No mare left behind

by Aqua_Breeze

May I never forget

Author's Note:

I'd like to give a shout out to my USMC recruiter, Sgt. Jones, for helping me write this chapter.

"Hold on, men!" Dreadson called out, "We're almost out of this!".

It was near noon, and Dreadson's platoon were engaged in a fierce battle. They were fighting at their best for hours, but the German forces eventually became too much, and captain Dreadson soon ordered a full retreat. This retreat wouldn't come easy, however, as Germans were ruthless, and they weren't going to let their prey get away without a fight. At least six men had fallen already, with another four wounded. The heat of the German pursuit meant that the remaining Marines had to leave their brothers behind, frustrating many of them.

As the torn platoon finally arrived at the planned evacuation point, they were finally reinforced. The German pursuit had been stopped by heavy support fire from the nearby riverbanks, allowing the remaining Marines to survive through the evacuation. As the last of the platoon got on the boat, the back closed, allowing them to finally catch a breath of relief. This relief was quickly turned into sorrow, however, as the Marines were finally able to completely piece together what they just got through. They didn't just leave their dead behind, they were forced to leave behind injured brothers who were no doubt shown no mercy at the hands of the Germans. This sorrow hit them all hard, but it struck Twilight even harder, as she simply was not used to leaving friends behind when they need help. She couldn't quite grasp the fact that there was no other choice but to leave the wounded and defenseless behind to fend for themselves in enemy territory.

"Alright, men, listen up!" Dreadson called out, catching the attention of his Marines, "I know many of you, if not all of you, are angry. I won't hold this against any of you. You all had to leave behind friends, comrades, and family in a way. This is not an easy thing to simply accept. However, I urge you to turn that into a focused shot next time you see a German on the battlefield. They took something away from us today that can never be replaced, and you should make them pay for it. Keep the face of your closest fallen brother fresh in your mind as you pull that trigger next time, and make every shot count so that the memory of that fallen brother does not fade".

This attitude was something Twilight had never encountered before. Dreadson was normally a calm individual, but now he was talking about firing in rage and hatred. This new attitude scared Twilight. Fighting the Germans for their insane crimes against millions of innocents was one thing, but now she was being told to pull the trigger out of pure hate, not concern for the well being of the innocents. She tried hard to convince herself that it was how things would have to happen, but could not provide a convincing enough argument for herself. She could not just kill out of hatred, she could not bring herself to simply excuse violent revenge. When the weight of the new order finally hit her in full, she started to weep. Her tears did not go unnoticed, however, and her fellow Marines did what they could to give her some sort of comfort. No matter what they did, however, it never worked. Soon, Dreadson told the Marines to just give her some space and time to sort through what she had to.

When the boat finally reached another riverbank, all but Twilight departed. She would need some time alone, but she could not get that here. After Dreadson ordered his men to help out with the rest of the evacuation however they could, he climbed in the boat and scooped Twilight up. She either did not take notice, or she did not care. As Dreadson carried Twilight, he could not help but feel sorry for her. Whatever she was going through, he would do his best to help her get through it. Dreadson thought of his Marines as his family, and he acted towards them the same way he would his own child outside the field of battle. When he was finally satisfied that they were far enough away, he set Twilight down on the ground. The sudden feeling of soft grass caused Twilight to stir. As she looked around, Twilight noticed that it was just her and Dreadson.

"Where are we?" Twilight asked.

"I figured you would like some space," Dreadson said.

"I do appreciate that, sir," Twilight said.

"Now, I know you have something bothering you," Dreadson said, "Care to tell me what it is?".

"Your speech on the way over here," Twilight said.

"Well, what about it is bothering you?" Dreadson asked.

"You're asking me to kill out of hate, and I just don't think I can do that," Twilight said.

"Answer me this," Dreadson said, "What did you leave behind before we got to the other riverbank?".

"Friends," Twilight said.

"Not just friends, brothers," Dreadson said, "We're not just comrades, we're a family unit. My men think of each other as literal brothers, and they think you as a sister. What the Germans forced us to leave behind were family members".

"I get that, but how is that an excuse for killing out of blind hatred?" Twilight asked.

"It's not blind hate," Dreadson said, "I said to turn that anger into a focused shot. Take aim and pull that trigger, keeping the face of a fallen in your mind the whole time".

