//------------------------------// // Rose Tattoo [By TDR] // Story: Tales in Stone // by TDR //------------------------------// Tales in Stone By TDR Rose Tattoo Dear Crystal, I'm not sure if you will get this, to be honest I feel perhaps it was a little forward of me to even ask for you to do this sort of messaging. I don't expect you to write back, but I felt I needed to write some pony while I was here who wasn't my parents. Not that, I don't write them mind you, but I just felt like I should write a friend or some one who isn't involved in this war. And well... my few friends are here with me so it's kinda hard to write them. Any way, if you are getting this and didn't give a young blank flanked stallion a random address to humor him. Thank you. I don't know what you were thinking when I came up to you with this idea, I expect you probably thought I was just going to hit on you for being the prettiest mare at the Summer Sun Celebration. Likely you had a bunch of colts doing just that. I assure you I was tempted, but thinking on it I felt I would rather have some one to write to rather than just the potential for a last fling before being shipped off. That's if you would have even accepted that sort of offer, which I am sure a lady of your standing wouldn't. Still it makes me regret not asking your last name. Perhaps you'll tell me if I make it back. Amanno ============================== Dear Crystal, Well the first couple of letters didn't come back so I hope that means you are getting them. Nothing's changed here for me, after basic they sent a large group of us to this outpost this morning. Primarily pegasi and unicorns, most of the other earth ponies are at some of the western outposts. Not sure the reason for it, the officers don't tell the soldiers much, harder to spill secrets if you don't know them I suppose. Still I hear ponies are already starting to call this the War of the North. Kinda a weak name for it I think, but I suppose it's up to historians to decide that. Not entirely certain what this war is about even. I know the Griffons attacked a town near the border , but there must be a reason. I doubt they are the ignorant savages that every ponies claiming, barbaric yes, but not savages. They have honor though it's primarily based on who is the strongest and most vicious. My father told me that the griffons follow a number of tactics like the dragons did in the great war. Strike fear with your attacks and keep the enemy scared of you. My father's a wise pony, he let me use the sword he carried into battle in the Dragon War, with the promise that I bring it back when I was done with it. Mother didn't want me to join the Guard at all, my father was willing to let me make my own choice, though he wasn't really happy either. It's understandable, I am their only foal, they worry. Still my father got his cutie mark at the end of the war with the dragons. Maybe I won't have to wait that long. Amanno ===================================================== Dear Crystal Sorry I haven't written in a while, granted I’m still not sure you are getting these letters, so I’m just going to assume you are since none of them have come back. I know four or five of them were nothing but day to day fluff and I am sorry for that crude joke in the last one. It was funny at the time. I can't really talk about what's going on, but I’m sure you've heard the news, the Griffons finally attacked in force. They hit an out post on the other side of the mountain from us here, killed nearly every pony there. Every pony here is panicked, they're afraid we'll be next. Everyone's jumpy and the brass isn't very forth coming with information. This letters got to be short as the last mail courier out of here is leaving soon, and I still have to write my parents. Still if you don't hear from me again...... well, good thing you didn't know me that well huh? Amanno ================================================= Dear Crystal Umm, hi... it's been what a month? A bunch of things have happened. None of which I can really talk about, but let's just say what every pony was worried about happened. I'm not sure what I’m allowed to say about it, like I said. I'm fine, this attack wasn't as bad as the first one cause we knew this one was coming. Still, we lost a lot of good ponies here, nearly lost me. A griffon got too close and managed to get a swipe in. Those metal claws they use as weapons sliced right though the Guard armor. I'm sitting in med bay now getting my stitches checked out. The wound looks bad, though you should see the other guy.... no wait forget I wrote that. A lady like you shouldn't be subjected to this sort of thing. A couple of us are getting promoted, a few are getting shipped back home due to really bad injuries or being utterly useless in the battle. It's probably for the best that the ones who ran and hid leave. A lot of good ponies died here, some of them would still be alive if not for the cowards. I can't blame them really though, it was the first battle for a lot of