A few Nightwatch soldiers are transferred from the Northern Front to the Eastern Front. The have a night of R&R at their disposal, and choose to make the best out of it.
Two weeks has passed since the conflict started and Equestria found itself surrounded on all sides by former allies turn enemies.
A train carrying Nightwatch and Royal Guard troops back from the Northern Front is scheduled to stop in Ponyville, where the soldiers have almost a full day at their disposal to enjoy some R&R, before they are shipped out to the Eastern Front.
And they all plan to take advantage of every last minute of it.
Special thanks to Crystal Secret for proofreading and editing the story.
Most of the ponies were asleep, there was little else to do during the seven hour train ride south to the junction point.
The moon was already starting to set, as they passed the formal border into the little subordinate nation of The Protectorate of Ponyville, named after it’s biggest city. Inside of one of the train’s compartments, three stallions sat down and looked out the window at the passing landscape. Farmlands, orchards and vineyards stretched out as far as the eye can see, with only the occasional clump of trees from a once great forest broke the pattern.
One was a middle aged pegasus, or a bat pony when he put his armor on, his coat and feathers were dark blue almost black, his mane and tail golden, both were cut short, with a silver flask on top of a pair of crossed golden swords as a cutie mark. Opposite to him stood two unicorns, one was an earthish brown, with a light purple mane and tail, and a rusty helmet cutie mark. While the other was still a young stallion, only a few years out of the Nightwatch Training Facility, or just the Facility, his coat was a mustard yellow, with a long, light blue mane, and he had a rolled up piece of fabric colored the same his mane for a cutie mark.
“Hey sarge,” the mustard unicorn called out to the one sitting next to him.
“Damn it Silky, stop calling me that!” the brown unicorn snapped at him.
“Sorry,” he instantly apologised. “So Corporal Helm, you have known Sergeant Zeal for a while haven’t you?” he asked referring to the pegasus they shared the compartment with.
“Yeah...” the corporal replied, “Zeal and I go back to our days at the Facility...”
“So what’s with him?” the mustard unicorn asked. “I mean, he seems depressed ever since we took back Snowblush,” he added when the corporal gave him an angry look.
“Oh Silky,” Helm put his hoof on the pony’s shoulder. “You are looking at a pony that’s had his life taken out of him, drain a little bit each day. Then the assault on Snowblush came, followed by the rationing, and all remnants of hope that he still hangs onto, was gone.”
“You mean?!” Silky asked horrified.
“I’m afraid so,” Helm replied.
Silky lowered his head, he could only imagine the pain Sergeant Zeal was going through, and even that was too much for the young pony.
“Two weeks sober,” the caporal added. “Poor thing.”
“What?” Silky jumped out of his seat when he heard what Helm had said. “You mean to tell me that he is like this because of the the rum rations were cut?!”
“Stand down private!” the caporal ordered, Silky compiled, and Helm placed his hoof back on the pony’s shoulder. “Do you know what everypony else calls Zeal?”
“What do you mean?”
“Except for Zeal or sergeant did you hear soldiers call him something else?” the caporal asked.
“I think I heard somepony call him Master once or twice...” Silky replied scratching the back of his head.
“That’s right,” Helm chuckled. “Drunken Zeal, Master of the Empty Bottle, the drunkest pony you will ever see,” he could barely contain his laughter.
“Really?” Silky asked skeptical at Helm’s explanation. “You expect me to believe that the hero of Snowblush is a drunk?”
“Of course not, calling Zeal a drunk is like saying that the princesses sort of look good...”
Silky could not believe what he was hearing.
“Master Zeal is not a drunk! He is The Drunk. Heck I’ve seen him drink a whole room under the table. I don’t think there is a drop of blood left anywhere in his body, why, if you put a tap in him you could get the entire train drunk,” Helm said with a straight face.
“Really? You’re serious?!” Silky asked him, his head slightly tilting to one side.
“I am.”
The compartment’s door slid open and a tall bat pony stood in the doorway. He wore full Nightwatch body armor, making his coat dark blue, mane silver and eyes orange, at least one of them since the other was covered by an eyepatch. He wore a blue cape with a grey crescent moon embroidered onto it.
“First Sergeant!” Silky told Helm as both of them looked at the pony.
“Attention!” the pony ordered.
Both the unicorns stood in attention and saluted, while the pegasus didn’t even bother to turn his head.
“At ease.” The pair dropped their salutes and turned their heads towards their CO.
