30 Days/ 30 Stories

by Fenton

End Of An Era

The atmosphere was dry, and Neigh Digger’s throat was burning.

One hoofstep at a time. Put one hoof in front of the other, and don’t think further.

He had repeated these sentences to himself for a week now. The desert seemed endless, no sign of any living creatures nor plant. Only rocks, dust and the wind biting his skin, scorching during the day and freezing at night.

The Sun had set for a couple of hours, and the stars were clearly visible in the sky. They were the only landmarks Neigh Digger could rely on. He glanced at them now and then, just to check he was walking in the right direction, before looking back to the ground, the only sight he had for the past week, his hooves sometimes coming into the picture.

At some point, he stopped to take a sip of water from his flask. Too exhausted to trust his magic, he grabbed it from his saddlebag, and let it drop when he saw a pony shaped shadow coming to him.

It had to be an illusion, a mirage. Nopony was stupid enough to wander the desert alone, unless they had a very good reason, like vital intelligence about the enemy force. The pony couldn’t be real, and yet, mirages didn’t make clop sounds.

Neigh Digger watched the pony coming closer. The pony was a mare, and she was... mesmerizing. Her dark mane was gently flowing in the freezing wind, her green eyes deeply looking at him, like if she was judging him, unraveling his soul. Surprisingly, she didn’t look like the cold was bothering her. And she had both a horn and wings.

That’s it, I’m going crazy.

She couldn’t be real, alicorns were only a myth, goddesses of the old tales. The thirst and the exhaustion were tricking his mind. Soon enough, he would be lying down, waiting for the Sun to roast his old carcass.

“Who’s your foes, and why do you fight them?” she asked once she was close.

Neigh Digger stared at her. “What?” he stuttered.

The mare smiled. “Do you have some water to spare? I’m a bit thirsty.”

Neigh Digger looked at his flask on the ground. If he wanted to cross this unwelcoming land, he couldn’t waste his supply. And yet, he still took it and gave it to her.

“Thank you,” she said, gulping the whole content to the last drop.

She threw the flask away and repeated her first question. “Who are you fighting? And why?”

“I… fight for my kind, and because I can.”

“Do you think it’s a right cause?”

“I don’t think so,” he said after a moment. “But it’s mine. It may not be the same for other ponies, but it’s mine. And it’s not like ponies needed a reason to fight and kill their brothers.”

The mare tilted her head, looking confused by his response. She then looked at the sky.

“Look, I really need to deliver these informations, it’s crucial. It could save thousands lives.”

“By taking hundred’s’?” she snapped, scolding. “Choosing the lesser evil?”

Neigh Digger rolled his eyes. “As appealing this conversation sounds, I won’t delve into that field, especially with somepony who’s probably not even real.”

He started walking, but before he could pass her, she suddenly stopped him, putting her hoof on his chest.

“Have faith and trust in me,” she said.

Her horn glowed, soon followed by her hoof. Neigh Digger watched as light and warm were filling his heart. Deep inside his soul, he felt the happiest and the most tragic revelation his simple mind couldn’t understand.

“There is no strength in numbers. Have no such misconceptions,” she added.

Tears were running down his cheek. She was sadly smiling, like if she was bearing all the pain in Equestria, without any hope for a brighter future. Neigh Digger wished he could reassure her, tell her something greater was to come, but it would have been a lie. What did he know, him, a simple soldier?

He didn’t know how long they stayed like this, with him crying for all the evils that had been, that were, and that would be, and with her, still able to found pity and forgiveness for an unworthy race. At some point, the light vanished, and the mare disappeared into the darkness.

Neigh Digger watched her leaving with a heavy heart, his mind now clear for the first time in his life. He couldn’t resign himself to finish his mission now, nor to die for a greater good. He felt he had to act, but he didn’t know how.

“You’re not alone,” echoed her voice in the night.

The ground shook and the earth cracked under his hooves. He fell, screaming for his life unfolding before his eyes.

Neigh Digger suddenly woke up, sweat dripping his head. He was alive, it was just a dream. He had probably closed his eyes for a second and fell asleep without noticing.

It was still dark, and even though his sleep shouldn’t have lasted long, he was feeling well-rested. Shaking his head, he grabbed his saddlebag and put on his back, when he noticed his flask was open on the ground. He took it. It was empty.

You dumbass, he scolded himself. Stupid oblivious pony. How are you gonna finish the mission now?

At this thought, he felt his heart sinking in his chest. It didn’t sound right. He still resumed his walk, determined to at least get out of this hell. If he was on the right way, he would find a small town tomorrow.

Unicornia’s military high command waited a month for Neigh Digger to come back with the intelligence. When they didn’t see him reappear, he was simply declared ‘missing in action’.

Author's Note:

This story was inspired by Lady In Black, a song by Uriah Heep. I'm actually quite surprised I've managed to write that many words for a song that doesn't have that many lyrics.

Anyway, forgive me but there is something I need to shout:
That's it, that's the 30th story! I fucking did it! A whole month of writing, with finding a new idea every day and putting it into something at least intelligible!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!

I'll do a blog post about this project where I'll try to draw some conclusions about what I've learned from this experience. So stay tuned if you're interested.

I won't tell you see you tomorrow, but instead, see you later. I'll need a break after this.

Take care of yourself and your folks.

Comments

[Orbiting Kettle]

Congratulations on having finished this death-march. It's quite an achievement.

[Fenton]

8400646
Thank you, I'm glad this is finally over. It was a tedious task.

[Dr_Tornado]

8401267
Great Story! For this you shall be gifted a fav and like, along with a song from TheFatRat that has nothing to do with this. (although tell me if you see something that relates to the story!!

[Fenton]

8401541
Thank you very much.

As for the song, there are a lot of lyrics that could relate to the story and the whole thing:

Don’t you be afraid
Everything will change

We’ll make it through

A thousand views

Somewhere close to harmony
When the world is sound asleep

Not really the kind of music I enjoy, but this one is quite good. Also, it's me or the very first notes are the same that in MLP's theme?