The Strings Of Life:
Chapter 34- Sabotage:
The camp seemed quiet and everything and everypony was at peace, except for the war that was still raging miles from their location. Starlight however was an early bird, and woke up before most of the others did. She still woke up to the faint noises of the battle going on even this early, showing that Queen Chrysalis must have been relentless on her orders to her children of the hive. The two sisters however, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia managed to arrive to the scene just a couple of hours ago, and flying in with armored royal guards with them as they descended from the clouds over the battlefield in a thunderous presence. Of course the sisters were armored themselves, but Luna keeping to her traditional Royal Canterlot ways, was better equipped.
Breaks of course were needed for the tired ones, as soldiers on both sides energized and ready to go took their place. This seemed simple and ridiculous, but everypony gets tired one way or another, and needs to recover, so fresh forces take their place and cover their backs as they withdraw to their outposts and command posts as they rest up and what not.
All of this, and to Starlight’s realization, it was today…the final push was at hoof. Her ears perked up and her eyes opened up a bit more as she heard hoofsteps approach the front door to her sleeping quarters. She braced for that megaphone they used to wake everypony up with, but however this time, it wasn’t like that. Her uncle trotted in there cutting on the main light instead, and to her very surprise he wasn’t even yelling at her and the rest as bad as he always does.
“Rise and shine maggot-whores, today’s the day let’s go!” he clapped his hoofs stating boldly to them. He looked back to Starlight however, tipping his hat to her and having a slight smile form on his face before he proceeded to do a similar approach with each and every single building they were sleeping in. With the help of some other drill instructors making it easier on him to do this, but why is it that he seemed so calm and focused, instead if yelling his lungs out and trying to break the spirits of everypony he saw?
He approached Starlight’s quarters again however just a few minutes later.
“Private Starlight, get your ass out here missy.” He stated boldly, almost like he had something to tell her.
“Yes sir!” she replied, immediately following his orders.
“Niece…no need for that.”
Starlight then stopped completely as she stood there right at the doorway.
“Y-you…called me…”
“Yes Starlight, I called you niece because you are my niece in fact. Now…get your bullshit buddy Maestro out here with you this instant.”
“Yes sir.”
“Just uncle, okay…it’s fine now since today’s the day.”
“Oh, Alrighty then.” She replied. She couldn’t believe how he was acting in front of her, like he was an entirely different pony. She had never seen him act like this as long as she can remember, did something click in his mind, or could it possibly be something more on a personal level?
Starlight then approached the sleepy Maestro, forcing himself to wake up.
“Could you explain to me why he’s acting like this all of a sudden? This is a first from him ever since we arrived here.” Said Maestro.
“I know, I find it odd for me too, but even stranger…he wanted to see us both.”
“W-what? Me and you…as in together? As in the both of us?”
“Yes, now don’t keep him waiting, just follow me.” she gestured her hoof, insisting he follow her immediately.
Maestro noticed something seemed very level with her uncle that early morning, approximately four in the morning to be precise.
“Yes you two, it’s personal…to my office, now.” He kept an emotionless face as his niece and her “brother” followed right beside her.
They proceeded to a large tent that contained his desk and many of his own belongings and such. Even a couple of childhood mementos he wanted to remember family by. Starlight however noticed a picture of what looked like her when she was a filly, running through a finish line with her uncle, of which they both within the picture shared a smile with each other. Her uncle had a laughing expression on his face as she hung on to her uncles back for dear life wrapping her small hoofs around his neck.
“I have been keeping tabs on you Starlight.” Her uncle stated, as he sat down in his chair straight-faced.
“Why then?”
“I figured keeping you from the news would help you from pain, but again it would only add onto it if you found out on your own eventually.” He replied.
Her knowing where he was going with this, tried to keep herself together, Maestro merely standing next to her not saying a word.
“Your older brother…was…”
“I know that already…I was there.” She turned her head elsewhere, acting like something caught her attention.
“And you’re grandparents…” he added.
Turning her head slightly back to him, as a slightly frustrated expression formed on her face.
“They’re…dead…aren’t they?” she sighed looking down at the floor.
“I’m sorry Starlight, there was nothing we could do to save them. Our medics did what they could but well-”
“I suppose they’re just as expendable as everything else put under your command huh!?” she lashed out at him, but her uncle wasn’t phased, and continued to have that same expression on his face but yet still showing sympathy towards her.