“Listen up. We are less than an hour away from the junction and High Command has a treat for all of you. Your departure was postponed for a day so you have a full day for R&R,” the first sergeant said as he looked at their expressions, both of them were smiling.
“Also, by royal decree, during that day all establishments designed by N1” Zeal’s ear twitched, “will be opened for any pony member of the Watch or the Guard.”
“Sir,” Zeal spoke grabbing the attention of all three ponies. “How far did you say we were from the town?”
“Less than an hour,” the officer replied.
“Thought so.”
Zeal got up, opened the compartment above his seat, pulled out the bag, and tossed it on his back. Everypony was staring at him. Then he walked over to the window, pulled it down, and jumped out, leaving behind only a thin yellow stripe that followed the train tracks.
The officer left the compartment nursing a migraine, leaving the two unicorns alone.
“So what is an N1 facility?”
“Ah to be young and innocent... A N1 facility is any building that is only allowed to operate at night, like bars and taverns, casinos or...”
“Other establishments! I got it!” Silky said rosy in the cheeks.
Cheering and stomping could be heard from time to time as the news spread through the train.
The train pulled into Ponyville Station, and no sooner that it did, the masses of ponies flooded out of the train and poured into the town. The town was overtaken by hundreds of Royal Guard and Nightwatch soldiers, wearing just barely enough armor to prove that they were military.
Even with the reduces armor they were wearing the enchantments still worked, changing the colors of their coats to dark grey if they were Nightwatch, or to white if they were Royal Guard, their mane however did not change.
Private Silky and Corporal Helm were among the last to get of the train. They could see a pink entity moving at breakneck speed through the crowd stopping ever so slightly in front of a pony, startling him, before moving onto the one next to him. It all happened so fast that all one could see was a fast moving pink thing.
“Listen here,” Helm told to Silky pulling him closely. “Be careful boy, the mares of this town have a reputation.”
“What do you mean?” Silky asked looking fascinated at the pink thing.
“They say that every mare in Ponyville is...”
“Hiya,” a pink pony with a puffy, almost cotton candy-ish fully pink mane appeared out of nowhere in front of Silky, scaring the pony and causing him to fall on his rear. Helm laughed.
“My name is Pinkie Pie and welcome to Ponyville.”
“Hi,” Silky said nervous as the pink pony’s head slowly moved further and further into his personal space making the stallion uncomfortable, his heart started beating faster.
“Told you kid. Name’s Helm, a pleasure meeting you miss Pie,” Helm said before leaving his friend in the clutches of the pink, blue eyed, fluffy, scary pony.
“Bye bye Helmie,” she replied while not averting her gaze from the terrified stallion.
Silky started backing up, trying to put some distance between him and those blue eyes that seemed to stare into his very soul, and from that wide smile that the more he looked at it the wider it seemed to become. But no matter how much he dragged his rear away the pony’s face only seemed to be getting closer. He took his eyes off her face only for an instance to look at her legs, they were now moving yet she seemed to keep getting closer, and closer, and when he lifted them up their faces were almost touching, and all he could see were those deep blue eyes.
“Silkmane! Private First Class Silkmane of the Second Nightwatch Guard attached to the Third Medical Division!” with his heart threatening to burst out of his chest, he yelled out his name, his rank as well as his position, he would have said anything to just to put some distances between them. Later in his life he would remember this moment and think “I knew a mare that could have made you say how much milk you drank from your mother teats just by looking at you.”
“Hey Silky,” the pony moved her face away, seemingly satisfied by his answer. “So how long are you in town?”
“We...” he spoke while taking deep breaths and with one hoof placed on his chest desperately attempting to calm his heart down. “We leave tomorrow at twelve.”
“Come on!” the mare said as she stretched out her hoof offering to help the stallion get up.
As soon as he grabbed her hoof she squeezed it, pulled him to his legs, and said: “There is little time and much to see!” before starting to run and pulling the poor pony after her.
“Where are we going?” Silky asked as he found himself struggling to keep up with the energetic pink pony. If any one of his brothers in arms ever found out that he got himself ponynapped by a mare almost half his size, he would never hear the end of it.
“Why on the Official Pinkie Pie Tour of Ponyville of course,” she replied not slowing down even for an instant.
“How... about... we... do... that... later?” Silky manages to ask as he was trying to stop himself.
