> Bittersweet memories > by Torroza > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It have been a year since it happened. It haven't gone a single day without me thinking of that dreadful day. I look over at my friend Rainbow Dash that's walking besides me. I think of all the support she has been giving me since it happened. I mean, all my friends have been giving me their full support, but i just feels more special when it comes from Rainbow. She even decided to live at my house instead of her own so i shouldn't need to be alone due to that Spike joined the army when the war broke out. She's been living with me ever since I got back to Ponyville. I stops at the gate of the fence and look out over the cemetery. I tell Rainbow to wait here, that this is something that i need to do alone. She looks at me with a concerned look, but then nods. She says that if I need her that i just need to call on her. I slowly nods while i keep looking out over the cemetery. I then walks in through the gate and walks at the pebble road between the countless white crosses. They continue to the horizon in every direction except the one i just came from. There must have been tens of thousands of them. Every single one of them representing a fallen soldier from the war. I’m now getting closer and closer to my destination. The closer I get, the slower is the pace I walk in. I finally reach a great oak with a simple white stone cross under it. On the cross it reads: Captain Shining Armor of the royal guard Fought with valor, died with honor I sit down in front of the cross and just stare at it. I can’t believe it has been a year since the terrible day. I still remember it like it just happened a couple of hours ago. I close my eyes, and there he is. Standing in his armor on the day he got promoted to captain of the royal guard. The next thing I remember is how happy he was at his wedding with Princess Cadence. I then relive our childhood together. And suddenly the memory if how he passed away hits me…. \\\””””/// I could see him standing in the doorway with his armor stained with blood, ushering me and Cadence to stay quit and hide. We did just that. He took a quick look out through the door but quick withdraws his head. The street outside was crowded by griffons. He walked over to us and quietly said that he has a plan. He told us what the plan is, but I can’t say me and Cadence liked it that much. It went out on that Cadence flies me and herself out of the town to safety while Shining held the griffons back. We first tried to make him see reason, that there was another way. That he would be overrunned. But he held his ground and said that if he could save us he would do it, even if it meant that he died. He convinced Cadence that it was the only thing left to do. The rest of the royal guards were either captured or killed. Our only chance to survive was that he tried to hold them back for as long he could. She walked up to him and told him to stay safe, and then kissed him. I just stood there, crying all the time. Shining went up and hugged me. I hugged him tightly around his neck and just kept on crying. He said that he would gladly sacrifice his own life it meant that I was safe, that I and Cadence meant everything to him. I looked up at his face. He gave me a comforting smile that always managed to help me get a hold of myself when I was distraught, it worked this time too. He motioned to Cadence to come over and she joined into the hug. He said that he loved us both and then hugged us tightly with tears streaming down his chins. He then pick up his sword in his magic and went over to the door. He told us to be ready to run and then charge out onto the street. We ran out after him out on the street, i got dazzled by the sudden exposing of my eyes to the bright sunlight. When i could see properly again i saw him engaging a large group of griffons. I tried to run after him to aid him in the battle, but before i got five yards I felt myself been lifted off the ground. I looked up and saw that Cadence had a firm grip around me. She started to fly away from the battle on the street. I looked back just to see him be surrounded by around twenty griffons. I screamed his name and begged Cadence to turn around. She didn’t respond and just kept on flying further away. I could see that she was crying. I saw him fight back with all his might. He brought several of them down with him. But not even the strongest warrior can hold back that many opponents. I saw a sword strike him in the chest. I called out his name once again, he turned against me and smiled. Then the buildings obstructed my view. \\\””””/// That was the last time I saw him alive. Cadence and I reached the safety in the city of Fillydelphia. The war ended a couple of months later when The Gryffon Empire surrended after suffering a crushing defeat at the plains of Appaloosa. But life hasn’t been the same without him. And it probably never will be. I laid a violet colored rose down at the base of the cross. I looked sadly at the name written on the cross and then said: “Farwell BBBFF, thanks for everything.”