us. Yet, I also can't help despise them for their fear, two of my friends are among the dead, and a third is being sent home without his eyes. Sorry, I didn't mean to lay that on you. Amanno ===================== Dear Crystal Let me start out by saying, Princess Luna is terrifying. The Princess came to speak with those of us who fought and defended Unicorn Point, oh that's the outpost's name, and to bring a few of us into another unit of hers. She calls it the 42nd, some of the older Guards call it Luna's Hoof. It's supposedly been around since the Discordian War, so it's a fairly well decorated unit even if the numbers are small. Remember how we saw Princess Celestia at the Summer Celebration? Well Princess Luna doesn't have that warm almost motherly feel to her. Not to say she's cold, but where you can image Princess Celestia calmly drinking tea or something and discussing problems calmly, Princess Luna strikes me as the sort to not bother talking about anything and simply doing what she thinks needs to be done. She's as imposing and as beautiful as her sister, but scary as well. Then again perhaps I used up all my courage with mares writing this other pretty mare I know...... Amanno ======================= Dear Crystal It's been about a year now and I still haven’t gotten any letters back. I've been sending one out every other week I guess, but I never hear from you. I suppose that's a little forward to expect it, maybe I’m just optimistic. The others here think I’m wasting my time writing these letters to a mare who never responds. Still it's alright, I guess I have this image built up of you in my head that you read them. I suppose I take comfort in this more than anything else, that some pony else knows what I’m feeling out here. I do apologize for my babbling, but sometimes writing these is the only way I can continue here with any semblance of sanity. I've seen things I wouldn't wish on any one, things that could be used to to write stories to scare foals, and adults alike. Yet most of us here barely give the horrors a second glance any more. Every pony’s emotionally distanced themselves from the war as best as they can. I know I’ve broken down sobbing a few times while writing these letters. They've sort of become my meter stick of how bucked up things have become. The unit ran across some female griffons on patrol, not soldiers, just civilians who used to live in an Aerie we destroyed. The way they carried on at the sight of my Guard unit you would have thought Demons from Tartarus were after them. Last we saw them they were flying north away from the battlefield. I've heard they've been rounding up all the Equestrian griffons putting them in some camp or another to keep them away from the civilians. Not sure if it's true or not, but is it because they might be spies? Or is it to protect them from our own ponies trying to take revenge for loved ones lost in the war? Amanno =========================== Dear Crystal, Sorry about the moody or dark nature of the last couple of letters. I kinda have had a bad time of it. I know you recall I was a blank flank when we first met, even at my age, heh. Well I got my cutie mark a while back around the time the letters started getting mopey. I suppose the mark can be taken as anything. It's a long gold and white feather with the quill at the bottom, wrapped in a wild rose vine with thorns piercing it and a single red rose at the top. That's what my name means by the way. My mother said she named me after her great great grandfather. Briar Rose. Amanno supposedly means Rose in old Draconic, that was my fathers hoof in it. He some what has a thing for draconic lore I suppose, maybe a hobby , but he knows a lot to only be a farm worker for the Pelts. Don't ask me, my parents are weird. Any way I got into a situation where my unit was surrounded. I had a couple of rookies uninjured and like two or three wings of Griffons ready to move in and finish us off. The only officer to survive was a pegasus by the name of Sunbeam. His wing was ripped off in the battle, he was never going to fly again even if we could find his wing, and so soon after making Major too. Any way he told me to challenge to Griffon leader to a duel for our freedom, something about their honor would require them to do so if properly challenged. I though he was mad from blood loss but we didn't have any other options so I issued the challenge, shouting it out across the battle field. Imagine my surprise when the leader accepted. I don't know if you've met any Griffons before, but most of them are a little bigger than an average pony. This one, this one was bigger than Princess Celestia. In any case the duel seemed like a joke to him, something he accepted to try and drive home Griffon superiority or something. That I was an earth pony and not a unicorn or a pegasi just made most of his troops laugh harder. Now I’m no where near the best sword pony there is, I got some lessons from my father and mother so I did alright during basic. I'm sure unicorns have fancier