Pinkie Pie suddenly stops and Silky runs past her almost hitting two ponies before he stops. He apologised to the two before turning around to look for the pink menace, she is gone. After letting out a sigh of relief he turns and starts walking away when he bumps into her again, and finds himself falling back on his rump.
“So what would you like to do?” the mare asks him.
“It was like hitting a brick wall,” he mutters to himself before looking at the smiling pink pony.
“Get something to drink?”
“Something to drink?” she asks herself stroking her chin, while staring at the empty sky. “Well we could try Sugarcube Corner, the Cakes just got their soda machine fixed, or we can go over to the Watering Hole, or the ice cream parlor, or we can get some juice from the...”
“How about a bar?” Silky interrupts her.
“A bar? At this hour? Silly Silky, all the bars are closed until nighttime,” she giggles. “Everypony knows that, well not everypony. You didn’t know that. And I’m sure there are still some foals that...”
“Actually all the bars are open today.”
Pinkie gasped.
“Yes, they are open all day, all night and tomorrow morning, so that we have a place to unwind.”
“And no pony told me!? Come on Silky,” she said pulling the stallion up and grabbing his hoof again. “We are going to get you something to drink right now.”
And before the words could even reach Silky’s ears he found himself running through town, being pulled by a hyperactive, yet cute in her own way, pink mare by the name of Pinkie Pie towards a bar, and he could not help but smile.
The buildings of Ponyville looked more or less alike to a pony who had just came to town. Small, or two story tall buildings, all painted yellow, with wooden support beams and thatched roofs, but one building seemed to be their destination. However he looked at it Silky could not see anything that would show that it was a N1 establishment.
No narrow alleyways, no bright lavish or suggestive signs, no darken windows, no undercover guards, no shady characters, and no scantily dressed mares, nothing to indicate that this was “that part of town.” Only a small wooden sign swinging with the wind, a half filled wine glass and a cluster of grapes painted onto it, was proof that anything even remotely even coming close to being N1 was in this quaint and innocent little town.
The mare, Pinkie Pie, slammed the door open letting the light come in. Silky appeared shortly after, exhausted and out of breath. He lifted his head and looked in. It was fairly dark, like all bars and taverns tend to be, and it was full to the brink with soldiers. A line was going down the middle straight to the bar. On one side all that Silky could see was white and gold, on the other dark blue and purple.
“Close the door, you’re letting the dark out!” a pony yelled at them.
“Hey Pinkie!” the barmare yelled from the other end of the room. “Come in! Come in! Bring your friend, first drink is on the house.”
“Thanks Berry!” Pinkie yelled back as she hopped over to the bar.
Silky closed the door behind him and also walked towards the bar, taking his time to look at the ponies that were busily drinking their worries away. For most there was not enough alcohol in all of Equestria to make them forget what they saw, but they did not give up hope, salvation could be at the bottom of the next bottle.
“Hey stranger, what can I get you?” the barmare asked. She was a cute earth pony mare with a mulberry coat and a mane a few shades darker. Behind her stood a large rack of all manner of spirits, as well as several barrels of wine and beer taps, hundreds of freshly washed glasses and mugs.
“Give me a beer.”
“I’ll have the Double Rainbow Cocktail.”
“Coming right up,” the barmare said before turning around and pulling out a bottle of vodka, as well as one of elderflower liqueur. In a tall glass she put rainbow colored ice cubes, and poured four parts soda water, one part vodka, one part liqueur, and a few other ingredient Silky did not get a chance to see.
The two ponies turned around and looked at the rest of the bar patrons. While their drinks were different all of them shared the same cocktail, a mixture of sadness and depression, with a smitch of hopelessness. The barmare, Berry, returned with their drinks. His beer was just like any other beer, cold, foamy and he soon found himself sharing the same cocktail with the rest of the bar. Pinkie’s drink was a brightly multi colored drink put, which she happily drank through a spiral straw.
“Haven’t seen so many sad ponies here since I took over,” Berry casually said resting her head on her crossed hooves.
“Hmm...” Pinkie said looking at the many depressed ponies, she started rhythmically tapping her hoof against the bar, while slurping from her drink at the same time.
She did that for almost a minute, until her drink was gone. She then slammed her glass onto the counter, got up, and walked over to the table of a large Nightwatch stallion with a fiery red mane who was resting his head on his hooves after he had finished his tenth beer. She put her hooves on his table and stared at him, a frown on her face.
“What?” The stallion spoke in a raspy deep voice that got the attention of everypony.
