//------------------------------// // 1. Prologue // Story: Soldier of the Night // by Skyfire Storm //------------------------------// "Blazefire, please. Don't do this." "No, Equinox Moon. I'll be back soon." "Honey, you don't have to do this if you don't want to. You know that, right?" "Equinox, I don't want to go. But if I don't, I'll be risking the safety of Equestria and quite possibly, the rest of the world. I don't want them coming for you or our son. You know that, right?" "I'm just worried about you, honey." "It'll all be alright, honey. Don't worry about me. I will be back before you know it." Blazefire comforted her and gave her a reassuring smile, as he held the tearful mare in his hooves, knowing that this could very well be the last time they ever see each other but not willing to admit it. Where was Blazefire going to, you may ask. Well, Blazefire was a soldier, fighting in the Equestrian military during the Great Gryphon War. Blazefire and Equinox Moon lived together in the small town of Gryffsvale in the Gryphon Empire for just over six months now. The two were both born and raised in the Equestrian city of Cloudsdale, but after they both received scholarships to study weather at the University of Griffonia, the only university in the province and one of the most prestigious institutes of higher education in the world, they moved across the ocean to live in Europone, where they got married and settled down several years before the war had been declared. Blazefire, in an attempt to support the war effort and to play his part, had been adamant about enlisting in the army not long before the war had been declared; whereas Equinox Moon continued working on the town's weather team. Although both nations were trading partners to some degree, relations between Equestria and the Griffon Empire were founded on shaky ground and had been cool for centuries, despite the large, and booming expat population of Equestrians in several Griffonian towns and cities. There had been talks of a possible war between Equestria and the Gryphon Empire for the past several years, ever since the Empire had admitted to abducting two Equestrian tourists and torturing them for information on the whereabouts of a secret Equestrian military base on the coast of the Gryphon Empire, as well as threatening several smaller nations bordering the country with invasions, most notably Itaily, which has threatened to respond with a full-scale bombing campaign of its own of some of the Empire's biggest and most strategically important cities if attacked. When the tourists explained that they had no idea where the base was located, Gryphon authorities 'disposed' of them and attempted to cover it all up. However, word quickly spread from the Gryphon Empire to Equestria and over the course of the next ten months, relations between Equestria and the Gryphon Empire slowly turned sour. Princess Celestia tried her best to keep things under control and reason with the Gryphons, but after a near-devastating attack on a military base near Canterlot carried out by Gryphon forces who were tasked with locating something of value to the Gryphon authorities on Equestrian soil, she was forced to choose the hard way out. Over the next few months, hundreds of Equestrian stallions were drafted into the military, despite many of them being completely unwilling to fight. The city of Gryffsvale was the Empire's main hub for Equestrian expats and pony immigrants from all over Mareurope, owing to its status as a border town located very close to the border between Itaily and the Griffon state of Griffonia. The city, which was the second largest settlement in the state, lay two hundred and fifty miles to the west of the battlefields and six and a half miles to the east of the Itailian border near a large and highly secure military outpost at which Blaze was stationed, a former Griffon hospital which was taken over by Equestrian troops after its original occupants moved to a newer building closer to downtown. The city was surrounded by several hundred square miles of thick pine forest from the north, east and south, and connected to other places in the Empire by road and rail, as well as by a small airport on the outskirts of town, which having been replaced by the much larger international airport in Gryfino, a much larger metropolis of 730,000 around fifty miles to the northeast along the coast, was relegated to only serving select domestic destinations. Only a week prior, Blazefire was at said military base, when he was selected to take the place of a fallen stallion, no questions asked. It took him a while to comprehend the reality of his situation, and perhaps even longer to explain to Equinox Moon that he was being deployed, but when he was told that he was only fighting for two months before he would be able