• Published 23rd Mar 2015
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Prisoner of War - Radiant



When captured by the enemy, can one soldier remain loyal to his country?

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Chapter Fifteen

Staring at the ceiling, I briefly contemplated rolling over, but decided it wouldn’t help anyway and remained lying on my back. It was past 2300, and sleep, once again, refused to come, but insomnia wasn’t the sole reason. My mind was so preoccupied with the upcoming attack that trying to sleep was proving futile. Though I’d been released from the infirmary, Tovey had not, and as far as I knew, he was still unconscious.

While I was conscious and mobile, that was about the only advantage I had over Tovey. I had a wonderful new ache throughout my body, though they, Heartmender and Dr. Needles, had said it would eventually fade. The pain wasn’t as bad as it had been when I’d first been taken to the infirmary, but it was still there. The doctor had done everything he could for me, so till the pain was gone, I was just going to have ignore it as best I could.

Unable to tolerate lying down any longer, I stood and stretched. It didn’t feel as good as I’d hoped, but what could I do? When I started pacing a few moments later, Clipper groaned and moved from his place across the hall, to the side of the cell where he wouldn’t have to watch me. He and Private Breeze were now the only guards of the night shift, the other two assigned to something more important, or something. Neither of my two guards were visibly armed, and hadn’t spoken a word since they’d taken their post, which had been fine with me.

While I paced, I tried to think of things to distract myself, but my mind kept returning to the attack, and possible outcomes, usually worst case scenarios. On one of my iterations, as I turned at the front of my cell, my right leg cramped and I lost my balance. Reaching out, I grabbed a bar to steady myself. Damnit. While I stretched the bad leg, I heard hoofsteps and looked over to see Breeze crossing the hall.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” I answered flatly, looking down at my cramping leg

“Are you sure?”

Giving my leg one last stretch, I straightened and glanced at the bat pony.

“Yeah. Just a cramp.”

“That’s not what I was referring to, and you know it.” Breeze sighed. “But you shouldn’t really be pacing right now. Maybe you should lie back down.”

Now that she mentioned it, I began to notice the soreness in my body had intensified since I'd started moving. Maybe I should… Moving back to the bed, I sat down and began removing my boots, which I’d left on for whatever reason.

“What makes you think there’s something wrong, anyway?”

“Your camp is going to be attacked in a few hours, and based on what we know about you, I’d bet a month’s pay that you’re worried about your friends. In your position, I’d be going through the same thing.”

Pulling of the first boot, I dropped it on the floor, then started on the next.

“Zero points awarded, because that’s obvious.” I said as I pulled off the second boot. Taking a deep breath, I began flexing my toes.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

Pausing, I looked up at Breeze. Looking her over, I couldn’t find any indication that she wasn’t being sincere. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, and glanced over to see Clipper eyeing the private.

“No.” I answered, looking back to Breeze.

“Why do you care, Private?” Clipper asked, speaking for the first time. Good question.

Looking to the sergeant, Breeze answered, “Because he’s still our prisoner, and per the regulations, we have to take care of him. Plus there’s nothing wrong with showing compassion.”

Her answer surprised me. I didn’t think any of them would care at all at this point.

“And why should we?” Leaving his place next to the cell, Clipper walked up to Breeze. “After what they did, they don’t deserve anything resembling compassion.”

Breeze stood her ground.

“Oh, so we just condemn them all for the actions of the few?

As interesting as it was to see Breeze arguing in my defense, and humans in general, I was suddenly more interested in something else.

“Wait, are you’re talking about the civilian deaths? That actually happened?” I asked, looking between the two guards.

Their argument stopped instantly, and they stared at me.

“... What?”

“You didn’t think it happened?” Breeze asked.

I shrugged. “I thought the princess made it up, and I was inclined to believe she did… at least I was really hoping she did.”

Both guards raised an eyebrow, looked at each other, then back to me.

Clipper spoke up this time. “Why in Equestria do you think the princess would make up something like that?”