Pinkie grinned.
“Hey there friend I heard that you, Were feeling kind of sad and blue, And I was hoping I could make you smile.”
Pinkie turned to the pony sitting behind her and placed her hooves on his shoulder, looking straight at him as she continued singing.
“Because you are such a superstar, Amazing, awesome, wonderful, And I hope nothing ever breaks your heart.”
She started moving from table to table singing to different ponies, but loud enough so that even the ponies sitting the farthest away from her could hear her words.
“So I wrote this little song for you, It isn't much but yes it's true, And I hope you can see how great you are.”
As she sung she started making her way back to the bar.
“So just put a smile upon your face, Today is such an awesome day, A perfect day to laugh your cares away.”
And jumped on and stood on two legs.
“So just throw away your heart ache, Be happy 'cuz today's a great day, A perfect day to laugh and smile.. and smile... and smile..”
She sung the chorus three times before stretching her hoof out to Berry and helping her to get up on the bar, before jumping off and letting Berry take the spotlight.
“So if you're ever feeling down, Then simply take a look around, and you will see a bright and shiny world.” She made a wide circular gesture with her foreleg.
“That is full of such amazing things, Like rainbows, cake, and onion rings, And stars that shine so bright they could be pearls.
And when clouds intrude upon your day, Just pick yourself right up and say, that I can face it each and every day.
And if you should ever, need a friend Then I will be there till the end And stay right by your side forever more
So just throw away your heart ache Be happy 'cuz today's a great day A perfect day to laugh and smile... and smile.”
Pinkie joined her on the counter for the finale.
“So just throw away your heart ache, Be happy 'cuz today's a great day, A perfect day to laugh and smile... and smile... and smile...”
Every stallion just stood there and stared blankly at the two mares that had broken out into song for no reason, then they went back to their drinks.
“Tough crowd,” Berry said as she climbed down from the bar, and returned to her job of filling the sad thirsty ponies drinks.
“I’ll say.” Pinkie was surprised that her song was unable to make anypony smile. Not one soldier even cracked a smile during, or after her and Berry’s uplifting song.
The front door creaked open, but before anypony could see who has entered the room it had been already closed.
As one would enter the room he could see the half of the place filled by the Nightwatch, the other by Royal Guards, with a clear line separating the halves, path that lead to the bar where only Pinkie Pie and Silky stood, the rest of the bar stools being empty.
Pinkie ordered another drink to oil her creative gears as she planned her next song. Silky was still nurturing his drink when he felt a tiny hoof poking him in the rear.
“Excuse me Sir,” a voice could be heard coming from Silky. He turned and saw a light grey pegasus colt with a dark grey mane and a storm cloud as a cutie mark. Silky and Pinkie turned looked at the colt that was standing in a bar full of sad and angry drunk soldiers.
“Rumble, you know you shouldn’t be in here,” Pinkie scolded him as she walked over to him.
“I just wanted to see the soldiers.”
“Well here we are,” one of the nearby Nightwatch soldiers moaned from his table.
Pinkie walked Rumble towards the door, but the colt was resisting all the way.
“Leave the kid be,” a Guard told Pinkie, “Let him see what Her Majesty's Finest are really all about.”
Pinkie stopped and glared at the drunk stallion who was using a wooden mug as a pillow.
“Well kid, what do you think?” a Nightwatch soldier asked from across the room. “Are we everything you ever thought we would be?”
“Yes!” he loudly proclaimed. “You are brave soldiers resting after a hard day’s work. And I want to be one of you when I am able to enroll.”
The mass of ponies bursted out in laughter.
“Why would you like to join?” a voice asked from somewhere in the room.
“Because it is the right thing to do!”
Again everypony laughed.
“Quiet down!” a large stallion ordered as he slammed his hoof into the table. “Do you want to know what being a soldier is like?”
“I do!”
“Well then, know that a soldiers life is hard, dirty, and most off all it’s painful.”
“Then why are you doing it?” Rumble asked the stallion.
“ZEAL!” the stallion yelled out.
“Yes sir!” a Nightwatch pegasus dressed in full armor stood up in attendance.
“Take it away!”
“Gladly sir! You guys ready?”
“Ready!” the whole of the Nightwatch yelled.
“For a long time we've been marching off to battle. In our thundering herd we feel a lot like cattle.” The whole Nightwatch was singing.
“Hey!” Pinkie Pie yelled. “That’s racist!”
