It was only a few months later when Velocity, the alicorn of the Speed pony tribe, capitulated control of the Broken Spine mountain and the surrounding valleys to the Bat pony tribe. As it were, this was just a minor claim dispute that neither Velocity nor Nocturne wished to turn into a full fledged war and as soon as victory was declared, the surviving Speed and Electric ponies were allowed to leave alive and with their dignity intact.

As the camps were broken down, there were miniature celebrations breaking out here and there from the ponies that had been in the thick of the battle while the reserve squads moved in to secure the mountain for the future generation. The front line soldiers had the right to return home first, the other squads standing to witness their counterparts march with pride and heads held high. They were then allowed to follow behind them with the Flutter ponies doing their best to keep up but due to their short stature, timid nature towards anything larger than them and the different military structure in this minor conflict, they were quickly a far deal behind the rear Bat pony squad. It caused a small tiffle when they came to the juncture in the Neutral Lands, with the entire army coming to a halt to let the Flutter ponies catch up to the front to give them a proper send off. Snarling Fang, and the Terror Mask squad, watched the ponies pass by and for some reason, she found herself looking at the medical section a bit longer.

Convincing herself that she was just curious if she could see that medic that had refused her orders, she stared down at the slightly cowering ponies walking past her. She knew that it was no insult to her or her tribe, the Flutter ponies were simply not suited for this. They were small in nature and more aligned to the flow of the natural world around them, and most if not all other ponies were an unpredictable presence to them.

The fact that one actually was brave enough to talk back was really surprising and…

With a snort and shake of her head, she forced the medic out of her head. He was just a foolish stallion and nothing more.

Flicking her tufted ear, she heard the orders to fall back into step and moved forward. The sooner she got home, the better. Her life could get back to normal and just maybe she could get promoted to a more honourable squad.

With a smile hidden behind her mask, Fang stood next to her fellow ponies in the Address Square. The cheers that they’d received once they returned to Erebus, the capital of the Bat pony tribe, made her feel wonderful. The citizens were overjoyed to see them home, and a few brave ponies had even run out to kiss their soldiers home. She giggled to herself as she recalled the poor mare that had run to a Shrieker and triggered his combat reflexes. Poor sod got heckled by his squad so badly his face turned red under his brown coat.

Even a few went to her squad, pulling back their masks for a daring kiss. Her ears fell, as she hadn’t been picked out even though she was close to the side and she had seen a few mares from other squads surprised by a tongue hungry civilian.

Shaking away the memory, she looked around the crowd of her ponies, spotting Sharp Claw near the front with the other squad leaders. With a nod from him and the other squad leaders, the soldiers around her removed their helmets and face coverings. For this kind of address, it could only be viewed as the most disrespectful act to their alicorn to be hidden. It would say to Nocturne that they did not want to be seen by her, that they had something to hide from her.

Reaching up, Fang removed her mask and shook out her dark chestnut mane from it, letting it fall to the side of her head. Blinking, she stared up at the balcony with her sharp green eyes. Fang felt an unusual stab of worry about her appearance; while she knew she, along with almost every other pony present, was dirty and sweaty under their armour, Fang thought she could have at least done something more to make herself appear more proper.

Biting her lip to chase away the thought and doing her best to avoid comparing herself to the other mares in the gathering, she stared straight up at the multicoloured curtain with her wings pressed against her eminence coated sides. Unfortunately, she could see gentle curves of their faces that could woo young stallions or mares as well as hard chiseled faces that would entice the more dedicated ponies out there. Fang was aware of how plain she looked, how unappealing she was, how ord-

The ponies around her stiffened, snapping Fang out of her thoughts and back to the balcony. She could see several heralds announcing Nocturne’s arrival, trumpets blaring.

Despite their training, everypony was shuffling on the spot, all leaning forward to catch a glimpse of their alicorn. Being in Erebus just made her feel even fuller and stronger, her magic and soul deeper now that she was back in Nocturne’s city and seeing her would just be even grander.

Then, with the crowd exploding with a roar of joy and applause, Nocturne was on the stage. She was a russet coated mare with sharp silver eyes that bore into everypony. As it was said of every alicorn, there was no white in the sclera, only the colour of their iris filling everything in the eye socket. Her mane was pitch black and utterly beautiful to look at; lovingly groomed with white flowers woven in that made it appear that Nocturne was walking with the night sky on her back. Even bare of anything on her body, Nocturne was the most wonderful being in existence to Fang and everypony in the Square.

With a chuckle in her throat, Nocturne smiled at her ponies before dropping her smile into a small content look of approval. “My dear ponies,” she said in a voice that could belong to a young singer, no matter the fact that she was just shy of being one hundred thousand years old if the stories were true. “I am beyond pleased to see so many of you have returned home to me. You have done what I have asked in bringing back our mountains to their proper owners and I have yet one more task to ask you all to undertake for me.” This caused the ponies in the Square to take a step back, shooting each other a look of clear confusion. There was no word of future conflicts, but whatever Nocturne wished them to do, they would do so.

Nocturne bowed her head slightly, eyes closed now. “Many of your fellow soldiers did not return home and we shall grieve them. Their losses weigh heavily on me, and will be with me until I join the Ancients in Elysium.” She then snapped her eyes open, looking at the ponies below her. “I shall not ask you to forget them or put them away from your mind, but instead honour them by living lives of peace and prosperity. I ask you all to search for the one you can call your soulmate and let the lives lost be honoured in the new generation that I know you all will bring to life!”

Fang felt a chill down her spine, standing ramrod straight among the cheering crowd. Of all the duties that Nocturne could have bestowed upon them, finding someone to spend her life with filled her with the most dread. She had spent her life dedicated to fighting and serving in Nocturne’s army and left the interactions of the normal pony life behind her. She had no true plan in navigating the waters of civilian society or how to properly to begin a relationship with a pony. What was she going to do-

Shaking her head and forcing her doubts out of her mind, she resolved her will to do what Nocturne asked of her. She was no social pony, true, but how hard could it be to find her special somepony?