“Again, I’m sorry Starlight, what else did you want me to do?”
“You were in my town you dimwitted uncle! Quit focusing so much time on this and focus more on family! Do you have any idea what has become of our-”
Her uncle then interrupted her lashing back at her with a stern voice.
“I know all of our family’s dead damn it! Damn it if I ever hear that again! Of course I hated hearing this news, you think I was heartless on this situation? Like I was still like some kind of machine?!” he then came out form behind his desk and got close to her face, causing Starlight to take a step back feeling a bit intimidated by him.
Looking like he was about to hit her or throw something in frustration as he raised his hoof at her, he then lowered it back down and hugged her.
His voice seemed weak after that, sounding like he was choking up on tears.
“I’m sorry Starlight…I’m sorry I never bothered to ever visit you. I’m sorry I never spent all the time you wanted me to spend with your favorite uncle.”
Starlight was in awe at the sight of the manliest pony she ever knew; now feeling broken hearted. Perhaps since this was the big day, maybe he had a feeling like he was never coming out of there alive?
Maestro felt a bit awkward at the sight of someone so cold-hearted now crying into his
niece’s shoulder.
“Permission to speak sir?”
“I’ve kept this stored for years, I just felt like I needed to tell you how I felt about you and our family.” He sobbed.
Starlight brought to more hurt put herself around him in the embrace herself and her uncle now shared.
“Permission to-”
“Because ever since you were that little filly I remember so much...” He then drew himself away from her, instantly wiping the tears clean from his face.
“You said you wanted to be strong like your favorite uncle in the whole wide world. But no matter how hard you tried, you still had that sensitive side your mother had. You still have that part of you well within you even till now, and I see it clearly too.” He stated.
“Here, wait a moment.” Her uncle then went behind his desk, sifting through manila folders and documents contained within them. He then returned with some bright shiny badge of some sort made of gold.
“Did you ever know a Pegasus by the name of Rainbowdash? Oh and yes, permission granted.” he asked her.
“Oh…thank you sir…but Yeah, I did actually. Though well, we pretty much lost contact with each other after what happened to her father…I hated that for her. But she didn’t want sympathy, and she turned me away no matter what I did, so well…”
“No need to speak any further…I want you to have this.”
Her uncle then showed her a Wonderbolts badge that was gold, only given to those who took the role of leading or being a good leader.
“I-is that…”
“Yes it is, back in the day I tried out for the Wonderbolts, but never made it. Rainbowdash’s father, Shooting Star, was a good friend of mine, and we had been good friends since high school together. He was promoted to a leader of a small team of his own, but well…I’d rather not go there. But I was kicked out for my…”
“Temper?”
“Yes, my temper, since I hated being led by somepony who had known me for years. I had a silver badge, which meant I had to follow his orders, but I was not one to follow orders, but rather one to give them. They didn’t like how I acted so I was removed from the team and kicked out indefinitely due to my attitude towards them after they removed me from his team.” He stated.
“How come you never told me about this until now?” she asked him.
“Because I never knew when you would be ready to hear the first failure you’ve ever received from all of my tales and stories I told you of me succeeding in my years. This was the only time I’ve ever failed on something so important to me. But I know you won’t fail out there when you go out there and do what you have to do to help us win this.” he said to her again.
“B-but…how can I make such a difference out there?” she spoke up.
“Hang on just one moment, okay? Private Maestro…step outside for a minute or two” her uncle pointed to the door.
“Yes sir.” Maestro replied, as he immediately stepped outside while closing the door behind him in the process.
“Now then…we can have some privacy…” Starlight’s uncle then sat back down in his chair behind his desk.
“First off, how do I know you will be fine is what you’re wondering correct?”
“Mhm.” She nodded.
He then sighed and looked back to a folder containing other ponies that were reassigned to different positions, but sent out close to the battle post-hastefully.
“Listen, I don’t want to go out there either…but I have no other choice. It is my duty to defend my home and my kingdom, and I will guard it with my life to the best of my ability if I have to. But…I can keep you from live combat if you would like me to, but this is your only chance to do so.” He states.
“Wait…you can do that?” Starlight’s ears then twitched attentively.
“Yes, as long as it’s within the next four hours because…”
“Because what uncle?” she took a couple of steps closer to him.
