looking over at Star Swirl, who has gone back to his research and studies. He looks over at the quill he had taken earlier in the night and picks it up, looking it over. Celestia giggles and smiles. "You, my silly pony. As sad as the night was, the new day brings new beginnings. You should have the time to aid in our research now." She walks over to him. "With your commander... With unfortunate passing of Commander Misty Swirl you are now able to be reassigned however I see fit." "Actually.. Umm." Xiphos had already seen one angry goddess in one day, he figures its time for go for both. He sinks his head down, a bit upset he didn't bring it up sooner. "Princess Luna promoted me to commander last night after I gave my report and requested me to return for redeployment as soon as I told Star about his sister." Princess Celestia stands up straight, eyes squinted and looking down at Xiphos, who manages a weak grin at his princess in a sad attempt to spare his life. Instead of the half expected wrath, she turns and walks back to the window, her pink mane and tail flowing in the winds, looking spectacular in the morning sunrise. She turns her head to him and gives a brief wink and smile. "Don't act like you did anything wrong, commander, I'll sort things out with my sister and get back with you personally." With that statement, she vanishes with a leap from the window. Xiphos moves over to Star Swirl, who continues to read a ancient tome written in a language that he doesn't recognize. He places the quill next to the tome. "Can we make her the last? Can I help you make sure she is?" He sits down at the table tiredly. A dark blue hoof reaches out and takes the quill, without his eyes leaving the page of his tome, he slowly traces out his sister's name onto the table, leaving no marks due to the ink having dried hours ago. "I am so close..." He turns the page, examining a formula on the next page. "When Celestia came to me--" a bright flash of green light interrupts him. A crimson red coated unicorn stallion with a short greenish grey mane appears near the two ponies. Xiphos takes note at his cutie mark, a glass beaker overflowing with a frothy green liquid, as he stands up. "I have returned with terrible news, Master Swirl, your sister..." He suddenly realizes by the looks on the two ponies with him that the news has already been delivered. "I'm sorry sir, I know she--" "I know, Gyruss," Star says as he sets the quill down gently and closes his tome. "My... friend and I were just about to leave anyway." He stands up, resetting his hat once again and moving to a rack on the wall holding a matching cape. "We were?" Xiphos watches the red unicorn begin to clean up piles of books and experiments that had been left everywhere in piles on tables. "Of course, my window faces over the west wall of the castle, to the edge of the forest that surrounds this castle." He fastens his cape using his magic while pointing out the window. "Every day at noon they hold the funerals in the graveyard to the west, I watch as Celestia says kind words for the unfortunate soldiers that never returned. Noon is upon us shortly." Xiphos goes to the window and peers out, trying not to yawn as he squints into the distance, seeing several ponies gathered in the clearing. A light envelops him suddenly and the urge to yawn fades, his ears perk up as he turns with energy to Star Swirl behind him. "What was.." "Never mind that," Star smiles at him and puts a hoof on his shoulder. "She wouldn't want you looking like you were dragged through Tartarus now, would she?" Xiphos smiles back and nods. "Now, let us go say goodbye to our Misty." Another blue light envelops both ponies as they vanish from the tower in a bright blue flash. There were three wooden containers, covered by three black cloths, on the cloths were the cutie marks of the the three fallen soldiers. Xiphos and Star Swirl stood by the far right one, the one with what appeared to be a handful of glitter blowing around a large five pointed star in the middle. Front Line and Onyx Daggers remained near the front and center of the small crowd of ponies that came to pay their respects. The widows of the other two ponies were in attendance, stricken with grief, finding very little comfort at the moment with their muzzles buried in relative's shoulders. Celestia arrived by ground, she always walked the half mile from the castle to the graveyard every afternoon, hoping that this day would be the last time. But the next day always came, and more soldiers always needed her to come bury them. The enemies of Equestria were few, but powerful, each invading gryphon or dragon capable of sending many ponies to their graves before they were felled. She stands before the three caskets, noting their cutie marks, etching their names and images into her mind so none would be forgotten even as the centuries pass. She silently mourns for the three newest departures and their families. Her faithful student was in attendance, making this day a bit harder and more personal for her. "Mares and gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to honor and cherish three wonderful ponies, whose sacrifices will never be forgotten. These brave ponies saved countless others from harm at the cost of their own lives while serving Equestria. Their families should be proud that these ponies were a part of their lives, and a part of all of our lives in their actions." She scans the crowd, finding Star Swirl and Xiphos and giving them a nod, her pink mane and tail beginning to blow in the wind that had picked up slightly. "But as the sun rises and sets, so must the lives of every pony, we will remember their sunset as a beautiful thing. All of the lives they touched, all of the deeds they performed, all of the good memories they leave behind painted a beautiful sunset full of color and life for all of Equestria to see." A single tear flows down her own cheek as she sees Xiphos and Star Swirl proudly smiling, their eyes swollen with tears as well, but still smiling. "Ponies have a magical connection to the earth, and all ponies, earth, pegasus, and unicorn must one day return to the earth so their magic can return to the source." She nods at the groundskeeper ponies which take the cloths off the caskets, carefully folding them so the cutie mark stays on the top, and delivers them to their widows, or in Misty's case, her brother. They then turn and slowly lower the three coffins into three prepared graves. "We hereby commit these ponies to the ground, returning their magic to the earth. Ashes to ashes." She pauses and swallows a lump in her throat. "Dust to dust."