“Like the pounding beat, Our aching feet, Aren't easy to ignore...”
“Hey! Think of instead, a mare worth fighting for.” Zeal sang alone.
“Huh?” Pinkie Pie and Rumble were surprised by the cheery, almost feminine voice that the middle age stallion was singing in.
“That's what I said, A mare worth fighting for. I want her prettier than the Moon, With eyes that shine like stars.”
Another Nightwatch stallion took over.
"My girl will marvel at my strength, Adore my battle scars."
Then another.
“I couldn't care less what she'll wear or what she looks like It all depends on what she cooks like...”
Whistling, cheering and shouting drowned out the next stallions last lines. Zeal took over.
“Bet the local girls thought you were quite the charmer. And I'll bet the ladies love a man in armor.”
The Guard joined their brothers in song.
“You can guess what we have missed the most, Since we went off to war... What do we want? A girl worth fighting for.”
“My girl will think I have no faults That I'm a major find,” Zeal sang.
“How 'bout a girl who's got a brain Who always speaks her mind?” Pinkie tried joining in.
“Nah!” was their collective response.
Soldiers were joining in, singing a line before another will continue with the next.
“My strapping ways and turn of phrase are sure to thrill her. He thinks he's such a lady killer.
I've a girl back home who's unlike any other Yeah, the only girl who'd love him is his mother.”
A brawl breaks out between the last two but they were quickly separated by an officer.
“But when we come home, In victory. They'll line up at the door. What do we want? A girl worth fighting for Wish that I had... A girl worth fighting for A girl worth fighting...”
As the singing went on, Pinkie managed to get Rumble out.
While all the singing was going on there were those who continued to drink, and it did not take long for the first casualty to occur.
He was a young Royal Guard unicorn, probably just out of the Academy. Brave, young, and stupid. He fell like a rock while attempting to match his comrades drink for drink, not wanting to look like an lesser stallion in their eyes, a loud thump was heard when his face hit the table.
This sound, was all too familiar to the fiery red mane Nightwatch stallion, who finished his drink, stood up, and walked towards the table the white unicorn slept at.
He towered above him, and after letting out a large smile, he tapped his hoof creating a beat, picked the soldier up and threw him on his back before as he started to sing.
“What will we do with a drunken soldier? What will we do with a drunken soldier? What will we do with a drunken soldier? Early in the morning!
Way hay and up he rises, Way hay and up he rises, Way hay and up he rises, Early in the morning!"
The rest of the Nightwatch joined in, as he paraded him through the room.
"Shave his tail with a rusty razor, Shave his tail with a rusty razor, Shave his tail with a rusty razor, Early in the morning!
Way hay and up he rises, Way hay and up he rises, Way hay and up he rises, Early in the morning!"
The Royal Guard ponies also joined their brother’s in song.
"Throw him in a lake till he's sober, Throw him in a lake till he's sober, Throw him in a lake till he's sober, Early in the morning!
Way hay and up he rises, Way hay and up he rises, Way hay and up he rises, Early in the morning!"
All the ponies were now singing, Silky, Pinkie, and Berry included, except, of course, the waiters and waitresses who were busy delivering new drinks to quench the thirst of a room filled with soldiers turned musicians.
"Stick him in a barrel with a dress on him, Stick him in a barrel with a dress on him, Stick him in a barrel with a dress on him, Early in the morning!
Way hay and up he rises, Way hay and up he rises, Way hay and up he rises, Early in the morning!"
The soldiers threw what they owed on the tables and stood up.
"Put him in the bed with the captains daughter, Put him in the bed with the captains daughter, Put him in the bed with the captains daughter, Early in the morning!
Way hay and up he rises, Way hay and up he rises, Way hay and up he rises, Early in the morning!"
The party was moved outside with the soldier singing as the sleeping pony was carried towards the nearby lake. A cold bath will do wonders for him, the shaving could wait, and finding a dress will take time.
"That’s what we do with a drunken soldier, That’s what we do with a drunken soldier, That’s what we do with a drunken soldier, Early in the morning!
Way hay and up he rises, Way hay and up he rises, Way hay and up he rises, Early in the morning!
Way hay and up he rises, Way hay and up he rises, Way hay and up he rises, Early in the morning!”
Their singing could be heard all over town.
Silky, Pinkie, Berry and the bar’s staff were the only ones left. The two said their goodbyes, the staff finished their shifts and Berry was left alone in her bar, with her drinks, and with the small fortune she had made that day. For her, the party was just beginning.