"I still just don't understand," Twilight said.

"I want you to keep that fallen face in your mind to make sure it's the only one that has to be there," Dreadson said.

"So, don't fire out of hate, but out of love for your fellow Marines?" Twilight asked.

"Exactly," Dreadson said, "Never forget the fallen so that you may keep others from joining them".

"I... I see," Twilight said, now staring at the ground, "That makes more sense now, thanks".

"Like I said, we're all family in this platoon. In a way, even though you're not even human, you're like a daughter to me. I'm not about to let you suffer through this moral conflict on your own," Dreadson said.

"I'll keep that in mind," Twilight said, "Now, let's get back. I want to be able to help somehow".

With that, Twilight and Dreadson started heading back to the evacuation site. On the way, Twilight caught sight of something strange close by. The object soon formed into something more familiar. As Twilight got closer, she noticed the form take more and more shape until it eventually became all too clear. What she now saw wasn't something strange, but a very familiar mare. The mare was a darker shade of purple than Twilight, and had a mane that seemed to be made out of the night sky. The mare was none other than Princess Luna. The sight confused Twilight, and she thought she was simply seeing things, but then Luna spoke up.

"Is this the world you spent the past year in?" Luna asked.

Now, Twilight knew she was hallucinating. Not only was Twilight in a whole different world than Luna, but she had definitely not been there a whole year. Her curiosity got the better of her, however, and she broke off from Dreadson to go see Luna. As she looked back, Dreadson was still walking, oblivious to the fact that Twilight was no longer by his side. Instead of going back to her captain's side, Twilight felt it better to keep closer to the Luna that was in front of her.

"If you wonder what I am doing here, then rest assured that none of this is real," Luna said before lighting up her horn, causing the whole scene to disappear.

"What did you just do?" Twilight asked.

"I simply took you out of that horrid nightmare you were having," Luna said.

"What are you talking about?" Twilight asked.

"Maybe this will help," Luna said as she touched Twilights horn with her own.

After a bright flash of light, Luna back away slightly. Twilight stood there, dazed for a few seconds. As she snapped out of her trance, Twilight realized where she really was. She was asleep in her own home, and Luna had entered her dream.

"Why'd you do that?" Twilight asked.

"To help you understand that this is nothing but a dream world," Luna said.

"Why did you intervene in my dream?" Twilight asked.

"It was no dream, Twilight," Luna said, "What I got rid of was a nightmare".

"Whatever... can you just bring it back?" Twilight asked.

"I can," Luna said, "But why would I?".

"Because I asked you to," Twilight said.

"You really want to be put back into that nightmare? To suffer while you sleep?" Luna asked, baffled.

"These nightmares need to stay with me," Twilight said.

"How can you say such a thing?" Luna asked, "Have you really grown that numb to suffering?".

"I have not grown numb to suffering," Twilight said, "But these dreams help me remember. They make it so I don't forget the hardships I went through".

"I still do not understand," Luna said.

"How much did you witness?" Twilight asked.

"Almost the whole thing," Luna said, "Why?".

"Then you'll know what Dreadson said to me about the faces of my brothers in arms," Twilight said.

"Yes, and it was quite touching," Luna said, "But I still do not understand why you want to keep having nightmares like these".

"They remind me of the sacrifices of my brothers," Twilight said, "These nightmares make it impossible for me to forget what they did, how much they gave up. They're not forgotten as long as these nightmares exist".

"So, you see these nightmares as a way to remember those who have fallen at your side?" Luna asked.

"That's right. I do not wish to ever forget them or their sacrifices, so I ask that you not interrupt these nightmares again," Twilight said, "It may sound like a stupid way to remember the fallen, but it's how I choose to remember their finest hours and honor their greatest sacrifices".

"I suppose I can understand that," Luna said.

"So please, just bring it back," Twilight pleaded, "Do not make it possible for me to forget".

"Very well," Luna said as she lit up her horn.

Within seconds, Twilight was back by her captain's side, and Luna was nowhere to be seen.

Comments

[primeoetgrunn]

Sweet in all meanings of the word.

[Praetorian4Hire]

5111410 I concur

[forrest yuchnitz]

but then those would be memories not nightmares