to come back home and go back to Equestria with his young family, he immediately calmed down. However, what he didn't realize was that with every bullet fired, with every bomb dropped and with every troop lost, the war was becoming more fierce and terrible. The chances of him coming back home slimmed with every passing moment, but he had to go and fight for his country and for his family. There was no other choice. As they both waited for him to be escorted to the military base, where he would be briefed and would be able to spend one last night there in the barracks before deployment, the stallion began to be overtaken by fear, for not only his family but for his own safety. Blaze, once a Guard in Cloudsdale, was used to working under immense pressure, but the fact that he was mere hours away from being shipped off to fight was on a whole other level. "But what about our son?" Equinox Moon asked, teardrops rolling down her face like surging rivers. Equinox Moon happened to be in the tenth month of her eleven-month long pregnancy and she only told Blazefire of it just after the war had been declared. Ever since he found out Equinox Moon was pregnant with a colt, Blazefire was ecstatic, but also terrified, knowing that he probably won't get to see his son for a long time, if at all. "Don't worry, honey. I'll be back to see him grow up. You'll do a great job at raising him," he replied, a hint of uncertainty in his voice as he gazed down at her foal bump, before gently stroking it with his hoof. "You'll be a great mom." "I sure hope so. I just wish we could be all together. I just want my son to know his father," Equinox Moon explained, still crying her eyes out. "Hey," he said, smiling at her. "What did I tell you? I'll be back to see him grow up. I'm not sure how long it'll take, but I'll be back. And once I'm back, we'll move away from this hellhole of a town and we'll go back home to Equestria and live life in peace. Just you, me and our son." "Honey..." Equinox Moon began, shifting his orange fringe with her hoof so as to see his wild, green eyes, the ones she fell in love with all those years ago. "Please stay safe. Please... I love you so much." "I will, honey. Don't worry," Blazefire replied tenderly as he held her against his body, knowing that this might well be the last time they ever see each other again. Their tender moment was interrupted by three sudden, yet consecutive bangs on the door, which startled them both. "THIS IS THE EQUESTRIAN MILITARY. OPEN UP." said the muffled voice behind the door. Blazefire did as he was asked and pulled open the door, revealing a large and muscular Earth pony stallion wearing a military uniform standing outside in the pouring rain. Despite it being January, the weather in this part of the Empire had the tendency to be influenced by winds from the southwest, which often brought rain and mild temperatures during the winter months. "It's time for me to leave, honey," he said, kissing her lightly on the cheek. Equinox Moon struggled to hold back her tears as she watched her husband leave, knowing that she could lose Blazefire at any time. "Once he's born..if they haven't sealed the border off by then you have to register him at the Equestrian embassy in Itaily as a citizen. There's no other way for him to be recognized as an Equestrian, although I have serious doubts it'll be...I was there a few days ago and there was nothing but gridlock. If it is, in fact, open and remains so after he's born, take him and run. Don't look back, show them your passports and go. At this point the war is virtually confined to the Empire, so you're much better off there than you are here. What a difference a few miles makes, huh?" "Come on, lover boy. It's time to go," said the officer, with a snarky tone in his voice as he led Blazefire to the military carriage, into which he reluctantly set hoof. "You're in good hooves. Now come on, let's kick those Griffon flanks." "Honey, please stay safe," she pleaded as she somewhat hesitantly followed him out, watching as the door to the carriage shut immediately after the officer walked in, and as he waved at her through the tinted window. Eventually, Blazefire really had to go. The crying mare returned the gesture as the carriage pulled off down the street before it crossed the city limits just down the hill. At this point, the carriage was nowhere to be seen, and it took Equinox a few seconds to comprehend what had just happened. The stallion she had hoped to raise a family with was gone now, possibly forever, and she needed to come to terms with it. "Goodbye Blaze..." she croaked in her tear-filled voice, before she broke down on the sidewalk, lamenting the loss of her husband. Equinox Moon laid on her and Blazefire's bed, thinking about her life and what it was like until that fateful night when