The sun was just starting to set when Pinkie and Silky reached one of Ponyville's many parks, after the fun they had at Berry's, Silky was happy for some peace and quiet. He got neither.
"Ready for the tour?" Pinkie asked him while they stood on a bench.
"Can't we just talk? Or something?" Silky really didn't feel like running through the town while his guide spat out names that meant nothing to him, and he would surely forget by tomorrow.
"Sure! " Pinkie replied catching the stallion by surprise. "So... how’s it going?"
“Well so far the day has been fun... we got to sing a few songs, had a few drinks... and this is not what you wanted me to tell you isn’t it?” Silky asked turning his head to look at the pink mare sitting next to him.
“Oh no,” she quickly replied. “We can talk about anything you like.”
He chuckled.
“Not good...” Silky let his head fall backwards on and he looked at the orange sky as he continued. “It was nothing like we expected it to be. There were more of them than there were of us, they were better trained, better armed, better armored...”
Pinkie just stood next to him and let the pony talk, taking in every word he said.
“And they had those monstrosities. Nopony ever had to face those... It was like fighting dragons. Sure we had unicorns, and they had nothing to counter their magic, but there is only so much a couple of unicorns could do. And the griffins were never stupid, they always, always took out the unicorns first, always,” anger could be heard coming from his voice.
“The first few days were all good, a few minor skirmishes, nothing much, most of us didn't even leave our base next to the Crystal City, then the news came. I can never forget the day I overheard those words: ‘First and second Royal Guard battalion are gone, griffin troops advancing by rail, heavy artillery present. Less than one hour. If CE32-Snowblush falls Crystal City is next.’ I was the one that had to go and wake up the rest of the Watch. In ten minutes every last soldier marched for Snowblush...”
“And?” Pinkie asked captivated by the story.
“We won,” the pony replied, but there was no happiness, no joy, only sadness in his words.
“And isn’t that a good thing?” Pinkie Pie didn’t understand at first why he reacted the way he did. By the time it finally clicked it was too late, the question was already asked.
“There were almost a full division, ten thousand strong soldiers of the Royal Guard, and two Nightwatch brigades, another six thousand... And all the survivors were brought back on three trains, two of which were medical transports... But we won.”
“Sorry...” Pinkie said.
Silky looked at her, the pony’s eyes were teary and a lot more shiny, her head was hanging low and her mane seemed to be less puffy.
“Hey! It’s okay. It really is. I’m over it,” he lied, that was something nopony would ever be over, but he didn’t want to sadden the mare any further.
“Let’s talk about something else...” he looked around for something to talk about, something that was not sad, not tragic, something simple, light hearted, maybe even funny.
He looked around, he could see grass, trees, the night sky, an overflowing garbage can... he paused to think if he could do something with that but came up empty.
“Umm... How about that tour?” he asked when he realised that he had no idea what he could do to cheer the pony up. He thought “how useful would a pony whose special talent is cheering other pony’s up be right now.”
“Sure...”
Then both of them stood up, and Pinkie started showing the stallion around town, each building had at least one story to tell, but she only told him the ones that were more interesting. They stopped in front of an library build into a tree and Silky listen to her explain how just about every major crisis Equestria went through over the last few years were ties in one way or another to that very building, and to the pony that made it her home, the current ruler of The Protectorate of Ponyville, Princess Twilight Sparkle. The pink mare talked about the tree for what seemed to be hours.
They continued through the cold night, walking side by side, with Silky listening more to the sound of Pinkie’s voice than the words she was saying. After a time it almost sounded like she was singing, maybe she was. With each step they made the mare’s mane seemed to become more puffy and her smile bigger.
Only a few hours remained until Luna’s night would end and Celestia would raise the sun starting the day anew. The two found themselves back at the bench where the tour started.
It was sometime, between four and five in the morning, and it also was a particularly chilly night. The cold had not a problem for them while they were walking, but now that they were sitting still, the cold started to make itself known.
The two ponies were sitting next to each other in order to keep warm, while they thought of what they should do next. Silky moved his arm behind Pinkie and pulled her closely, the mare made herself comfortable in his embrace.
He slowly moves his other hoof underneath her chin and lifts her head up so he could see her beautiful deep blue eyes. His head leans forward, slowly heading towards her own, his heart racing with anticipation of the moment, then he closes his eyes and puckers up his lips ready for the moment when they would meet hers, and...