“So she’d seem justified when she tortured me.” I answered slowly, once again looking between the two.

Breeze went from looking baffled, to completely mortified, bringing a forehoof to her mouth, while Clipper’s eyes slowly widened.

“Princess Celestia tortured you?!” Breeze gasped, her hoof still covering her mouth.

“Yeah. I’m honestly a little surprised you’re talking to me. I thought you’d be on orders not to interact with me.”

“I know you were in the infirmary again, but that…” Clipper shook his head, his expression hardening. “No. You’re lying!” He accused, pointing a hoof at me. “The princesses would never do such a thing!”

“The thing about never, is that it tends to happen more often than you think.”

Enough!” The sergeant stomped his hoof, the sound echoing slightly in the empty cell block. “I will not stand here and listen to this slander! Keep your mouth shut, Corporal, or I will shut it for you!”

“Listen to yourself, Sergeant!” Breeze shouted, getting her partner’s attention. “Are you going to do what Scythe did? Assault the prisoner because he said something you didn’t like?”

Clipper’s anger visibly faded and he stood there looking out-of-sorts. This time, I didn’t interrupt and just observed.

Lowering her voice, Breeze continued, “What if he’s not lying? It’s obvious the conflict is having a negative effect on us the longer it goes on. If it’s happening to us, it could happen to the princesses.”

“... But the princesses are–”

“Perfect?” the private interrupted, “They’re not, and you know it. They’re susceptible to their emotions too. Nightmare Moon is a prime example. Plus, I’ve heard no reports of anything that would have sent both prisoners to the infirmary. Something happened, we just haven’t been told what it was.”

Looking down, Clipper appeared to be considering something he would rather not. After a few moments, he turned and slowly started down the hallway.

“Stay here, Private.”

“Sergeant? Where are you going?”

I heard Clipper stop before responding, “Just down the hallway. I need a little time to myself. Shout if you need me.” His hoofsteps resumed, slowly heading away.

I found myself feeling bad for the guy. I didn’t think my mentioning the torture would have this kind of result, but at the same time, it was still surprising they were allowed to talk to me at all. I would have thought the princesses would have wanted news of their actions kept under wraps.

After a few seconds of silence I cleared my throat. “Should you be letting him go?”

“He just needs a minute.” Breeze answered. She watched him for another moment before turning to give me a dirty look. “He adores the princesses. Did you really have to tell him they did that?”

Raising my arms defensively, I replied, “Hey, I just answered the question. I didn’t know I’d get that reaction. Besides,” I dropped my arms, “you’re the one who used logic on him.”

Sighing, Breeze sat down, looking at the floor glumly. “I know. I didn’t want to, but if the princesses really did resort to torture, that’s something ponies need to know.” Looking at me, she continued, “While I don’t want to believe they did, there are a few things that support and contradict your claim.”

“Like you still being permitted to talk to me.”

“That’s the part that makes me question what you said, but then there’s the lack of reports surrounding your latest infirmary visit.”

“Well, it happened. The princesses retaliated for the deaths of your civilians. Is that such a big deal?”

“Yes!” Breeze exclaimed, jumping to her hooves. “Never in Equestria’s history has anything remotely close to torture been used, ever! How will ponies react when they find out?” She paused, looking at me, her brows furrowing. “And why aren’t you upset about being tortured?”

Closing my eyes, I laid back, clasping my hands behind my head. “I was for a while.” Opening my eyes, I stared at the ceiling. “But in the end, being mad at something beyond my control won’t change what happened, and is just a waste of energy.”

“How do you do that? Everything that’s happened to you here, and you just… let it go?”

I laughed. “What am I going to do? Surprise Celestia with a punch to the face next time she’s in arms reach? Probably wouldn’t leave a mark, and I’d just get skewered on a spear for my trouble. Take out my anger on you guys? That won’t end well either. There’s nothing I can do in this situation, so rather than stew on everything that upsets me, I’ll save myself what little sanity I’ve got and try to forget about it… though it’s easier said than done.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever figure you out. You say you were tortured–”

“By the princess, not you, or any of the other guards… though I’m not thrilled that four of them just stood there and watched.”