moves, but I’ve been told my skills are effective. During that duel though, I could have give Princess Luna lessons in sword play. I cut the Griffon to pieces before the laughter even died in his throat and took out another three who tried to butt into the fight as well. Major Sunbeam saved my flank from getting mobbed though. He shouted out that the duel was won and something about the dishonor that would happen if they went back on their leaders word. I didn't hear most of it, I was shaking so hard I could barely hold my sword in my mouth. It wasn't fear though, I wanted to fight them all, to kill them all. It was then my cutie mark appeared distracted me from my blood lust and the Griffons who still wanted to fight. After a few moments more they all left, leaving us to make our way back to base. I was rather messed up for a while after that, hence all the dark and moody letters. I'm sorry about those. I'm only half sorry about how flirtatious some of them are though. Amanno ====================================== Dear Crystal I reaaaaally am sorry for the last letter. I had no intention of sending that one out. A classy mare like you has no need to see a drunken soldiers rambling like that, especially not the limericks. I can't apologize enough for those. I really shouldn't have listened to some of the other Guards here and gone out drinking. I really shouldn't have compared that gem you have as a cutie mark to anything. I REALLY should not have done that in limerick. I didn't remember even writing a letter until the next morning back at base when I realized I dropped it in the town's mail box. Tell you what, if you want to slap me for that letter, I wouldn't blame you. I'm on leave in a few weeks and I’m headed back home to Ponyville. I need to stop in Canterlot first. I'd pass it completely, but some noble wants to do a parade or something for a bunch of us who are going on leave at the same time. None of us want the parade, we want to go home for the short time we have, but orders are orders. If you feel the need to slap me I’m sure you can find me. Just look for the light gray stallion with a short orange mane and tail, and a rather upsetting cutie mark. Amanno. ****************************** Amanno stepped out of line groaning as he stretched. Stupid parade, stupid speech, didn't these ponies know that not a single Guard forced to listen to them believed one word of the griffon shit coming out of their mouths? All any pony in that formation wanted to do was go home, something that was delayed longer and longer the more these idiots wanted to preach about how awesome they were. Two hours in formation, two hours of nothing but noble rambling. Amanno just wanted to get home, maybe see if mom had cooked anything good before he slept for a day or three. He had a month, a little longer than some of the others, but his new rank had some advantages Sergeant in only a little over a year. Dad might be impressed, that was always a good goal when he could make the old stallion proud, granted making mom proud was harder. “You there, stop!” shouts a voice. The gray stallion blinks turning his head to look back, his eyes going wide as a lithe white mare with nearly blindingly pink hair strides towards him. Her green eyes met his own red ones as she stares up at him the point of her horn barely reaching up to his eye level. “Umm.. can I help you miss?” Amanno asks his mind trying to tell him something about the mare, he knew her from some where, but where? A sudden lash of her hoof was brought across his face as she slapped him. A few chuckles and laughs were heard from the other guards as he turns his head back to look at her. Now he recognized her. “That was for the drunken limericks.” Crystal states flatly. “Sorry...” the rest of his apology was cut off as she leans up kissing the cheek she slapped him on lightly. “That was for the rest. Some of the letters were rather sweet.” Crystal smirks blushing a little as several of the laughs turned to appreciative whistles and rather base shouts of encouragement from other Guards for Amanno. “It's Blueblood by the way. Crystal Blueblood.” Crystal states. “Oh ...OH.... umm wow. You are a noble err, I guess I did shoot for out of my station there.” Amanno chuckles.” Sorry for bothering you with the letters, and thinking death threats at your relatives while they gave their speeches.” “It's not a bother, it is something I agreed to.”Crystal shrugs.” And I rather wish my father would shut up some times as well.” “Oh really? Then why didn't you send any letters back?” Amanno asks. “Because you never told me your last name. They wouldn't ship a letter to a solider on the front without his full name.” Crystal sighs her horn glowing gold as she lifts a stack of letters from one of her saddlebags. He glances down at them noting that all of them had his first name and had been 'returned to sender.' “Oops.” “Well?” Crystal smiles. “ It's hard to send more letters until I know your last name.” “Oh sorry. It's Kaisur. My name's Amanno Kaisur.”