Blazefire left. Before he left, he mentioned to her that he would be back soon, yet it had been over a month since he left and there was no sign of the stallion anywhere. She had gotten so used to seeing him return home from the base every day at six, hoping to treat him to a dinner that she had made especially for the stallion, yet he wasn't there; that, however, wasn't the only thing she was worried about. Equinox Moon's due date for the foal was today and just the mere thought of giving birth terrified her beyond belief. What if she couldn't make it to the hospital on time? Or what if after the foal was born, she couldn't be a good mother? Questions like those raced through her mind as she tried to regain her composure and calm down. She was now alone, with nopony to be with her, other than her yet-unborn son of course. She had no idea where Blazefire was or if anything happened to him, and almost teared up as the mere thought of losing him faded in and out of her mind. What if he was captured by the Gryphons? Or what if he was mercilessly slaughtered and butchered on those cursed fields, like so many other stallions were before him? As much as she possibly could, she tried to keep those horrible thoughts at bay and think of more positive things, like the coming birth of her son. Even though she was scared of the birth, she was also very eager and excited just thinking about it. In fact, she spent the last week or so preparing for it with the help of two of her friends; one an Earth pony mare named Buttermilk and one a Gryphon by the name of Ava. Buttermilk and Ava had been a great help in preparing for the birth, with Buttermilk preparing some clothes for the newborn foal and Ava and her husband Vortex designing and building a crib. Equinox Moon even started to come up with names to suit her son. Although there were many names that she liked, there was one name that stood out from the rest. In fact, it was the only name that she came up with, along with Blazefire. That name was Stormfire, and they both loved the very sound of the name. The "Storm" part of the name came from his mother's job. She was a weather pony; one of the only two ponies on a team made up entirely of Gryphons, while the "Fire" part of his name came from the ending of his father's name. Equinox Moon smiled just thinking about her newborn son, as she tried to imagine what he would be like. She would finally be a mother, and she promised herself, and Blazefire that she'd be the best mother she can be. She stroked her foal bump and smiled to herself as she stared upwards at the ceiling before her thinking was interrupted by a knock on the front door. The heavy mare grumbled, her peaceful day being interrupted, and slowly set off downstairs to open the door. Turning the doorknob, she was surprised when she saw Ava holding something for her son. "Hey, Equinox." the rather tall Griffon smiled down at the mare in her blend of Griffon and Equestrian accents which she had picked up from being around so many ponies, holding a toy box in her talons. "Just something for the foal. This belonged to my son, Zako, but he grew out of it. I'm sure your son will like it too." "Thank you, Ava. Really, I appreciate your help," replied Equinox Moon, taking the toy box from her. "How's your family doing?" "Anything for a friend, Equi," Ava replied, using the nickname she made up for Equinox Moon. "And they're doing great. Zako has just started pre-school." "Really?" Equinox's eyes widened. "That's great. You must be so proud of him." "I sure am," Ava beamed. "And the moment he comes back from school, I'm making him a special treat: hay fries. Also, isn't today your due date?" "Yeah, I think so..." "Vortex offered to take you to the hospital if your waters break." "Ava, you, Vortex and Buttermilk have already done so much..." Equinox Moon explained. "Are you sure you'd want to help anymore?" "Equinox, you're our friend... and friends help other friends," Ava replied. "I know, Ava... I'm just scared," Equinox replied, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm now alone... My husband is... I don't know what happened to him. I don't have anypony now... and I don't know if I'll raise my son well, let alone if I'll be able to get him home." "You will silly," replied a voice. Equinox and Ava turned to face its source. It was Buttermilk, Equinox's closest friend, and next door neighbor, leaning on the picket fence that surrounded the property. Whereas most of her Griffon neighbors believed the family was heading to the north of the state to escape the worst of the war, they were in fact preparing to leave for Equestria that night, crossing the border into Itaily and boarding a military plane bound for Troxas. A taxi carriage which would take them to downtown Gryffsvale - from where they would walk down to the