“What did you expect them to do? Defy the princesses?”

“Well no, but they could have said something… At least Heartmender apologized for his inaction.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. That’s how he is.”

Wincing as my back popped, I sat up to look at the bat pony.

“You’re a hard one to figure out too.”

Breeze tilted her head to the side. “What do you mean?

“After all the problems I’ve caused, everyone I’ve upset, you still talk to me, and treat me decently.”

Breeze looked down for a moment. “Your surprise to our confirming the civilian deaths speaks volumes, and after all the time I’ve spent guarding you, I can see you’re not really a bad pony, er, person. I want to show that not all ponies are unreasonably upset because of what’s happened and what’s going on.

“You’re doing a good job of that.”

Breeze gave a small smile. “Thanks. I think our countries could have worked things out if they’d have just tried.”

“Yeah, but after the last diplomatic incident, I don’t think anyone was feeling particularly willing to talk things out.”

The guard nodded. “That didn’t really help with the growing tensions, did it?”

“Things could have been handled differently,” I agreed, leaning down to remove my blousers. “But there’s not much that can be done about that now. At this point, I’m just gonna sit back, wait, and hope someone decides to be reasonable.”

“Me too.” Breeze paused. “This might sound kind of odd, but can I ask a favor of you? I’ll understand if you say no.”

Dropping my removed blousers, I sat up, raising an eyebrow at the bat pony. “What kind of favor?”

Breeze hesitated to answer, looking down the hall. A few moments later, she looked back to me.

“Could… could you tell me about your home?” She paused again. “I’ve heard some of the guards that have been there talk about it, and I’d like to know more.”

“Haven’t I told you about it already?”

Breeze shook her head. “Not really. If you weren’t trying to sleep, you were asking myself or Sergeant Clipper about bat ponies, and avoided talking about anything else, really.”

“Right...” Fuck it, why not? This war’s almost over anyway. If there was going to be a chance for peace between Equestria and the US, it needed to be shown that we actually could get along. It had to start somewhere, even if it was just myself and Breeze having a conversation. There would be those that would try to raise all sorts of hell for me over this, but I didn’t care. She just wanted to know things about home, and I didn’t see anything wrong with that. At the same time, I could make comparisons and learn more about Equestria.

“What do you want to know?”


Yawning, I looked blearily ahead and wondered what anyone could possibly need me for that couldn’t wait till later. Neither Heartmender nor Stormfront were forthcoming with answers, so I was once again being left in the dark.

I’d fallen asleep at some point while talking to Breeze, and it felt like it had only been a couple hours since then. After being woken by Heartmender, I’d been fed, taken to the showers, and now it appeared I was just being taken back to my cell. The prospect of lying back down evaporated as we turned up the hall to the interrogation rooms. Groaning in annoyance, my temper flared, but dwindled quickly. I just didn’t have the energy. Our destination also reminded me of something.

“How’s Tovey?”

“He’s doing fine. We’re just waiting for him to wake up.” Heartmender answered. “I checked on him before my shift started.”

“That’s good to hear.”

There wasn’t time for anything else, because we came to the first room, and I was ushered inside. Aside from the usual table and chair, the room was empty. Looks like I’m waiting for someone. Taking a seat, I folded my arms and closed my eyes, letting my head fall forward.

It didn’t take long for me to start nodding off, and sleep was pulling me in when the door opened a bit later. Glancing up sleepily, I saw Celestia and Luna walking to the other side of the table.

Closing my eyes, I waited till they stopped moving before I asked, “What do you want now?”

“To apologize.”

Opening my eyes again, I looked up slowly. “What?” Now that I was really looking at them, I noticed they weren’t wearing their usual neutral expressions. I they looked perturbed, and Celestia looked like she may have lost some sleep.

