After dealing with the manticore remains and studiously ignoring the cries of pain and suffering coming from the general direction of the medical tents, David wiped his brow with an arm and collapsed next to a similarly exhausted unicorn.

“Twilight,” he grumbled, giving her a weak smile. “Let’s not do that again.”

Twilight didn’t reply, she simply nodded wearily. Their last attack had been a last ditch effort to contain the breach of lightning-charged manticores that had broken through on the eastern perimeter defences and had overrun the bewildered and demoralised pony battalion stationed there. Twilight and David mutually agreed to stem the tide, and they were able to… only David felt that they had been much too little, much too late and manticores had really done a number on him before they could mount up an effective rally.

At first, thrust into the war with little or no notice, and with no choice but to comply, David had tried to cover his rising anxiety with wild recklessness and dry humour, but that soon evaporated, leaving behind ashes in his mouth and the bitter taste of loss and regret. With every life that was lost, David felt an ache in his heart grow, and though he grinned cheerfully and playfully wound up Twilight, he found that his heart was not in it.

He could see that in Twilight’s eyes, the feeling was sympathetic. Her own face was lie wrapped in a deception coddled in the silky web of falsehoods and slights. The game they took part in was a dangerous one, to act without acting out, to play without playing the other, to think without being thought of. It was an emotional tug of war that made David all the more weary than the incessant fighting every other minute.

A shrill scream split the temporary silence that had descended throughout the battlefield. Twilight glanced at David, giving the human a shaky grin and she gestured with a hoof towards the trench lines again. David groaned and pushed himself up to his knees.

“I’m going to regret this aren’t I?” he commented wryly to the unicorn tensing up beside him.

“For what it’s worth, David,” she croaked. “I enjoyed the short moments of fun we had together.”

David surprised himself by replying, “Me too.” He paused, mulled it over, then found he really meant it.

“Me too,” he said more firmly.

The next wave was upon them in moments, and they could not speak a word more.

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