Griffsvale riverfront and cross into Itaily - was parked outside her brick house and the impatient cabbie was busy groaning and complaining about the length of time it took for them to put their stuff in the trunk of the carriage. Cowbell, Buttermilk's husband was packing all their luggage into the carriage, while their son, Corn Cob was playing with his toys close to the home's porch. "Buttermilk!" grinned Equinox Moon as she trotted up to the mare to give her a farewell hug. "I'm gonna miss you so much." "Same here, Equi," replied Buttermilk, ruffling her mane with her hoof. "Aren't you gals coming to Equestria someday as well?" "I would love to, Butter!" replied Ava. "See all the sights... Manehatten, Canterlot, Baltimare, Los Pegasus, Applewood... there's just too many of them to name." "I personally, would love to go back home," replied Equinox Moon, feeling a slight cramp in her abdomen which she initially dismissed as her stomach growling. "But only with my family..." "Honey-pie, I apologize if I'm being overly negative, but what if Blazefire... doesn't come back? Have you ever thought about that?" asked Buttermilk, watching as Equinox Moon frowned and burst into tears. Ava turned to face Buttermilk and gave her a stern look. Although Buttermilk was a great friend, she sometimes said the wrong things, which she didn't mean. "Buttermilk, don't say that... please," replied Equinox Moon, crying her eyes out. "I'm so worried about him. Neither of you has any idea of just how stressed I am right now." "Hey, hey, hey..." Buttermilk smiled, sitting down beside her. "It'll be alright. I know Blazefire and he is quite possibly, the best, most amazing soldier in this town. He will be back, honey. He won't just die on the battlefield." "And especially not since he now has a young son." "I guess you're right, girls..." Equinox Moon replied, still feeling a bit unsure. The Gryphon and the Earth pony mare hugged her tightly, before having to let go. "Hm... I know what can cheer you up, Equi," began Ava. "Some lunch." "Uhh... These are honestly the best hay fries outside of Equestria, Ava," said Equinox, stuffing her face with some delicious hay fries. "I'm glad you like them, Equi. I made them myself," the female Griffon smiled as she bit into hers, watching as Equinox, Buttermilk, her husband, and Vortex, along with the cabbie scarfed down their hay fries. "I'm gonna have to go and pick up Zako from pre-school in a little while." "Don't forget who gave you the recipe, honey," replied Vortex, a doctor, before hacking apart a large salmon fillet with his sharp beak, scattering flakes of pinkish meat across the table. Such an action would have no doubt earned him curious and unnerved stares from ponies had this been the mostly-vegetarian Equestria, but fish was a staple diet in the Empire for many of the resident Griffons. "Thanks, guys..." replied Buttermilk's husband, Cowbell. Buttermilk, Cowbell and their son were also eating with them. "Yep. They truly taste magical," replied Buttermilk. Suddenly, Equinox felt strange as she begun to feel some abdominal cramps which begun to grow more intense as time went on. "Ava, mind if I use the toilet?" Equinox Moon asked, holding her belly as she stood up. "No, no. I don't mind. Go ahead." Ava nodded, watching as the mare left the kitchen and stomped up the stairs. Upon arriving at the second floor of Ava's modest abode, Equinox Moon went towards the toilet, followed by Corn Cob, who was playing with a toy carriage. Along the way, the cramps began to get more and more intense, until eventually, they begun to get painful. "Gahh..." Equinox Moon groaned in pain, holding her abdomen as she tried to walk to the bathroom. "Hey, Aunt Equinox... You alright?" asked Corn Cob. "Yeah, I'm fine sweetie. I just don't feel...so good," replied Equinox, her face turning a shade of green. "You sure?" asked Corn Cob, who seemed visibly concerned. "Yeah, I'm fine. Go back to playing with your toys, alright? Auntie will be back soon," Equinox Moon explained and went into the toilet. Suddenly, upon closing the door, she screamed as a sharp pain filled her body, which confirmed that the foal was definitely due now. The scream was so loud, it was heard downstairs. "What the hell was that?" asked Vortex, raising his eyebrows. "Mommy! Mommy!" said Corn Cob, trotting down the stairs. "Auntie's screaming!" "Oh, no... her foal must be due," Buttermilk said and trotted up the stairs, followed by Ava, Vortex, Cowbell and Corn Cob. Meanwhile, Equinox Moon crawled towards the stairs, now very fragile and weak. "Honey, you alright?" asked Buttermilk. "DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M ALRIGHT?!" Equinox Moon yelled, before collapsing in pain. "Come on, let's get you to the hospital," Buttermilk replied. "Vortex, take her there! We'll catch up