Before their lips touch he feels the mares hoofs gently pressed against his mouth. He opens his eyes and looks at the mare. Her smile was gone and her general impression was that of sadness.
“Sorry,” she said, her voice reflecting what was written on her face.
Silky let go of the pony, but before he could apologize for his action the mare ran away.
“Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!” he cried out as he bashed his head with his hooves.
He walked a little through town, but now every building he passed by reminded him of her.
“Damn it!” he screamed kicking a small pebble that had the audacity of standing in the middle of the road.
Silky made his way to the town's outskirts where a makeshift camp was hastily erected a few hours after the train arrived in town. He looked around for an empty tent, but took his time to untie the poor stallion tied to the flagpole. At least he was not cold, the fluffy pink dress he wore kept him warm.
“Never try to drink against an officer,” Silky told the stallion. “I think being able to drink your own weight in ale is a requirement for promotion.”
Even if he was the last to fall asleep, Private Silkmane was among the first to get up. He put on the rest of his armor, picked up a blade from the makeshift armory and awaited the morning briefing. It was a cold morning.
The morning roll call was made and none of the Nightwatch were missing, Silkmane quickly found out why. Apparently their CO promised to make anypony who missed roll call walk to the front.
“Those in the Guard have no ideea how well they have it,” was the collective thought off all Nightwatch soldiers, but especially of those who were suffering from a hangover. The cold wind kept them awake.
“Alright troops, single file. MOVE OUT!” the CO ordered and the soldiers fell in a single line and marched to the station.
They passed through the town, and the locals gathered around to see the troops off. He looked for a certain pink pony with a puffy mane, he saw plenty of pink mares, and plenty of mares with pink manes, but not the pink mare with a puffy pink mane he was looking for.
They reached the station and boarded the dull grey train that would fare them to their destination, the eastern front, hopefully he would live long enough to forget her.
Fate was an odd thing, and Silkmane found himself again sharing the cabin with Corporal Helm, and Sergeant Zeal, as well as three other Nightwatch ponies he didn’t know.
“So how was your night?” Helm asked him.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Silkmane told the corporal.
“Listen kid I know...”
“I said I don’t want to talk about it!” he cut Helm off.
Zeal let out a devilish smile. “Mare problems?” he teased Silky.
“Mind your own damn business!” Silkmane snapped at the officer, Zeal just laughed.
“I was born in a country where ponies admire...” a voice could be heard from outside.
“Their great and brave heroes and how they aspire, To stand upon mountains and always be winners, And never give less than their all.”
Zeal and Helm pulled the window down and stuck their heads out to get a better view of what was happening.
“I once met an old friend who told me great stories, Of legends of those who fought hard for the glory, Of lifting that flag in the moment of triumph, His memory's kept me enthralled.”
“Silky! Move your damn rump over here!” Helm called out.
The entire town started singing.
“On the fields, the fields of glory, On the fields, where colts become steeds, On the fields, the fields of glory, And may they win, win in the end.”
Silkmane looked up through the window, and on top of the station, mane and tail fluttering in the wind, stood a singing pink mare.
“Supporting our troops with a true sense of place, Are the hooffuls of ponies, the pride on their faces, They come from the townlands, the parish, the village, Their banners they proudly unfurl.
An anthem of hope is the song they're singing, There's a whistle it sounds and the game it begins, And the roar of the crowd echos up to the clouds, It sends out a clarion call.”
Again the town joined in for the chorus.
“On the fields, the fields of glory, On the fields, where colts become steeds, On the fields, the fields of glory, And may they win, win in the end.”
“I'm dreaming of Equestria in fine summer weather, A crowd of young colts playing together, All hoping that someday the call they will answer, To fight for the place they were born.”
“On the fields, the fields of glory, On the fields, where colts become steeds, On the fields, the fields of glory, And may they win, win in the end.”
I'm dreaming of Equestria in fine summer weather, A crowd of young colts playing together, And the roar of the crowd echoes up to the clouds, It sends out a clarion call.”
The engine whistled, and the train started pulling out of the station. The ponies gathered on the platform cheered on the soldiers.
Silkmane looked at the pink pony, she looked back at him, waving him goodbye.
“I'll come back!” Silkmane yelled out to her.
Pinkie smiled.
“I’ll be waiting for you my friend,” she muttered as the train vanished in a mass of smoke and steam.