Celestia spoke first. “It never should have come to torture. When the deaths of the five ponies was confirmed, I allowed my emotions to dictate my actions.” The princess looked away. “Since I could not punish the actual perpetrator, I took my anger out on you, the thorn in my side, believing that it would somehow make things better.” When she looked back, I could see the remorse in her eyes. “I was wrong, and I did not realize this till it was too late.”

“I am also at fault for what occurred yesterday.” Luna began when Celestia finished speaking. “I too was upset with the loss of our ponies, and made no attempts to stop Celestia from torturing you, only intervening after the act was done. We have wronged you, Corporal, and brought shame upon us and Equestria.” Pausing, Luna bowed her head. “Because of this, we offer our sincerest apologies.”

Celestia followed suit. “Can you ever forgive us?”

I sat there staring at the two of them, unsure how to respond. I came to a decision a few seconds later.

“I can.”

The two of them straightened slowly, staring at me with wide eyes

“We had expected you to be more upset about this.” Luna stated, not bothering to hide the shock in her voice. “This is most unexpected.”

Resting my arms on the table, I leaned forward. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told Private Breeze earlier this morning; being upset about something beyond my control won’t change anything, and is a waste of time and energy.”

“But I attacked you, made it personal.” Celestia said, more surprised than her sister. “I’ve seen how capable your kind is of holding grudges, especially over something like this, and yet you just forgive us?”

“Yeah.”

“So easily? Why?”

“Two reasons.” Leaning back, I stretched and yawned before continuing, “I’ve been where you were. While I question that you care about each individual pony in Equestria that much, I know exactly what it’s like to lose someone you care about. I lost my two best friends when our truck was hit by an IED in Afghanistan. I don’t know how, but I survived and was deemed well enough to return to duty a couple weeks later. I got back to my unit and spent the next several weeks unreasonably pissed at the Afghans, even the civilians that were working on the base. Every mission I hoped for an engagement so I could kill as many of them as possible. I got my wish on several occasions. Eventually, I came to the realization that no matter how many of those guys I killed, nothing I did would bring back my friends, and my anger was only making things worse for me.” I looked to Luna. “I survived. That’s where that guilt you saw comes from.”

Luna and Celestia exchanged glances.

“You have never been this forthcoming before.” Celestia commented.

“Yeah well, you never asked for my life story, and things change, which brings me to reason two.” I said, holding up the corresponding number of fingers. “I realized last night, while talking to Breeze, that unless someone starts making an effort to change, our countries are going to continue fighting.”

“We agree, which is why we called off the attack and are instead keeping an eye on your friend’s location.” Celestia informed me.

“Wait… you what?”

“We decided to cancel the attack.” Luna answered. “Once we had the chance to calm down, and realize where that course of action was going to take us, we came to the same conclusion as you. As we were the ones who refused to return to the negotiation table, we feel Equestria should now take the first steps.”

“Will you help us set up peace talks with your commander?” Celestia asked.

Leaning back, I paused to consider for bit. This could turn out well, or get me into all sorts of trouble.

“How do I know you’re being truthful? You haven’t exactly done a lot to inspire trust, lately.” I asked, looking at the two princesses.

“We understand your suspicion, but we have information that we believe will help gain your trust.” Luna said.

While I was still suspicious, they now had me intrigued. What information could they possibly have that could convince me to trust them?

“Go on.”

“Your capture was no random chance.” Celestia explained. “You have a traitor.”

Author's Note:

For those of you who didn't see the update blog I put up earlier, I just want to apologize for how long it took to get this chapter up. Between work, school, distractions, and depression, this just kept getting pushed farther and farther back, and I feel bad about it because I know some of you really like this story. One of the other reasons it took so long, is because I was waiting for the cover art to get done. Yay! And only after fifteen chapters!
Anyway, with a nice break from school, maybe I'll be able to get sixteen out a lot quicker than I did this.