to you." Vortex picked up the weak mare with his claws and flew her out through a skylight. Ava followed them, while the rest of the ponies took a carriage to the hospital. They landed at the hospital about five minutes later and ran into the towering building as fast as they could. "LISTEN, MA'AM. I HAVE A PONY HERE WHO IS ABOUT TO GIVE BIRTH." shouted Vortex, who was holding Equinox in his claws. Equinox Moon groaned and writhed in pain. The receptionist mare stared at them continuously. "What? DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M HER HUSBAND?!" yelled Vortex. The receptionist mare shook her head. "Look! We're just friends, okay? Now please, get a doctor or something!" Ava shouted. The receptionist mare nodded and took out her phone, and rapidly dialed the doctor's number. Moments later, the doctor came in. He was a large Earth pony stallion with a heart monitor as his cutie mark. "Mrs. Equinox Moon? Come with me please," said the doctor. Ava and Vortex placed her in a wheelchair, and Vortex drove her towards the elevator. Equinox Moon screamed again in agony as she felt a fluid trickle between her hooves, which confirmed that her waters broke. "Don't worry, Mrs. Equinox Moon. We're almost at the maternity ward. Now, take a deep breath and breathe." the doctor instructed. Equinox Moon frantically did as she was told. A moment later, they left the elevator on the maternity ward floor and rushed towards the ward where she would be giving birth. Before they set her down on her bed, they had a small meeting with one of the hospital's anesthesiologists, a Gryphon doctor who was known as Beakovitz, who opted to heavily sedate her. The birth was long and hard, taking around five hours. As Equinox Moon was giving birth, her friends stood around her bed, while a confused and terrified Corn Cob watched from a waiting room behind the glass. "HOW LONG, DOCTOR?!" screamed Equinox Moon, as she continually pushed. "Not long now, Equinox. Now, breathe," the doctor said. She did as she was told, feeling an onslaught of more and more pain. "I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE! PLEASE... HOW LONG?!" she screamed. "NOT LONG NOW!" yelled the doctor. Just as Equinox Moon shut her eyes tightly and clenched the sides of the bed she laid on with her hooves in anticipation of even more pain, a tiny scream filled the ward. The doctor was holding a tiny, blue-green foal with a dark blue mane. Her eyes opened and blinked twice as the sensation of pain begun to disappear from her body and heart fluttered as the doctor passed her the foal. "It's a boy, Mrs. Equinox Moon!" the doctor said, before placing the colt down on Equinox's bed and cutting its umbilical cord. Immediately, everypony gathered in the ward clapped their hooves, including Corn Cob. Equinox Moon held the tiny foal in her hooves and nuzzled him gently. Almost immediately, the colt seemed to calm down and snuggled against her body. She smiled at the newborn foal and sighed. "He's beautiful..." she cooed at the small colt. "I agree! He has his mother's coat!" said Buttermilk. "And his father's mane," said Ava. Suddenly, Corn Cob ran into the ward to see what all the commotion was about. He was noticed by Equinox Moon. "Are you alright, Auntie?" Corn Cob asked, leaning against the hospital bed. "Yes, youngin. I'm alright..." she replied, smiling. "Would you like to see him before you leave?" "Sure thing, Auntie!" he replied and jumped onto Cowbell's back, looking down at the foal. "He looks cool!" Corn Cob said. Equinox Moon chuckled lightly. "Thank you, Corn Cob, for telling everypony that I was giving birth. You handled the situation very well, and that was very brave of you," she said and smiled at the colt. "And thank you all for being by my side." "Congratulations, ma'am," begun the doctor. "Do you mind if I ask where the father is?" "Well, I uh, don't want to talk about it, doc," she replied, thinking about Blazefire. She was scared and worried for his safety, and for that of her newborn son. "I understand," the doctor nodded understandingly. "Do you know what you're going to call him?" "Well, I and my husband both brainstormed several names for him, but we both like the name Stormfire," Equinox Moon replied, snuggling the tiny foal. "Stormfire, huh? I like it." replied the doctor, writing down his name and birth details on a notepad. Equinox Moon smiled, looking down at the tiny colt, who was snuggling against her and beginning to sleep. Equinox Moon sighed and smiled, before nuzzling the tiny foal and allowing him to sleep. She was now a mother. After about a week undergoing extensive check-ups, Equinox Moon and little Stormfire were let out of the hospital, and since Buttermilk and her family had left for Equestria, she was taken home in a wheelchair by Vortex. "So, how are you