“You’re going out there in four hours that’s why.” He replied.
He then gets up and walks over to his niece once again.
“Starlight…I care for you, but it is my duty to do what I am told.”
“Uncle, you’re not a machine, stop being such a machine, you’re a pony for Celestia’s sake!” She said.
“I know, which is why I’m willing to bend the rules for you.” he replied cleverly.
“B-but that’s not right though…I’m supposed to be a mere soldier sent to the frontlines?”
“I know you are, but I know that you are not wanting to.”
“Well…b-but…” Starlight kept her mouth shut knowing this didn’t seem right for him to do this for her, but she knew she wanted to do this deep down inside of her. She wanted to be far away from this war as she possibly could.
She looked back at him, approaching his desk and putting her hoof over the folder.
“What do you have open for me?”
A smirk appeared over her uncle’s face.
“I knew you couldn’t resist.”
A loud explosion could then be heard about half a mile away from the camp, with the siren sounding off. Everypony outside of the tent was then yelling and galloping to their battle stations as fast as they could.
“Move, move, move! Changeling scouts and infiltrators spotted!” one of the drill instructors shouted as loud as he could outside of the tent.
“Starlight, get to your post now!” her uncle commanded.
“But what about-”
“Not now, go!” he shouted again. Strangely enough he remained where he was.
Starlight quickly made it out of the tent and straight to the barracks. No sight of Maestro anywhere either, which made her feel a bit uncomfortable now.
“Maestro!” she called out as she entered the barracks of ponies readying up for combat, and still no response.
She then noticed the golden Wonderbolts badge he had managed to obtain from the academy that was pinned on her uniform over the left side of her chest. Another loud explosion was heard and even closer now, sounding like it only being a few hundred meters away now.
Bolts of magic were heard being furiously fired back at each other, sounding like a fierce shootout in one of the courtyards.
“Left flank, go! Take the shot!” she heard yelled out by a pony.
Moments later then another explosion occurred, and this time it was a mere hundred feet away from her.
“We’ve been sabotaged! Get your asses galloping soldiers!”
Starlight not fully equipped still was then forced out by a Unicorn instructor levitating her and pushing her out of the front door of the barracks in a couple of stray bolts of magic going every which way.
“Maestro!” she yelled out almost as loud as she possibly could until she heard somepony faintly in the distance. She saw a light gray hoof waving to her in the air, and through some thin clouds of smoke from a fire that broke out near him.
“I’m coming!” she then shot off into the air towards him but then being stopped as the siren was then destroyed. Shorting out and with the sparks flying everywhere with the shorting wires, the transformers then blew up, deafening and blinding her temporarily from seeing or hearing for a few short moments.
“Starlight…” she heard muffled, then clearing up again as the voice became louder to her like it was closing in on her.
“Star!” he shouted again, as she then regained her composure.
“Uh, gosh what was that?”
“No time, let’s just get out of here now!” he quickly grabbed her hoof guiding her to the evac pads. The Pegasi for emergency evacuations made them, as chariots awaited Maestro and Starlight, as they galloped towards one of them as fast as they could, then however an additional explosion occurred behind them where her uncle was. She then turned around to the sight of her uncle’s office now in flames.
“Uncle!” she screamed out to the infernal sight, as she then brought out her wings about to head off into the direction of the blaze.
“No, we need to go!” trying to get her aboard.
“Damn it Maestro, he’s my uncle!” she shrugs his grip off of her.
He stopped and looked at her for a few moments, then got onto the chariot without her. The last of the evac then lifted off into the air as she still saw Maestro looking back at her with a disappointed look on his face, but again she could fly by herself anyways.
Starlight turns and looks back at the blazing of her uncle’s tent then looking back down at the badge she was given by him.
“No…I’m not losing anypony else…you hear me you bucking Changelings!” she screams out at the sabotaged locations continuing to burn, with nothing she could do about it but watch it. She continued standing there as smoke then surrounded her slowly closing in on her from all angles and heights, luckily managing to cloak her from the sight of the few enemies that were now moving into the location. She stood still, hoping to atleast hear a faint noise of life within the now invisible ruins that were covered up by the thick smoke surrounding her.