feeling?" asked Vortex. "Pretty good, I must say," replied Equinox Moon, holding a sleeping Stormfire, who was wrapped up in a towel, in her hooves. "The doctor said we're fine and that I should be back to normal in about a week's time." "So, what do you think?" Vortex asked. "I'm just scared... You all said that I'll be a great mom, but I just don't know if I'm that good," replied Equinox Moon, feeling unsure of herself. "That, and I still want out of here. I want my son to have the best foalhood he could possibly have, away from here, from the bombings, from all this. I'm sorry, but we need to leave." "Are you crazy? Of course, you'll be a great mom. Any kid would be lucky to have you as their mom," Vortex replied. "From what I know the border will be open nightly for the next several weeks, I'm not sure for how long exactly, but you could try crossing with Storm once you've regained the energy. I'll keep you updated on it as much as I'm able to, but from what I know the Itailian Border Guard is planning on closing it once they see that every pony living in Gryffsvale and the surrounding area has left." "Thanks Vortex," replied Equinox Moon, glancing down at a sleeping Stormfire with a loving, tender, albeit uneasy smile on her face. "But then again, this isn't something I want to put Storm through, as much as I want us to go home. This would be a big step for us in getting back to Equestria, but it's one we might not be able to make." "I understand." "I just don't know whether to take that risk, especially with him being so little." "Hmm..." "I'm just so worried about this." "Hey. I know this seems new for you, but you'll get used to it, and over time, you'll become a truly unique and great mom," explained Vortex. "Besides, I see potential in this kid. Who knows? He could be the next Einspone, or the next Starswirl the Bearded. You may be the mom of a future genius." "Thanks, Vortex," she said and smiled at him. "Although, I'd prefer him to be himself and follow his dreams." "I guess so." Vortex replied and smiled, just as they turned onto Equinox's street. "Look, we're almost home." "Thanks, Vortex. You've been a great help," she said. "I'm always happy to help a friend. Do you want me to walk you inside?" the Griffon asked. "No, thank you. You've been a great help, but you should be getting back to work, Vortex," she replied. "You sure?" he asked. "Yep. I'm alright," she said. "Alright, Equinox. Good luck," he replied. Equinox Moon smiled cheerfully at him and got out of the wheelchair, carrying her foal into the house. Vortex smiled and folded up the wheelchair, before flying back to the hospital. Equinox Moon turned the keys and opened the door to the house and walked inside. She went to put Stormfire into his crib, not noticing an envelope marked PRIVATE and URGENT lying on the floor. After putting Stormfire in his crib and snuggling him, Equinox Moon went downstairs to cook some food, noticing the envelope this time. Curious, she walked towards it and picked it up. It was damaged and wrinkled from being forced under the door, but that didn't stop her from reading who it was from. The envelope was sent from the Equestrian military base at which Blazefire worked. Her heart literally skipped a beat. She knew that a letter from the Equestrian military usually didn't mean anything good, but her curiosity got the better of her and she opened the envelope and pulled out the letter stored inside it. Little did she know that the letter would change her life forever after reading it. March 1, 1988 Dear Mrs. Equinox Moon of Gryffsvale, We apologize for the haste, but we regret to inform you that this morning at exactly 5:32 AM, one of our privates had discovered the mutilated body of a stallion which we promptly identified as your husband's. His cause of death is as of yet unknown, but our stallions believe that he was killed by gunfire or via improvised explosive device, as one had detonated not too far away from where we found his body. We are very sorry for your loss and his best friend, Private Lightspark, as well as other members of his squadron, have organized a private funeral, if you wish to attend. An Equestrian flag will be given to you at the funeral. Her heart stopped the moment she read that letter. Equinox Moon knew that he wasn't safe at war, but she wasn't expecting him to be killed. A tear rolled out of her eye before she finally broke down and collapsed onto the floor, crying her eyes out. She had lost the stallion she loved. The stallion she married. The stallion she was going to raise a family with. She had lost Blazefire, but she hadn't lost Stormfire. She wasn't going to lose Stormfire. She had no idea how, but they both had to get out of the Gryphon Empire. They had to somehow escape to Equestria, and she would do whatever it takes to get them home.