“Celestia please…don’t let him die too.” She spoke, her mane overshadowing the top of her face as she looked down to the ground in frustration of knowing she could do nothing but hope he was fine now. However, she listened a bit closer and she could hear somepony of what it sounded like they were fighting their heart out. The yells and sounds of a ruthless pony could be heard as hisses of pain were heard from a few Changelings falling in battle. She didn’t want to yell out anything or else it would give away her position, but she knew that was him, it had to be.
She then hear one last word before one final explosion was heard.
“For Starlight you motherbuckers!” the voice yelled out before the explosion silenced it afterward.
“Nooooooo!” She screamed out amidst the smoke. She couldn’t help but know what “dead silence” meant in that case when she flew as fast as she could over to the location.
Once she cleared the smoke, she saw what appeared to be a trail of blood leading out from where the tent was, over into a medical building. Luckily she managed to muffle her flight well enough and quickly got into the building the trail led to.
“S…Star-“ the voice then coughed.
She quickly turned around to the sight of her uncle having cuts all over his body from shrapnel and cuts of those curved Changeling horns cutting away into the air at him.
“Oh my gosh…y-you’re hurt.” She quickly ran over to the medicine cabinets and got the materials she needed. She was trained in basic medical care. As most of the Pegasi were for fast acting medical personnel to fly around to the wounded, which was undeniably more convenient than reaching the wounded on ground.
“I-it’s fine Star…no…*cough*…no need to help me.” her uncle smiling through a bloodied face.
“Shh, don’t talk uncle I’ll get you better, just hold on.” She began to apply the morphine in the areas it appeared to be most critical. Red streaks of blood trailed down from his head over his face and down his neck. With wounds from his legs and center mass almost making him on the verge of bleeding out.
“Sweetie…I’m-*cough*…I’m not gonna make it okay?”
Starlight denying his words kept trying to patch him up as fast as she could.
“Always being…” he then coughed as a red mist hit one of the shelves beside him containing supplies.
“Stay with me okay? I’m going to get you better, I already told you that. Just don’t talk, I’ll find a way to get us-”
He then put one of his bloody hoofs over her mouth wanting her to be quiet, as he smiled to her with blood in his mouth holding up the folder close to her face.
“I did it like I promised you Star…here it is.” He chuckled a bit with a bit of blood caught in his voice, causing him to cough it out beside him. The folder was covered with blood from his wound on the side of his body, as it was tucked away under his uniform jacket.
She stopped to look at the front of it, knowing that he had assigned her to a new position of some kind but not knowing what it was yet. She then tucked it under one of her wings, making one of her wings act like a giant clip to hold it against her body.
“I…I’m…” his voice starting to fade out taking in one deep breath.
Starlight’s eyes red with the previous frustration now begin watered down by her tears.
“Stay with me okay?” she sniffled, but nothing she could do would hold back her pain that would resurface in mere moments.
“I-I’m…proud of…you.” his voice giving off his last exhale, his face drifting off to another expression, but one that was one to remember forever. He left her…with a smile.
Trying to keep herself quiet from the pain and choking of tears she was trying to suppress so she could keep having a low profile within the smoke. With Pegasi having light feet, Starlight managed to slip away and out of sight from the camp. Thinking of nothing but that last smile her uncle had left her right before he departed from his physical form, so his soul could join the sky. Now then, he could finally be infinitely free with himself, as he was no longer bound by mortal boundaries.
“I…told…myself…I would keep him alive damn it.” she said to herself as she continued galloping towards the location the evac she knew was off to. Her emotions though quickly beginning to fill with anger and rage, she stopped herself thinking of all the pain and loss she had received in her life.
She seemed to then have managed to find a way to make it her own sort of “weapon” you could say, as pain of others then seemed to fuel her fire even more.
“No…more…damn…losses…I’ve bucking had it! Bucking Changelings! I’ll kill you!” she screamed out towards the clear dark sky, with still a couple of hours before sunrise would hit. She angrily then put the bloodied folder in her mouth, and aggressively shot off into the air with a loud swoop and a cloud of dust left in her wake. Off she went to the main command post, Outpost Ashburn, the same outpost that many of her fellow brothers and sisters in arms were preparing for the final push. She was now going to do whatever it took to win this war. She now wanted to kill as many of those buzzing bastards as she possibly could, no matter how badly hurt she would get. Her potential and true determination within her had now been realized, and all it took was a little push from her uncle.